The last day of the school

Ava groggily opened her eyes to the sound of her mother's voice calling her name, the tone slightly impatient but loving.

"Ava! Get up, or you're going to be late for school!" her mom urged from the doorway.

Ava blinked against the bright morning light, still disoriented. School? She sat up abruptly, her heart pounding as her brain tried to catch up. School? Her mom was standing there; the normalcy of it didn't make sense.

"Come on, Ava, today's the last day of school before summer break. You can sleep in all you want after today, but now, get moving!" her mom said with a gentle smile, tapping the doorframe before turning to leave.

Ava just sat there, staring.

**Ava's POV**

Wait, what? Last day of school? Was it all a dream? The fire, the house... No, that can't be right. My friends... I saw them die. Didn't I? How... what is going on?

...

She shook her head, trying to clear the lingering confusion, but fragments of the horrific scenes were still fresh in her mind. Had it all been a nightmare?

Her mom's voice jolted her back to reality. "Ava! Did you hear me?"

"Oh, uh, yeah," Ava stammered, still dazed.

She jumped out of bed, her body moved automatically but her mind was filled with questions and doubts. As she reached for the doorknob, her mother appeared again, arms crossed.

"Uh, you're going to school in your pajamas?" she said with a teasing smirk. "Brush your teeth, get dressed, and at least look alive, Ava."

"Oh, right. Sorry," Ava mumbled, barely registering the scolding.

She rushed into the bathroom, her reflection staring back at her in the mirror like she was looking at a stranger. As she quickly brushed her teeth and splashed water on her face, fragments of what had happened started slipping away. Like sand through her fingers, the images became blurry.

10 seconds later...

'What had happened exactly? Why couldn't I remember it clearly?'

After what felt like forever, she hurriedly pulled on her uniform and dashed downstairs, skipping breakfast entirely.

"Ava!" her mom called after her as she ran out the door. "At least grab a snack!"

But Ava didn't stop, her feet carrying her to school, even though her brain was still stuck somewhere between the nightmare and reality.

When she arrived at school, everything looked so... normal. The sun was shining, students were milling about, chatting and laughing. It was a sharp contrast to the dark, haunting feeling in her chest. Her heart hammered in her ribcage, anxiety clawing at her. She rushed to her classroom, ignoring the casual greetings from her friends.

**Ava's POV**

Why does everything feel so... off? Was it just a dream? But why does it feel like I've forgotten something important... something bad?

She shook her head, trying to focus on the present. But then, it hit her—where were her friends? The ones she saw in that... dream, if it was even a dream? Her stomach churned as fear crept in again.

Wait...what WAS the dream?

...

A sudden voice snapped her out of her thoughts.

"Ava? Hey, what's going on?"

She turned around and froze. Standing in front of her was Noah. Alive. Breathing. Looking at her like she was the one who had lost her mind.

Ava's breath caught in her throat. "N-Noah?" she whispered, her voice barely audible.

"What's wrong? Why are you looking at me like that?" he asked, frowning slightly as he stepped closer.

Instead of answering, Ava flung herself into his arms, catching him completely off guard. Her arms wrapped tightly around him, and before she knew it, her lips pressed against his.

The classroom fell silent. Everyone stared, some with wide eyes, others with their mouths hanging open in shock.

Noah was too stunned to react at first, but then, as if he had been waiting for this moment all along, he kissed her back. The world around them seemed to blur as they got lost in each other for those few precious seconds.

The silence didn't last long.

"OH MY GOD, WHAT AM I WITNESSING?" came a familiar, dramatic shout.

Ava and Noah broke apart, turning to see Lily and Jake standing at the door, both looking utterly floored. Ava quickly wiped the tears from her face, breaking into a laugh she couldn't control.

Lily walked up, arms crossed, smirking. "Ava, I was gone for one day, and you're already making out with Noah?"

Ava quickly hugged her, catching Lily off guard this time. "I missed you so much, Lil!"

"Uh, okay, weird, but I missed you too?" Lily patted her back awkwardly, confused. "You act like I've been gone for years."

Ava pulled away and turned to Jake, whose expression was a mixture of disbelief and annoyance. She grinned and hugged him too. "You too, idiot!"

Jake snorted. "Yeah, sure. Just... don't kiss me like you kissed Noah, alright?"

Before Ava could say anything, they were interrupted by Chloe and Natalie arriving, as usual, bickering over something trivial.

"I told you, I didn't mean to break it!" Natalie snapped.

"And I told you, it was my favorite!" Chloe retorted, glaring.

Ava watched them with tears brimming in her eyes again, her heart swelling with joy and confusion at the same time.

**Ava's POV**

Why do I feel that they should be dead?

They are clearly alive...

And why am I feeling like this?

Strange...

...

As her friends gathered around her, all of them talking over each other, she couldn't help but smile through the tears.

Noah leaned in, concerned. "Ava, you okay?"

Ava nodded, forcing herself to stay in the moment. "Yeah, I'm fine. I just... I'm just glad we're all here."

Lily threw an arm around her shoulder. "Well, duh. Where else would we be?"

"...." Ava didn't have the words to say.

Seeing this awkward moment, Jack said, "Ahh...guys, I think we should head to the class; it's gonna start in a few minutes."

Upon hearing Jack's reminder, everyone headed to the class.