Invisible String

Chapter 21

Iyaara

After lunch, we all walked back to class, and honestly, I was still thinking about that tiny moment.
The way Ryker said he hated Amelia…
The way his face changed…
And something in me felt—
Ugh, no. No, no, no. I’m not doing this again.

Back in class, I sat down, took out my notes, and tried so hard to focus. But my brain?
Zero cooperation.

Ava nudged me.
“Gurll, why are you zoning out again?” she whispered.

“I’m not zoning out,” I whispered back.
I totally was.

The teacher came in and started explaining something about chemical bonds.
I wrote the date.
Then my name.

Then drew a tiny flower on the corner of the page because that was apparently more important than chemistry.

And then I felt it—
That weird awareness.
That someone-is-watching-me feeling.

I looked up.

Ryker’s head was slightly turned toward me, eyes on me for half a second before he turned away like he didn’t mean to.
Like it was accidental.
But that tiny flicker… it didn’t feel accidental.

My stupid heart did that stupid thing again.

What is wrong with me these days?

I dropped my head into my hands, pretending to fix my hair so Ava wouldn’t freak out about me “acting weird.”

The teacher’s voice faded into background noise, and all I could think about was…

Why did he look at me like that?
And why did it make my stomach do something it never does?

UGHHHH!!!!

I groaned so loudly the entire class snapped their heads toward me.

I froze.

Wait.
WAIT.
I was thinking it in my head.
HOW DID IT COME OUT OF MY MOUTH!?

My soul left my body, returned, packed its bags, and left again.

I slowly put my head down on the desk like if I stayed still enough, maybe I’d disappear into the table.

Ava leaned closer.
“Gurll… what was that?” she whispered, eyebrows almost touching her hairline.

“No–nothing,” I mumbled into my arms, wanting the floor to open up and swallow me whole.

Great. Perfect. Amazing.

I love embarrassing myself in front of forty people. Aesthetic.

The teacher paused mid-sentence, staring at me like she was reconsidering every career choice she ever made.

“Iyaara… are you alright?” she asked.

“Y-yes ma’am,” I said without lifting my head, my voice sounding like a dying kitten.

A few kids giggled.
Someone whispered, “Bro finally lost it.”

I wanted to scream but instead I stayed like a dead plant on my desk.

Ava patted my back.
“You’re fine, babe. You’re just… you.”

Which honestly didn’t help.

And out of ALL the people in the room, I dared to glance up—
and caught Ryker looking at me.

Not laughing.
Not mocking.
Just… holding back a laugh.

I lifted my head just a little and shot Ryker a “what’s so funny?” look.

His reaction?

He completely burst out laughing.

Like not a polite smile.
Not a quiet chuckle.
A full-on, shoulders-shaking laugh he was trying—and failing—to hide.

For a second I just stared at him, horrified.

Then the stupidity of the whole situation hit me and I…
I actually started laughing too.

Quiet at first, then harder because honestly—
why am I like this??
Why do I embarrass myself in ways that should be illegal??

Ava stared at both of us like we’d lost our minds.

The teacher glared, confused.
Half the class was still watching.

But we just kept laughing like idiots across the room.

And somewhere in the chaos of my humiliation,
I realized something stupid:

Laughing with him made the whole embarrassing moment…
not feel so embarrassing anymore.

Just… kind of funny.

The teacher shouted,
“Enoughhhh! Ryker and Iyaara, out of the class right now!”
She pointed straight at the door.

We walked out, both glaring at each other but also slightly smiling because honestly… it was kinda funny. We kneeled down outside and the floor was so hard my knees started hurting like crazy. I kept scratching my leg because the pain was getting worse.

“What happened?” Ryker asked, eyes widening.

“It’s just my knees,” I said.

“Huh? Then why isn’t mine paining? You are so weak,” Ryker said, acting all superior.

“Because you boys wear pants and we wear skirts, so it doesn’t hurt you!” I rolled my eyes.

A few minutes passed, and then out of nowhere, Ryker removed his blazer. Maybe it was because the weather was hot, I don’t know. He folded it and suddenly said:

“Can you take your knees forward?”

“Huh? Why?” I asked, shocked. Why would he randomly say that?

“Just take it,” he said.

So I moved my knees forward… and then I saw him placing his folded blazer under them so it wouldn’t hurt.

My heart literally skipped a beat.
Who does that?
No one has ever done something like this for me.

I widened my eyes. “Thank you…”

Isn’t this… kinda sweet? I thought to myself.

My thoughts were all mixed up now—everything was just spinning in my head—but the blazer was still the only thing I could think about. Because of that, I didn’t say anything.

“Why did you become so quiet all of a sudden? Say something,” he said, looking at me.

“Huh? No… I have nothing to talk about, that’s why,” I said, completely caught off guard.

Right then, the bell rang. I stood up, brushed the dust off my skirt, and handed him his blazer back.

“Thank you,” I said softly.