Was it real

The bell rang, its sharp sound pulling Aerith from her tangled thoughts. She barely noticed the other students rushing past her, their laughter and chatter fading into background noise. Her mind was too clouded, too consumed by the gnawing sense of dread she couldn't shake. Walking back into their next classes the hall felt empty, unusually empty.The silence felt suffocating, as it felt like the walls were closing in on her, trapping her with her spiralling paranoia.She wasn't ready to face another class. The walls of the school felt like they were closing in on her, suffocating her beneath the weight of her paranoia. Aerith took a deep breath and headed toward the exit. She needed to get away, away from the classroom, the whispers, and the nagging feeling that something was slipping through her fingers. Her feet carried her automatically toward the courtyard, away from the crowded hallways, needing space, somewhere she could breathe.Outside, the afternoon air was crisp, a soft breeze rustling the trees. The familiar sight of the school courtyard usually brought some comfort, but today it felt foreign like the world had shifted beneath her feet and nothing was the same anymore. She found herself wandering, her feet carrying her without any real destination in mind.The courtyard was mostly empty now, save for a few students lingering around, but as Aerith crossed the open space, she caught sight of a familiar figure near the far side of the fence. Jake. Her heart stuttered in her chest as she saw him standing there, laughing with...Hazel. They were talking, their heads close together, and Jake's laughter rang out, loud and carefree.They were alone, talking in hushed tones, their heads close together as though sharing some private joke. Jake's laughter rang out, light and carefree, the sound of it cutting through Aerith like a knife.She stopped in her tracks, watching from a distance, her heart pounding in her chest, her breath catching in her throat as the scene before her seemed to warp, the edges of her vision blurring as if the world itself was shifting out of focus. It was the way they stood together, the way Jake smiled at her like nothing else mattered. Like Aerith didn't exist.She tried to tell herself it was nothing, they were just friends, but the way Jake looked at Hazel, the easy comfort between them, made her stomach twist with something cold and bitter. Was it fear? Pain? Regret? Was it the constant thoughts that kept creeping out as she witnessed the scene unfold before her, telling her to run away or the feeling of hurt betrayal that your best friend and your boyfriend were doing shady things behind your back and none felt guilty?Aerith's stomach churned. It was the way Jake leaned in when he spoke to Hazel, the way he smiled at her, the SMILE that used to be reserved for Aerith alone. Now it felt like a stolen moment, something intimate that Aerith wasn't meant to witness.Jake's been hanging out with Hazel a lot.She could almost hear Lola's voice in her head, repeating what she had said in class: *Jake's been hanging out with Hazel a lot.*Lola's voice from earlier echoed in her mind, each word cutting deeper, confirming what she had been too afraid to admit. It was happening right in front of her. Jake and Hazel. Together. The image felt like a slap to the face.Was this the reason Jake had been so distant lately? Has Hazel already replaced her?Aerith's throat tightened, the sting of tears threatening to spill over, but she blinked them back furiously. She couldn't let herself break down. Not here. Not where they could see her. She took a step back, her body trembling with the effort to stay composed. She wanted to move, to turn away, but her feet felt rooted to the ground. She was frozen in place, watching the truth.The paranoia that had been swirling inside her all day now solidified into something cold and hard, a bitter truth she didn't want to accept, but the laughter...the sight of them together as it clings to her like a dark cloud. It felt like a slap to the face, a cruel confirmation of one of her worst fears and all she could do was stand there and just listen to the whispers and fleeting moments that lingered between them.Hmph, but the way he was looking at her...like the way Jake was looking at Hazel, Aerith's heart clenched painfully, paralyzed by the bitter truth that was unfolding before her eyes. The edges of her vision blurred as her emotions threatened to overwhelm her. Her heart hammered in her chest as the questions swirled around her: Was this why Jake hadn't been texting her? Was he slipping away from her completely? How long had this been going on without her noticing?She quickly turned away, walking as fast as she could without looking back. The sound of their laughter followed her like a cruel echo, each note twisting the knife deeper into her chest. By the time she reached her locker, her hands were shaking. She stared blankly at the metal door for a long moment, trying to pull herself together, but the image of Jake and Hazel together wouldn't leave her mind. The realisation hit her like a tidal wave.*I'm losing him,* she thought bitterly. *I'm losing him.*She wished she had known something was wrong, but now seeing it with her own eyes, witnessing everything play out in front of her quickly, not giving her a catch, it made it all too real. Jake wasn't just pulling away, he was already halfway gone.*I need to talk to him*, she thought, but the idea of confronting Jake filled her with dread. She wasn't ready.What if everything she feared was true? What if Jake had already chosen Hazel over her?She pulled out her phone, her fingers trembling as she scrolled through her messages. Nothing. No texts from Jake. Just silence...*Of course there's nothing,* she thought bitterly. *Why would there be?*She felt the weight of the phone in her hand, the emptiness of the screen staring back at her. It was as if the world had gone quiet, leaving her alone with her thoughts and her unanswered questions.With a sigh, Aerith leaned against the cool metal of her locker and sent him a quick text: "Hey, can we talk?" She hesitated for a moment before hitting send, her heart pounding as she stared at the screen.The message went through, but there was no reply. No vibration, no indication that Jake had even seen it. Aerith wasn't sure if she should feel relieved or more anxious. She slipped her phone back into her pocket, as she tried to steady her breathing.As the bell rang again crowds of children came running out of the classroom she quickly turned and headed toward the library, needing a place to hide until her next class. But no matter where she went, the doubt, the paranoia, and the fear followed her, lingering in every corner of her mind like a shadow she couldn't escape.