(Ava's POV)
So... guess who's back at school pretending she hasn't been spiraling all winter break?
Yeah. Hi. Me.
I seriously thought I'd be fine. I told myself, "Ava, it's been weeks. You've cried enough. Just go to school, act normal, breathe."
Simple, right? Totally doable. Except no.
Because then I walked into that classroom and—bam—there it was. His chair.
Second row from the window. Third from the left.
Still there.
Still empty.
Still ruining my whole vibe.
I wasn't planning to look at it. I swear. But my eyes? They have a mind of their own. I blinked and boom—there it was, like a punch to the heart.
Like my brain forgot to heal because my heart never got the memo.
Everyone around me was acting like it was a totally normal Monday.
Lily was ranting about her messed-up eyeliner. Ryan was cracking jokes with Parker. Someone dropped their water bottle with that loud, echoey thud that always happens when it's too quiet.
Like no one remembered that Jack Hayes used to sit there.
That he used to draw tiny suns in the corner of his math notes.
That he used to look back at me when he was bored just to smirk for no reason.
A smirk that made absolutely no sense... and somehow made everything make sense.
And now?
Nothing.
No smirk.
No suns.
Just silence.
I sat down behind his old seat—like always. Took out my notebook. Stared at the page. Wrote nothing.
Because how do you write anything when you feel like a part of you is still waiting for someone who isn't coming back?
Jack left.
Just... left.
No warning. No explanation. No goodbye.
Just vanished, like a bookmark yanked out of a story mid-chapter.
People said he transferred.
They said he moved.
They said "it happens."
Yeah, well, it shouldn't have happened to me.
The teacher started rambling about assignments and group work and blah blah blah. I wasn't really listening. I was just... looking. At that stupid chair. Like maybe if I stared hard enough, it would fill itself.
Or rewind time. Or undo everything. Or tell me why.
The desk looked the same. Scratched-up surface, slightly uneven leg. There was even a faint ink mark on the side—one Jack had once claimed was a dragon. It looked nothing like a dragon. But I believed him anyway.
Then the teacher said something that made my stomach twist:
"We'll be having a new student join us next week."
…
Excuse me, WHAT?
New student?
Why did that suddenly feel like a threat??
Why did my brain whisper don't let it be him and what if it is? at the exact same time?
I looked at the empty chair one more time.
And for the first time all morning, I didn't feel sad.
I felt... scared.
Scared of what it meant.
Scared of what I wanted it to mean.
Scared of how fast hope can feel like danger.