Sophie's Life

Chapter 22: The Exams

**A Few Weeks Later**

Exams were just around the corner, and the entire school was feeling the pressure. Stress was everywhere—people rushing to study, cramming in last-minute notes, and sleep-deprived faces all around. Our group was no different. James, Aaron, Riley, Nathan, Sasha, and I were all struggling to keep up. Even Daniel, who was usually calm, seemed on edge.

For me, it had been building up for weeks. The long nights of studying, the stress of exams, and the mess of emotions swirling around Daniel left me feeling completely overwhelmed. One night, I hit my breaking point. Everything—school, my friendships, the confusion about Daniel—piled up, and I stayed up crying all night, unsure of how I got into such a mess.

The next day, I was barely holding it together. My eyes were puffy, and my brain felt foggy from lack of sleep. I could hardly focus in class, and every little thing seemed too much. I was just about ready to give up when James showed up.

He must have noticed the exhaustion in my face because instead of asking me to study, he offered something different. "Come on, let's get out of here," he said. I stared at him, confused. "But the exams—" He shook his head. "You're burnt out. We both are. You need a break."

Before I could protest, he was dragging me out of school. We ended up at the ice cream shop, where I sat in stunned silence, a scoop of chocolate melting in front of me. "Why are we here?" I asked finally, still feeling like the weight of everything was pressing down on me.

James smiled, though it didn't quite reach his eyes. "Because you need to relax. You've been stressing for weeks."

I sighed, poking at my ice cream. "I can't relax. I'm barely keeping it together. And with Daniel—" My voice trailed off as the mention of his name made my chest tighten. I still didn't know where we stood, and it was driving me crazy.

James nodded, leaning back in his seat. "I get it. Abby broke up with me."

I looked up, shocked. "Wait, what? When?"

"Yesterday," he said, his voice quieter now. "She said she's been feeling something for Nathan for a while and... well, it was better to end things."

I stared at him, unsure of what to say. "James, I'm so sorry."

He shrugged, trying to play it off, but I could see the hurt in his eyes. "It's fine. I kinda saw it coming. It's just... hard, you know?"

For a while, we sat in silence, both of us lost in our own thoughts. I could see the pain he was trying to hide, and it reminded me that we all had our own battles. As much as I was hurting, so was he.

"I know it sucks now," I said softly, "but it'll get better. You helped me, and I'm going to help you."

James smiled, a little more genuine this time. "Thanks, Sophie. You always know what to say."

The weight on my chest lifted a little as I realized I wasn't as alone as I thought. As we sat there, talking about everything but exams and breakups, I felt a tiny bit of hope returning.

Meanwhile, the rest of the group was dealing with their own problems. Riley and Aaron were still fighting, though no one seemed to know exactly what started it. Things had gotten more complicated since a new guy, Kenji, had transferred to our school. Riley had clearly taken notice of him, and Aaron wasn't happy about it.

And then there was Daniel. He'd been distant lately, and I didn't know if it was just the stress of exams or something else. The uncertainty was driving me crazy, and I was too afraid to confront him.

That night, I cried again, but it wasn't as heavy as before. James and I were both trying to recover, each of us leaning on the other in our own quiet way. I wasn't sure where things were going with Daniel or what would happen next with our group, but at least for now, James and I had found some c2omfort in the middle of all the chaos.