Invisible String

Chapter 11

Iyaara

The weekend disappeared in a blur of sleep. Honestly, I’d spent most of it buried in my blanket, catching up on every hour I’d lost during the tests. But, of course, Monday came around again—too fast, too loud, too real.

The first period was science. I liked science, just… not enough to call it my favorite. I sat staring at the blackboard, lost in my thoughts, until a voice snapped me back.

“Good morning, children!” our science teacher greeted, her tone way too cheerful for a Monday.

“Good morning,” the class echoed, half-asleep and half-annoyed.

She clasped her hands together, her smile suspiciously bright. “So, internals are coming up, and I need all of you to do a project.”

Collective groans filled the room.

“You’ll work in teams of four,” she continued, ignoring the noise. “Make it creative, make it interesting, and remember—it counts toward your trades and the submission date is after two weeks.”

I felt a nudge from beside me. Ava. She gave me a look that said, We’re already a team, right?
I nodded back with a grin. Of course. Who wouldn’t pick their best friend first?

The rest of the class dragged on with her usual lectures, but my mind had already wandered off—half to the project, half to lunch.

When the bell finally rang, I let out a sigh of relief. “Finally,” I muttered, slinging my bag over my shoulder. Lunch. The only reason Mondays were still bearable.

“I’m so hungry,” Ava groaned as we made our way to the cafeteria.

We grabbed our trays and sat at our usual corner table—quiet, away from the chaos. Just as I was about to take a bite, Kairo appeared, practically bouncing over.

“So, have you guys picked your groupmates yet?” he asked, plopping down beside us.

“Nope. For now, it’s just the two of us,” Ava replied.

“Mind if I join?” he said with that overconfident grin of his.

Me and Ava exchanged a look, then shrugged.
“Why not? I’m sure it’ll be fun,” Ava said.

“But what about the fourth person?” Ava asked.

Kairo sighed dramatically. “Ava, I always wonder how you can be this dumb.”
“Excuse me?” she snapped.

“Obviously, it’s Ryker,” he said, lightly smacking her head.

“Hehe, sorry,” Ava said, rolling her eyes with a hint of sarcasm.

“Talking about me?” a familiar voice interrupted.

We turned around, and there he was—Ryker, looking effortlessly calm like always.

“Yeah, we were just thinking of teaming up for the project,” Kairo said. “What do you think?”

Ryker smirked. “I’ll definitely fail if I team up with you guys.”

“Excuse me?” Kairo said, pretending to be offended.

“ Okay okay jokes apart, are you in or not?” Ava asked with a slight smile.

“Yeah, sure,” Ryker said with a shrug. “I mean, I’d rather work with you guys than talk to strangers.”

And just like that, we had our team.
The rest of lunch was filled with random conversations, teasing, and laughter. Well, mostly from us—Ryker wasn’t exactly the talkative type.

The bell rang, cutting our fun short. Everyone scattered toward their classes, and before I knew it, the day was over.

“Ugh, I’m done for today,” I said, stretching my arms.

“Same,” Ava said with a tired smile as we packed our bags.

“So what’s our plan for the science project?” I asked as we walked through the hallway, the last bell still ringing faintly behind us.

“Umm, we should think about it properly,” Ryker said, his tone serious. “It can’t be just any science project. It has to be something unique.”

“We’re gonna have a lot of work to do,” Ava groaned, dragging her feet dramatically.

“So where are we gonna do this project?” Kairo asked.

“You guys can come to my place,” Ava said quickly. “No one will disturb us. My parents are out of town, so it’ll be peaceful.”

“Perfect,” I said.

“So… we start tomorrow?” Ava asked, glancing around.

“Yeah,” everyone agreed.

“Okay guys, see you later!” Kairo said, waving as he walked off.

“See you!” we all said at the same time, laughing a little before heading our own ways.

The walk back home felt like a weight lifting off my shoulders. The cold evening breeze brushed past my skin, easing every ache from the long day. It was calm, quiet, and for a moment, everything just felt… peaceful.