HasanI dreaded going back home. The very instant I walked through the doors, the air felt different, in a way I couldn’t quiet describe. I dropped my bag by the door, kicked off my shoes, and hesitated by the stairs. I knew Tatiana was home, perhaps it was her presence in the house that made the air feel different? I wasn’t quite sure.When I finally forced my feet to drag me upstairs, I noticed the door to Tatiana’s door creaked open. I stood by the stairs for a beat, just listening for a movement or anything. Nothing came, but I knew she was inside. After everything that happened at school today, the last thing I expected was to come home and find her here.I walked quietly to toward the door and although it was open, I knocked gently on her door, once the twice. When there was no response, I called out her name.“Tati,” I said softly, just loud enough to carry through the opening.There was a pause, then her voice. “Come in.”I walk through the open door slowly, unsure whether m
HasanWhen you burn down a house, no one cares if your hands come out covered in ash. They just assume you’re the arsonist. That’s what it felt like walking through the hallway today. Like I was wearing guilt like a jacket no one could see but everyone assumed fit me perfectly.At school, Tatiana’s face haunted every wall I walked by. Not literally, but in the way people turned to whisper when I walked past. Like they were rerunning the video in their heads. Like they were comparing what they thought they knew to what they’d seen.Tatiana had been suspended and it made coming to school feel like willingly walking into hell. I didn’t want to be here. Everyone condemned her, here, when it should be me on the receiving end of their backlash. Scratch that, none of us should be receiving backlash from anyone. We were in love.The bell rang and I was the first to leave the classroom, not caring in the least if the lecturer was still rambling on. When I step into the hallway, it was empty an
TatianaThe moment the door slammed behind her, I bolted. My heart thudded against my ribs, pounding so hard it nearly drowned out every other thought. I don’t even remember pushing the bathroom door open. I just remember the cold hallway air hitting my cheeks and the nauseating panic settling high in my chest.She couldn’t have gone far. Whoever she was.My eyes scanned the corridor, desperate for a figure, a face, hell, even a shadow. But the hallway was empty, with an eerie sort of stillness, almost like the quiet before a storm. I took a shaky step forward, then another, looking down one side of the hallway, then the other, still, nothing.And then, the bell rang. The storm finally happened. The sound of the bell shattered the quiet of the hallway like a punch through glass. And within seconds, it exploded with horny teenagers. Doors opened from left to right; voices rose in a tidal wave of noise. They streamed out in all directions, brushing past me like I was invisible.But th
TatianaI don't answer Emily right away. Because how do you tell your best friend that the person she suspects, the one who held you like a lifeline, kissed you like a promise, and then destroyed you like you were nothing, HER BOYFRIEND is exactly who she thinks he is?I don’t cry. I don’t scream. I just stare at her like the words she’s just spoken were a knife twisted between my ribs.She doesn’t press me. God, that’s the worst part. Emily just waits. Her silence is gentle and patient, but I can feel the weight of her question like a noose tightening around my throat.Finally, I speak. “Yes.”It’s barely a whisper, a breath really. But it feels like a confession.Her eyes widen, not with disgust, not with horror, but with this impossible sadness. Like she knew the answer and still hoped I’d lie.“You love him,” she says.And that’s what shatters me. Because she doesn’t accuse. She doesn’t recoil. She understands, which makes it worse.I cover my face with both hands. The sob that es
TatianaThe smell of fried eggs and burnt toast does nothing to settle the knot in my stomach. I sit at the dining table, a mug of lukewarm coffee cupped between my palms. I stare into the dark liquid like it has answers, unfortunately, it doesn’t. Actually, nothing has.Across from me, Hasan chews like his jaws are made of stone. Since I sat, he hasn’t shot a glance my way.Mom fidgeting by the stove draws my attention to the fact that I haven’t seen a single maid walk by. Perhaps, it’s one of those rare occasions where she decides to be a mom and cook for us. Except, neither Hasan or me have done anything deserving of her motherly love.When she joins us on the table, she doesn’t say good morning. She barely shot either of us a glance. She digs into her meal quietly, yet somehow, her silence is the loudest thing in the room.When she finally decides to speak, it directed at Hasan.“Hasan.” Her voice slices through the quiet like a freshly sharpened knife. “Why were you called into t
HasanI watched her walk away from me like I was nothing. Like I’d never meant anything. Like we risked everything for nothing. The door of her room closes so softly, but in my mind, it might as well be a scream.I stand in the middle of the living room, the air still vibrating from her voice her rage, her heartbreak, her disbelief. It clings to my skin like sweat. She didn’t even slam the door. That’s how far past anger she is and that’s how I know she’s… done.And I let her go. I let her walk away because I didn’t know how to stop her without lying. Without making it worse. And it was already so bad.She thinks I did it. She thinks I uploaded that video. That I wanted to destroy her. That I watched her fall apart and chose to be the reason. God.I sink down onto the couch, elbows on my knees, my face in my hands.Taty’s voice echoes in my head on repeat. You took videos of me—of us. She’s right. I did. But not like that. Not to hurt her. Not to humiliate her. It was supposed to be..