chapter 2

Ariana stared at her reflection in the classroom window, tracing the tired lines under her eyes. She had barely slept last night, and her stomach ached from the thin breakfast her mother had grudgingly given her. Every step to school felt heavy, like she was dragging invisible chains.

By the time she reached her usual spot under the big oak tree near the playground, Daniel was already there, leaning casually against the trunk with his backpack slung over one shoulder. His presence made her chest tighten—she wanted to feel comforted, but the words he had said yesterday still echoed in her mind:

“Families fight. You just… deal with it.”

She swallowed the lump in her throat and forced a small smile.

“Hey,” she said softly.

Daniel glanced at her, smirked, and leaned a little closer.

“Hey. You okay?”

Ariana hesitated, then shook her head. “Not really… It’s just… my home life. It’s…” She trailed off, unsure how to explain the constant emotional weight she carried.

“It’s not your fault,” Daniel said quickly.

“I know… but it feels like it is,” she admitted.

“They make me feel like I’m nothing.”

Daniel’s expression faltered slightly, but only for a second. He ran a hand through his hair.

“Ariana… everyone has problems at home. You just need to… you know, handle it.”

The words stung. Ariana felt tears prick the corners of her eyes. She had expected him to care, to understand, to at least hold her hand and say, I’m here. But instead, his voice was flat, his empathy shallow.

“You don’t get it,” she whispered. “They—my family… they punish me for everything. For being me. For… existing.”

Daniel shrugged, leaning back against the tree.

“Look, I can’t fix your family. You just… have to deal with it. That’s life, right?”

Ariana wanted to scream, to shake him, to make him see. Instead, she swallowed her hurt and turned away, looking at the playground. She felt smaller than ever. Her boyfriend, the one person she thought might understand, had shut the door on her pain.

A rustle behind her caught her attention. It was the school cleaner, Mrs. Alvarez, quietly sweeping near the benches. Her eyes softened when she saw Ariana.

“Everything okay, dear?” she asked gently.

Ariana shook her head again. “No… it’s not.” She hesitated, then whispered, almost to herself:

“I don’t think anyone cares.”

Mrs. Alvarez knelt beside her, lowering her broom.

“I care. And I think it’s very brave of you to keep going, even when it’s hard.”

For a moment, Ariana allowed herself to breathe, the first small comfort she had felt since yesterday.

The bell rang, signaling the start of the next class. Ariana walked away slowly, her head down, feeling both the sting of rejection and a faint spark of hope. If even one adult could notice her struggle, maybe there was a chance she could survive this.

But when she glanced back at Daniel, laughing with a group of friends across the field, she realized that hope might be the only thing she had left—and that it could be fleeting.

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***