chapter 7-Sleepy head

The next day was a blur. I hadn't slept a wink, and it showed. My eyes were puffy, my head felt heavy, and every movement seemed like a monumental effort. As I entered the classroom late, my feet dragging up the stairs, I could feel everyone's eyes on me. I hated it. I hated how obvious my exhaustion was, how everyone could probably tell that I'd barely made it out of bed this morning.

I passed Ethan's desk on the way to my seat, and that's when it happened.

"Look who decided to show up," Joe's mocking voice when I was passing his desk. "Had a wild night, huh? Maybe with some guy?"

My body tensed. Joe had always been the type to make snide comments, but this was different. This felt like an attack, like he was deliberately trying to embarrass me. Without thinking, I swung my hand and punched him lightly on the shoulder as I passed. "Shut up, Joe," I muttered, trying to sound more confident than I felt.

Ethan's laughter echoed through the room, but it wasn't cruel like Joe's. It was almost… amused? I could feel the heat rising in my cheeks as I finally made it to my seat next to Eva, who was already settled and taking notes.

"You look awful," Eva whispered, glancing at me with concern. "What happened? Why didn't you come earlier?"

I sighed, sinking into my chair. "I tried to get a quick nap after you woke me up, but it didn't really work. I feel like I've been hit by a truck."

Eva chuckled sympathetically. "I told you to just ignore them last night. But hey, at least you made it to class."

Class began, but I struggled to stay awake. Every few minutes, my eyes would flutter shut, and I'd catch myself nodding off. It was impossible to concentrate on the lecture, and even when I managed to focus for a moment, the information didn't stick. My mind was too foggy, too weighed down by exhaustion.

At some point during the break, I noticed Joe's attention back on me. He and Ethan were sitting directly in front of our desk, just one row ahead. Joe turned to face me, a smirk playing on his lips. "So, Amira, what's the deal? You didn't sleep because you were out all night, right? That's the rumor going around."

I rolled my eyes, trying to appear unfazed. "Yeah, sure, Joe. Believe whatever you want." But inwardly, his words gnawed at me. I could handle Joe's teasing, but I hated how his comments had started to feel personal.

Ethan, sitting beside Joe, didn't say anything this time, but I could feel him watching me. The weight of his gaze made me self-conscious, but I refused to meet his eyes. Instead, I focused on the far corner of the room, trying to pretend like I wasn't utterly exhausted and barely holding it together.

But then, for reasons I couldn't quite explain, I glanced back over my shoulder. I wasn't sure what I was looking for, but my eyes searched the room, scanning the faces of my classmates. That's when I realized who I was searching for.

Zayn.

I don't know why I was even thinking about him, let alone looking for him. He was bad news—everyone knew it. He was the guy who hung around with the wrong crowd, always getting into trouble, always surrounded by girls who swooned over his brooding, dangerous aura. And yet, part of me was curious as I didn't find him in his usual spot.Where was he today?

My thoughts were interrupted as I saw him sitting at the back of the room, his tall figure slouched in a seat, half-hidden by his friends. He was looking at me like he was hoping that I would search him.

For a split second, we locked eyes, and my heart skipped a beat.