Chapter 6: After the Bell
Monday – 4:03 p.m.
The school was mostly empty, echoing with the sounds of chairs scraping and last-minute locker slams. The group had stayed late to finish some of the poster layout for Future Jam. Progress was slow—but the laughter was quicker.
But eventually, the laughter faded.
And the goodbyes came.
---
Lana
4:31 p.m.
She entered the Torres apartment quietly, hanging her bag on the hook by the door.
Her mother looked up from the dining table. "Another late study session?"
Lana nodded. "Group project. It's for school."
Her mom smiled faintly. "You seem… different. Happier."
Lana paused, then shrugged. "Maybe. They're not so bad."
She went to her room, lay back on her bed, and stared at the ceiling.
Noah's voice echoed in her mind. "You ever let go of the plan?"
And for the first time in a long while, she wasn't sure how to answer.
---
Noah
5:04 p.m.
At the Reyes household, dinner was always quiet—his parents both worked in tech and valued order.
"How was your day?" his dad asked over the clink of silverware.
"Good. Productive," Noah answered.
His mom raised an eyebrow. "With your new… detention friends?"
He nodded. "They're smarter than people think."
Later that night, as he opened his laptop to organize the event timeline, he paused…
And typed a new title:
"Future Jam – Something Unexpected"
He didn't know what that meant yet.
But it felt right.
---
Ethan
5:17 p.m.
The Carter house was noisy—always was. Aiden was blasting music from his room upstairs. Ethan sat at the piano in the living room, letting his fingers find melodies he hadn't shared with anyone.
His mom passed by and smiled. "That one's new."
"Just came to me," he said.
He played the soft notes again. It felt like the beginning of something… like the soundtrack of change.
Aiden hollered from upstairs: "Shut up, Beethoven!"
Ethan laughed. "Love you too, bro."
---
Aiden
6:02 p.m.
After dinner, he went outside to shoot hoops in the driveway, the ball echoing through the quiet street. He tried to focus on his shot, but Aria's voice kept replaying in his head.
"You always talk when you're nervous?"
He missed the shot.
His mom stepped outside, arms crossed. "Everything good?"
He nodded. "Yeah… just thinking."
"You? Thinking? That's new."
He grinned. "Don't get used to it."
But he was thinking. About her. About them all.
About how this year suddenly felt different.
---
Aria
6:35 p.m.
She was curled up on her bed, sketchbook open, a half-finished drawing of a basketball court in front of her.
Her older sister peeked in—Ethan's room was across the hall.
"You're drawing him again," Lana teased softly.
Aria didn't deny it.
Her mom called from the kitchen. "Dinner!"
She closed the book, her heart thudding a little faster than it should have.
Before she left the room, she whispered to herself,
"He's not just loud… he sees people."
---
Back at school, five students who didn't belong together had started to.
And outside of school…
Five teenagers were quietly changing—maybe even healing.
They just didn't know it yet.