Chapter 10

Miley woke before her alarm.

For a moment, she didn’t move. The room was dim, the light outside still undecided, pressing faintly against the curtains. The house was quiet in the way it always was in the early morning-not silent, just settled. Something hummed far away. Wood shifted softly.

She lay there longer than she needed to.

Not because she was tired

Just because it felt easier not to move.

When she finally sat up, the blanket slipped off her legs the same way it always did, twisting slightly around her knees. The floor was cold when her feet touched it. She didn’t flinch. She expected it.

She dressed without much thought. A skirt. A sweater. Comfortable. Familiar. In the bathroom, she washed her face and tied her hair back loosely, pausing only briefly in front of the mirror.

She looked… normal.

That should have been reassuring.

Downstairs, breakfast was already waiting.
Toast. Tea. Her mother moving quietly between the counter and the stove. Her father seated at the table, glasses low on his nose, phone in hand.

“Morning,” her mother said.

“Morning,” Miley replied, sitting down.

They talked about nothing important. The day ahead. How the weather couldn’t decide what it wanted to do. Miley stirred her tea once before drinking it, watching the steam rise and disappear.

Everything felt placed. Like it had been set there earlier and left for her to find.

Outside, the air was cool. She adjusted the strap of her bag automatically as she walked, stepping around a crack in the pavement without realizing she’d done it until she was already past it.

The street curved gently ahead. Trees stood tall and still. A cluster of leaves rested near the fence across the road

She noticed them.

Blackwood High appeared the same as always-brick dark against the pale sky.

Inside, the noise hit her all at once. Lockers slamming. Voices overlapping. Shoes squeaking against the floor. Miley moved through it easily, letting faster students pass without irritation.

“Miley!”

She turned.

Anya waved at her from near the notice board, phone in hand, smile already in place.

“You’re early,” Anya said. “Did you finally figure out the fastest route?”

Miley smiled faintly. “Something like that.”

They walked together toward class. Anya talked-about homework, about how one of the teachers scared her for no reason, about how long the day already felt even though it had barely started.

Miley listened. Nodded. Laughed at the right moments.

The classroom filled slowly. Chairs scraped. Bags dropped. The sound settled into something steady.

Miley took her seat and opened her notebook.

Felix was already there.

Sitting a few rows ahead.

The sight of him didn’t surprise her-but something in her chest tightened anyway. She hadn’t been looking for him. She’d just… known.

She told herself that didn’t mean anything.

When the teacher arrived and the room quieted, Miley turned slightly in her seat.

“Hi,” she said

Felix looked back.

For a second, his expression was polite. Blank.

“Oh-hey,” he said. Then hesitated. “Sorry… what was your name again?”

The words landed softly.

Too softly.

“Miley,” she said.

“Right,” he nodded quickly. “Sorry. I’m bad with names.”

Her smile came automatically. “It’s fine.”

He turned back around as the teacher started speaking.

Miley faced forward too, pen hovering above the page for half a second before she forced it down.

It’s fine, she told herself.

The lesson moved on. Notes filled her page. Her handwriting stayed neat, controlled, even as her thoughts drifted slightly out of reach.

At lunch, Anya claimed their usual table. Talked through the entire meal. Complained, laughed, gestured wildly with her fork.

Miley listened.

Felix passed by once with his friends, laughing at something someone said. He didn’t look her way.

The afternoon stretched. Not unpleasant. Just long.

When the final bell rang, she was already packing her bag.

The walk home felt quiet. Clouds hung low and heavy, the sky pressing down gently.

The house greeted her with stillness.

Dinner passed easily. Conversation light. Nothing worth remembering.

Later, in her room, Miley lay back on her bed and stared at the ceiling.

The day replayed itself-not sharply, not urgently. Just pieces falling into place.

She exhaled.

How can he Just….. forgot?

It’s nothing

I’m just tired, she decided.

That’s all this is.

She turned onto her side, pulling the blanket closer.

Tomorrow would feel different.

It had to.

With that thought settling into place, she closed her eyes.
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Chapter ended