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the classroom felt colder today, or maybe it was just hyunjin's mind playing tricks on him. he glanced at the empty seat next to him. felicia still hadn't arrived. it wasn't like her to be late, even if she was quiet and withdrawn, she was always on time.
he glanced at the clock again. two minutes until the bell.
just as the first shrill note of the bell rang through the room, felicia slipped into the door, almost ghost-like in her presence. she didn't acknowledge anyone, her hoodie pulled tight around her, hiding her face in its shadow. her steps were slow, and when she finally sat down next to him, she didn't even look up.
"hey," hyunjin said, keeping his voice soft.
she mumbled something back, but it was lost in the noise of students talking and chairs scraping against the floor. she immediately took out her notebook, flipping it open to a random page, her eyes unfocused as she stared at it. the faint movement under her hoodie caught his eye-she was fidgeting with something. it wasn't hard to guess what. she always did that when she seemed anxious. the toy car, hidden in her sleeve.
hyunjin thought about asking how she was, but the tense silence between them made him hesitate. it wasn't just the silence, though. it was the way she had become so much smaller these past few days, so much quieter. there was something beneath the surface, but every time he tried to reach it, she pulled back further.
