The Silence Between Us

Blake sits in the back of the classroom now. Same seat. Same window. Same scratch on the desk where Oliver used to carve little stars.

But Oliver isn't there.

And the silence is louder than any argument they ever had.

It started small. It always does. A look.
A comment. Something heavy neither of them was ready to carry. Voices rose. Words sharpened. Something said that can't be unsaid.

Blake replayed it later. He almost reached out. But almost doesn't count. He thought there would be time.

There wasn't.

Now Blake passes Oliver's locker every day. Still closed. Still full. Still wrong. And the guilt won't let him breathe.

What if it was the fight?

Blake remembers the last thing he said. He remembers how it sounded. Sometimes he swears it still echoes. Memories feel colder now. Every laugh feels fragile. Every quiet moment feels like a warning sign he missed.

Blake starts rewriting everything.
That pause in the hallway? A sign.
That unread text? A sign.
That look across the cafeteria? A sign.
The guilt grows teeth.

I did this.

In the guidance counselor's office, Blake hides his face in his hands. "I'm sorry, Blake. We can do this all day," Mrs. Green says softly. "But we are not Louis. We can't read his mind. You may be right... but you may also be wrong."

Wrong? He doesn't want wrong. He wants her to say it. To confirm what he already believes. That the fight pushed Oliver. That his words were the final spark.

That this is his fault.

"I don't believe this was because of you," she says. But Blake does. And as he walks past Oliver's empty locker again, one thought follows him like a shadow:

If the last thing between them was anger...
what if that's the last thing Oliver carried with him?

*Read, The Overview, for full summary*