CHAPTER 2- RETURN

The gate is louder than it should be.

Not because anything about it has changed. Because she has. People move the same way they always do, laughing, talking, pretending like mornings are not repetitions of the same day. Lockers slam somewhere behind me. Someone calls out a name I don’t register. The world continues as if it has no memory at all.

And then—It stops. Or maybe I do. She’s standing near the entrance. Like she belongs there. Like she never left.

Ashlyn Perez.

Hazel eyes that catch light too easily. Auburn hair—soft waves falling over her shoulders like they’ve always known how to fall into place. Nothing about her is loud. Nothing about her needs attention. And yet everything about her has it.

“M-Martinez?” My name sounds unfamiliar in her voice. Like it belongs to someone I used to be. I don’t answer. Not because I don’t hear her. Because I do. Too clearly. She tilts her head slightly, studying me like I’m something she remembers differently.

“You got taller,” she says, like it’s supposed to fix everything that time broke. Still nothing from me. Silence used to be easy. Now it feels like something I have to carry. She exhales softly, half amused, half uncertain.

“Wow,” she adds. “You’re really just going to stand there?” I should say something. Anything. But my voice doesn’t come the way it used to.

Instead—

“…You shouldn’t say things like that,” I finally say. Flat. Controlled.

Wrong.

Ashlyn blinks, slightly thrown off. I force myself to continue, even though I don’t know why. “You’re making it sound like nothing changed.”

A pause. Too long. Too visible. Around us, the gate keeps moving, keeps existing, like we are not frozen inside it. She studies me again, softer now.

“You used to talk more when you didn’t think so much,” she says quietly. And something in my chest tightens. Not because of her. Because of the tone. Soft. Certain. Familiar in a way I shouldn’t recognize. For a second—I’m not here anymore. I’m smaller. The sky feels higher. And Dahlia is beside me again, brushing my hair back like it’s the easiest thing in the world. You think too much, Martinez. Not loud. Not sharp. Just true.

I inhale sharply. The memory doesn’t stay. It never does. But it leaves something behind anyway. I look at Ashlyn again. She’s still here. Still waiting. Still not understanding what she just touched.

“I didn’t expect you back,” I say finally. Honest. Simple. Too honest. Her expression shifts slightly. Not hurt. Just… aware. Before anything else can settle between us...

“OH MY GOD.” The voice breaks through everything. I close my eyes for half a second. Of course. Leo Carter appears like he has been personally assigned to destroy emotional silence.

He points between us immediately.

“That was intense. That was like cinematic reunion level intense.”

“Leo,” I mutter. “No, no, don’t ‘Leo’ me,” he says, stepping closer like he’s narrating a story. “I leave you alone for ten seconds, and you start doing tragic romance at the gate?”

Ashlyn looks at him, confused but amused. “I’m not sure what I walked into,” she says.

“You walked into lore,” Leo replies seriously. I rub my temple. This is going nowhere good. Noah appears behind him, calm as always.

“Are we going inside or are we doing introductions all day?” he asks. Leo gasps. “You see? He supports structure.”

Ashlyn lets out a small laugh. It’s light. Unexpected. Marcus is already walking past us. “If you’re here, don’t be annoying.”

Ashlyn nods. “I’ll try.”

“Try harder,” Marcus replies without stopping.

Iris stands slightly apart, watching all of this carefully. “You’re not what I expected,” she says to Ashlyn.

“Is that bad?”

“I haven’t decided.”

That is Iris. Nothing ever fully finished.

Leo gestures dramatically. “This is amazing. New character introduced. Emotional possibilities everywhere.”

“Sit down,” I say. He ignores me. We start walking. The noise of the school returns, slowly rebuilding itself around her presence. Like it adjusted for her without asking.

Inside the classroom, everything feels more compressed. Leo walks in first like he owns the space.

“Everyone, gather round! We have a guest appearance.” A few heads turn. Most don’t care. Noah already sits at our usual place like nothing has changed in the world. Marcus barely looks up. Iris does. Ashlyn steps inside slowly, taking it in. Not overwhelmed. Just observing.

Leo gestures at her like a presentation. “Ashlyn Perez. Childhood comeback arc. Very emotionally charged backstory potential.”

“Stop talking,” I say.

“It’s my personality,” he replies.

Ashlyn smiles slightly again. Noah looks at her properly. “You’re the one who left.”

“Yeah,” she says after a pause. “That would be me.”

“Cool,” he replies, and goes back to his seat.

Leo is still entertained. Of course he is. “This is peak storytelling,” he says. I don’t respond. Because Ashlyn is still standing.

And she’s looking at me again. Like she’s waiting for something I haven’t figured out how to give her yet. Then she moves. And sits. Right beside me. The chair makes a small sound when she pulls it closer. Not enough for anyone else to notice. Enough for me to.

The classroom continues. But the space between us doesn’t. Not yet...

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