Too consumed in her thoughts, she didn’t realize she had collided with a wall. Only it wasn’t a wall, for walls don’t have arms that you find wrapped around your waist. And most of all, walls don’t radiate heat she could feel pressed up against it.
‘Hey there,’ said the wall.
She looked up to see the most beautiful pair of hazel eyes she had ever seen looking down at her as if she was the dark matter in the universe all those scientists at NASA were looking for.
The world has stopped, or more precisely, her high school had. There was an eerie quiet in the halls. Everyone had stopped to look at the event that was unfolding before them.

‘Sorry,’ Carola could only say. She unwillingly pushed space between them, causing the arms wrapped around her to leave her to the wretched world.
Before looking at the stranger in the eyes, she hurriedly left. She could hear him calling after her, but she was too scared to turn around and see who had witnessed the spectacle before them.
While she may have forgotten a lot, she remembered her high school enough to know how soon the news would spread and the Chinese whisper it would turn into. Her high school, too, had a gossip girl, and God, did she want not to be the new Serena Vander Woodson.

Much to her relief, she got to her class before the teacher had stepped in and found herself in a corner seat. Thankfully, she did not have to see Elliot, Ella, or the guy with hazel eyes for the following few periods.
She knew she would have to face them sooner or later, and that she should be mentally prepared for the face-off.

Lunch, however, was different. As soon as she had entered the cafeteria, she had wished she hadn’t. The last hour she had spent wondering whether she should skip it or not, but then came to the conclusion that she couldn’t. She was far too hungry, having skipped breakfast already, and more so – she had to face the people she had been avoiding at some point.

It had taken her 15 minutes of mental pep-talk during class to have the courage.
The cafeteria was full of life. She saw Elliot with his group making fun of yet another guy for reasons she was sure were stupid. Seeing his face and the way he was acting – she could not believe she was used to this back in high school. The woman who had died was undoubtedly disappointed in her for the company she had been keeping and the guy she was crushing on.