the spaces between

what doesn't break

they parted ways at luca's locker. isa headed to her own, grabbing her bio book, laptop, and portable charger. she slipped a pen into her pocket and set off for bio.

the bell rung, and isa sped out of the classroom as soon as it was dismissed. she was completely fed up with science. she vowed that after school, she'd never take bio again.

she stopped at her locker to sort her things: bio book shoved behind the rest, history book pulled out, history essay half-visible. is this even finished? whatever. no time now. she hid her bracelet in a jar—mr. simmonds would kill her if he saw it. then she unclipped her necklace and tucked it away too, straight into the jar.

locker shut, she walked mindlessly toward history. as she rounded the corner out of the english hallway, she froze.

matt was coming toward her, equally frozen. this was his one chance to try. just... try.

he spoke first—dry, unsure.
"science still your worst subject?" he said with a small smirk.

isa gave a half-smile.
"you'd know, wouldn't you?"

it was barely small talk, let alone a conversation. but it was a flicker of effort.

after practice, matt lingered by his locker, wiping sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand. the usual buzz of chatter and clanging lockers filled the room, but matt felt distant — like he was somewhere else entirely.

chris appeared suddenly, dropping his bag with a thud. "you've been weird since isa came back," he said, voice low but teasing. "you gonna talk to her, or just stare at the floor every time she's around?"

matt hesitated, swallowing hard. he rubbed the back of his neck, eyes fixed on the scuffed floor tiles. "we talked," he said quietly. "kind of. it was awkward."

chris raised an eyebrow. "that's something."

matt's voice cracked a little as he continued. "but i still messed it up. that first day back... i wanted to be normal, like nothing changed. but i didn't know how to look at her. then she looked at me like i was a stranger."

he paused, jaw tight. "and it just... froze me."

chris waited, giving him space.

matt ran a hand through his hair. "i was scared. scared if i let myself be soft, i'd break open. i didn't know how to carry it with her, chris. and i didn't want her to see that."

there was a weight behind his words, a quiet guilt pressing down. he knew he'd hurt isa, but it wasn't because he didn't care — it was because he felt useless, stuck.

"i'm sorry, man," chris said quietly. "you're not alone in this."

matt looked up for the first time, a flicker of something like hope in his eyes.