CHAPTER ELEVEN 

The classroom felt different that morning, though nothing had really changed.

The same cracked walls.

The same slow ceiling fan.

The same low murmurs before the lecturer arrived.

Yet Amara felt it the invisible shift. The space between her and everyone else had grown wider. Especially between her and Iris.

Iris walked in with her usual confidence, her shoulders straight, her steps calm. She laughed at something one of the girls said, dropping her bag on the desk like she owned the room. People still looked at her. Some admired her. Some whispered.

But Amara noticed something others didn't.

Iris laughed louder now… like she was trying to drown something out.

Amara lowered her eyes quickly before Iris could catch her staring. Her chest tightened. The guilt had never really left it only buried itself deeper every day.

Behind her, two girls whispered.

“She's acting like nothing happened.”

“That's Iris for you. Pride.”

“Or maybe she just moved on.”

Amara's fingers tightened around her pen. Moved on? Was it really that easy?

The lecturer walked in, ending the conversation.

“Good morning, class.”

"Good morning, sir," they replied in unison.

He began the lecture, writing across the board, his voice steady. But Amara heard nothing. Her mind kept drifting. Every time Iris laughed softly, every time she leaned forward to write, every time she tucked her hair behind her ear Amara noticed.

And hated herself for noticing.

Halfway through the lecture, Iris turned slightly to ask the boy beside her a question. Their heads leaned closer. 

They both smiled.

Something twisted inside Amara.

Not jealousy.

Not anger.

Just… loneliness.

She looked away quickly.

When the lecture ended, students began packing their bags. Chairs scraped against the floor. Conversations rose again. Iris stood up, slinging her bag over her shoulder.

For a second, just a second her eyes met Amara's.

It was brief. Quiet. Unreadable.

Then Iris looked away.

That hurt more than anything.

No anger.

No hatred.

Just distance.

Amara swallowed hard. She had expected Iris to hate her forever. But this… this calm indifference felt worse. Like she no longer mattered at all.

The three girls walked over to Iris, pulling her into a conversation. They laughed, talking about something that made Iris shake her head.

Amara watched from afar.

She used to think being invisible would protect her.

Now it only made her feel smaller.

She packed her bag slowly, waiting until most of the class had left. The room grew quiet. Empty. Safe.

But as she stood to leave, she heard footsteps behind her.

She turned.

It was Daniel.

He hesitated, like he wasn't sure whether to speak. Then he finally did.

“Amara…”

Her heart skipped.

“Yes?”

He rubbed the back of his neck, glancing toward the door Iris had just walked through.

“You've been… quiet lately.”

Amara forced a small smile. “I'm always quiet.”

Daniel studied her for a moment. “Not like this.”

She didn't reply.

The silence stretched.

Then he said softly, “Did something happen?”

Amara felt her throat tighten. 

Too many things had happened. Too many things she couldn't say.

She shook her head. “Nothing.”

Daniel didn't look convinced, but he nodded anyway.

“Alright… just… don't disappear completely, okay?”

He gave a small smile and walked away.

Amara stood there, frozen.

Disappear.

She already had.

She walked out of the classroom slowly, her eyes scanning the corridor. Students moved around, laughing, talking, living. 

Somewhere ahead, Iris's voice floated faintly through the hallway.

Amara stopped walking.

For a moment, she considered going the other direction.

And she did.

She turned away  choosing distance again.

But this time… it hurt more than before.