004

The next day

Scarlett woke up feeling... different. For the first time in forever, she didn't feel like she'd been hit by a truck. That weird dream with the white-haired guy and all his cryptic stuff was still there, somewhere in the back of her mind, but she felt weirdly okay. No dark circles, no aching muscles. It was almost creepy how normal she felt.

*So this is what normal feels like.*

She stretched and looked out her window. Sunlight was peeking through the curtains, making her tiny bedroom feel warm and cozy. She could hear her mom humming downstairs in the kitchen. Everything felt... calm.

When she dragged herself to the kitchen, her mom turned around. "Morning, sleepyhead." Her mom paused, looking at her closely. "You look better today. Sleep good?"

Scarlett hesitated. "Yeah, I guess. Didn't really dream much."

Her mom smiled. "Good. You need more nights like that."

Scarlett just nodded and grabbed an apple before heading out.

The walk to school was same as always. The streets were just waking up, with that early morning buzz in the air. Scarlett pulled her jacket closer as the cold wind hit her face, making her shiver a little. She kept her eyes on the ground, her feet scuffing against the sidewalk while she got lost in her thoughts.

It was a quiet routine, and she was okay with that. It kept her hidden, away from all the stares and whispers. But when she turned the corner, she stopped dead. There was Liam, walking ahead of her, taking his time.

Her heart did this weird little jump. Liam was... well, Liam. One of the few people who didn't treat her like she was invisible or had some weird disease. But after yesterday's mess, she wasn't sure she wanted to talk to him. Her stomach was doing backflips, which just made everything worse.

She tried to breathe normally. Maybe if she walked fast enough, she could sneak by without him seeing her. She could picture it now—head down, quiet, pathetic as usual. It was a solid plan. Would've been, anyway, if Liam hadn't looked up right then.

"Hey, Scarlett!"

She froze. So much for sneaking by. She stopped walking and waited a second before looking up. "Uh, hi," she mumbled, biting her lip.

Liam grinned like it was totally normal for them to be talking. He fixed his backpack strap and nodded at her. "You look... awake today."

Scarlett blinked, confused. "Awake?"

"Yeah," he laughed a little. "Like, not shuffling around looking like you haven't slept in weeks."

She rolled her eyes, but couldn't help the tiny smile forming. "That obvious, huh?"

"Kind of," he said, teasing.

The conversation felt weirdly normal, and Scarlett didn't know what to do with that. While she searched for something to say, she noticed his bag. Something colorful caught her eye—a sticker on the side.

She squinted. Was that... a cartoon character?

Before she could stop herself, she tilted her head to look at it better. It was this panda with big eyes, holding what looked like a bamboo sword. It was kind of silly, pretty childish, but... sort of cute.

Liam saw where she was looking and turned red. "Oh, uh, yeah," he said, rubbing his neck. "It's from this show I watch."

Scarlett raised an eyebrow, waiting.

He shifted his weight, still blushing. "I know it's kind of... kiddy. Even my friends think it's dumb."

Scarlett surprised herself by shrugging. "Doesn't look that bad."

Liam's eyes widened. "Really?"

She nodded. "What's it called?"

His face lit up like a Christmas tree, embarrassment forgotten. "It's called Panda Quest," he said, suddenly excited. "It's pretty silly, but it's funny. Like... SpongeBob kind of funny."

Scarlett's lips twitched. "Haven't watched SpongeBob in ages."

"You should try this one," he said, practically bouncing. "It's good. Like, laugh-out-loud good."

She shrugged again, but this time it felt more real. "Maybe I will."

"Seriously?" His grin got even bigger. "You won't regret it."

She couldn't help but feel amused at how excited he was. It was... nice.

They walked together for a bit, and Scarlett felt lighter with each step. When they reached the intersection where they had to split up, Liam slowed down. "See you around!"

"Yeah, see you," she said, watching him head down his street.

For a minute, Scarlett just stood there. The heavy feeling in her chest wasn't as bad as usual. It wasn't much, but it was something. And for once, that felt okay.

But that good feeling didn't stick around long. As soon as she walked into school, she saw Claire hanging out by her locker with her usual gang—Lily, Brittany, and Ava.

Claire's eyes scanned Scarlett from head to toe, narrowing when she noticed the color in her cheeks. "Well, well," Claire sneered. "Look who finally decided to join the living."

Scarlett kept quiet, head down as she walked to her locker. But Claire never let things go that easy.

"Got some new makeup or something?" Claire taunted. "Or did you finally learn how to wash your face?"

The girls behind her giggled like it was the funniest thing ever.

Scarlett's hands shook as she opened her locker. She tried to focus on her books, but Claire wasn't done.

"Don't tell me you're trying to look... decent. News flash, Scar—nobody cares." Claire's words cut deep, like they always did.

Scarlett clenched her jaw, gripping her notebook so hard her knuckles went white. She wanted to scream, to fight back, but she knew that would just make everything worse.

"Maybe we should focus on something else today, Claire," Ava said quietly, but her voice was weak.

Claire shot her a look that shut her up quick. "Let's go," Claire said, smirking at Scarlett one last time. "Later, loser."

Scarlett waited until they were gone before letting out a shaky breath. Her chest felt heavy again, but she refused to cry. Not here. Not now.

When Scarlett got home that evening, she dropped her bag on the floor and fell onto her bed. Her mind kept playing back the day—Claire's mean words, Liam's smile, that stupid cartoon sticker on his bag.

She grabbed her phone and started scrolling, then remembered what Liam said. Panda Quest.

Curious, she looked it up and started the first episode. At first, she felt dumb watching it. It was just some cartoon about a clumsy panda trying to save his bamboo forest. But as time passed, she found herself smiling... then actually laughing.

It was completely ridiculous. She hadn't laughed like this in months.

When the episode ended, Scarlett felt lighter somehow. She laid back against her pillows, still smiling. For once, her mind didn't go to dark places or drag her into that weird, scary dream.

That night, she slept like a baby.