Out of Reach | Mikhaiah

Chapter 11

Disclaimer: This is pure fiction. Any similarities to real people, places, or events are purely coincidental. Read,
enjoy, and don't take it too seriously!

- ✦ 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭 ✦ -

Arisha's POV :

DAYS GO BY. The past few days have been eerily quiet. No one dared to talk about what happened that day, as if it never existed. But I know it did. It lingers in the air, in the way my friends glance at me and then look away. In the way my chest tightens whenever I pass by the places we used to stand together.

I haven't seen Mikhazra since then. Not even a glimpse. It's like she vanished, like I erased her with my own hands. I tell myself it's better this way, that maybe she's healing, maybe she's forgetting. But deep down, I know I'm just trying to convince myself that I didn't ruin everything.

Guilt wraps around me like a noose, tightening with every second of silence. I replay that moment in my head over and over again-what I said, what I did, the way her face crumbled right before she walked away. Did she cry that night? Did she stay up, waiting for a message that never came?

I want to apologize to her-maybe soon... but not now. Not when I don't even know if she'd want to hear it. Not when I still don't understand why it hurts this much. I need to focus. I need to push these feelings away.

But the more I try, the more I realize-guilt doesn't just disappear. It rots. It grows. And I am drowning in it.

Nothing much is happening as the school president. As usual, I make sure that everything is well-oriented. It's just the same routine, nothing new... or so I thought.

It's Monday morning.

I hurried down from my condo, hoping traffic wouldn't be bad. I woke up late, which was so unlike me. As I scrolled through my phone, a notification popped up.

Stazia: Hey, Ari. We have a meeting with the Guidance Counselor.

I sighed. Stazia is our Internal Secretary, while Shezelle is the External Secretary. Maloi is the Internal Treasurer, and Jhoelle is the External Treasurer. We always hang out with Jhoelle since she's a joker-she never takes things seriously. She's the type to brighten the mood no matter how stressful the situation is. Sometimes, we even ship her with Stazia, but as far as I know, Stazia is straight.

"Fuck! I'm really late!" I muttered under my breath. I hope they haven't started yet. Sana lang talaga.

As I opened the office door...

Shit.

They were all already there.

I immediately scanned the room, my eyes darting across familiar faces-until they landed on her.

Mikhazra.

Something in my chest caved in.

Her lips... had a wound. A small cut, barely healed, splitting slightly at the corner. Her skin, once lively and full of warmth, looked pale under the fluorescent lights. Dark shadows clung beneath her eyes, as if sleep had been nothing more than a distant memory. She wore a hoodie, her sleeves pulled over her hands, her posture withdrawn-detached from the world, as if she was physically present but mentally elsewhere.

My stomach twisted.

What the hell happened to her?

Did she get into a fight? Did she-?

No.

A horrible thought crept into my mind. Did I do this to her? Not directly, no-but had my words, my actions, pushed her so far into a place where she no longer cared for herself?