Kaizer's POV
The assembly ground was crowded.
Too crowded.
Voices didn't just exist around me...they overlapped, collided, tangled into something unbearable.
At least… they used to.
Now, I was getting used to it.
Fragments slipped in and out of my head,
*Did I bring my notebook…
I hope she notices me…
Why is the sun so harsh… *
Noise.
Constant. Endless noise.
I stood there, expression blank, letting it pass through me like background static.
"Students, we will now announce the results for the position of school president."
The murmurs shifted, sharpened.
I didn't care.
Until,
"Iris."
The name cut through everything.
Applause erupted.
My eyes lifted before I could stop them.
She walked toward the stage.
Calm. Steady.
Like she belonged there.
I frowned slightly.
Why does it always feel like,
I can't reach her?
I focused harder this time.
Really focused.
Pushing past the noise. Forcing through layers of thoughts,
Just a little more....
Maybe this time....
Nothing.
Silence.
Not reduced.
Not faint.
Gone.
As if the world itself paused around her.
She began taking her oath.
Her lips moved, her voice clear…
…but her mind.
empty.
Or maybe…
I just wasn't allowed in.
My jaw tightened.
Why her?
"Bro."
Lux nudged me.
"You've been staring for way too long."
I blinked and looked away instantly.
"Was I?"
He smirked.
"Yeah. And don't worry...I saw who you were staring at."
"Shut up."
"Relax," he chuckled. "I'm just saying… that wasn't normal."
I didn't reply.
Because he was right.
It wasn't.
The assembly ended soon after.
Students began moving, talking, laughing,
And the noise came rushing back.
Louder.
Sharper.
Like punishment.
"Kaizer."
I turned.
The teacher's face said enough.
"Come with me."
---
The classroom felt suffocating.
Not because of thoughts,
but because of him.
"Do you even realize how badly you performed?" he snapped, throwing the paper on the desk.
I glanced at it.
Low marks.
Expected.
"You've already missed a part of the syllabus," he continued, voice rising. "And now this? Do you think you can just ignore everything and still pass?"
I stayed silent.
Not because I didn't have answers.
But because I was tired of explaining.
"You were doing better before," he said, slightly calmer now. "What happened?"
That question lingered.
What happened?
I looked down.
What do I say?
That I can't think properly?
That my head is never quiet?
That even standing in a crowd feels like drowning?
"It won't happen again, sir," I said finally.
He stared at me for a moment.
"See that it doesn't."
I nodded once and walked out.
The moment I stepped outside,
the noise returned.
And today…
it felt heavier than usual.
---
Iris's POV
Anya didn't even wait.
"Okay. What is wrong with you?"
"Nothing."
"You've been acting weird since morning."
"I'm always weird."
"Not this kind."
I tried focusing on my notebook.
Didn't work.
She leaned closer, lowering her voice.
"This is about him, isn't it?"
I froze.
Just for a second.
But it was enough.
Anya gasped dramatically.
"I KNEW IT."
"Keep your voice down!"
She grinned, clearly enjoying this.
"Wow. Just one eye contact and you're like this?"
"I am not like anything."
"Sure."
Before I could argue further, someone called out from behind.
"Iris."
I turned.
"There's something you should know."
"What is it?"
"A girl named Grace… she's been talking about you."
Anya straightened immediately.
"What did she say?"
The girl hesitated.
"…That you do things for attention. And… because you don't have parents."
Silence fell.
Anya's fists clenched.
"We didn't even do anything to her!"
"It's because of Joy," the girl added. "He lost the president position to Iris."
I let out a quiet breath.
Of course.
"Where is she?" I asked.
Anya blinked.
"You're seriously going?"
"Yes."
---
Grace stood in the corridor, surrounded by a few girls.
She noticed me instantly.
"Oh. The president herself."
I walked up to her.
Calm. Steady.
"You said something about me?"
She tilted her head.
"Why? Did it reach you already?"
"I just want to hear it from you."
A faint smirk appeared on her lips.
"Well… I just said what everyone can see."
"And that is?"
She stepped closer.
"That girls like you… do certain things to get ahead."
Her eyes scanned me.
"Especially when they don't have anyone to answer to."
A few girls laughed.
I didn't.
I just looked at her.
Quietly.
"If that's what you believe," I said, voice even, "then it says more about you than me."
Her expression flickered.
"You think you're better than everyone?"
"No."
I held her gaze.
"But I don't need to bring others down to stand."
Her jaw tightened.
"You're acting too confident for someone like you."
"Someone like me?" I repeated softly.
"Yes. Someone with no..."
I cut her off.
"To be honest, Grace…"
I paused, just enough.
"…you're acting like a disgrace of your parents' money."
Silence.
This time, no one laughed.
I turned and walked away.
---
The moment I stepped out of school,
everything faded.
The confidence.
The calm.
Gone.
I walked toward the hospital slowly.
Grandma was asleep when I reached.
I sat beside her for a while before stepping out.
And then..
I saw him.
Kaizer.
My steps halted.
Why is he here?
For a second, I almost moved forward.
Then something inside me stopped.
No.
Not like this.
Not when,
What if he thinks those rumours are true?
What if he already does?
I instinctively stepped back, hiding behind the wall.
My heart wouldn't slow down.
Why does it feel like he'll see everything?
Every weakness.
Every thought.
I waited until he left.
Only then did I breathe properly again.
---
That night, I sat in front of the photo frame.
"Mumma… Papa…"
My voice trembled.
"I became the school president today."
A small smile appeared.
"You'd be proud… right?"
My eyes blurred.
"I tried… I really did…"
Tears slipped down silently.
"I'm doing okay…"
The lie felt heavy.
"I am…"
Before I could say anything else,
a voice drifted from the house beside mine.
Soft.
Familiar.
I froze.
It was him.
He was singing.
"No one sees me like you do, Ma…"
My breath caught.
"You'll scold them… won't you, Ma…?"
Something inside me cracked.
"I want to complain to you…"
A tear rolled down my cheek.
"They hurt me, Ma…"
My vision blurred.
I slowly lay down on the bed.
"Just let me come… let me hide with you…"
My chest felt tight.
"I am alone, Ma…"
My eyes closed slowly.
His voice lingered in the quiet night.
And for the first time....
the silence didn't feel empty.