The Weight of Silence

Caesar didn't sleep that night.

He stared at the ceiling, his mind stuck in an endless loop of what-ifs. What if he had just said something more when he saw her in the hallway? What if he had walked closer instead of walking away? What if, after everything, he could still fix this?

But the longer he thought about it, the more he realized—he didn't even know what this was anymore.

The next morning, he woke up groggy, exhausted, and no closer to an answer.

---

Blythe was waiting outside the school, leaning against the brick wall near the entrance, arms crossed. She wasn't expecting to see Caesar, but when he walked past her, something in her chest tightened.

He was laughing at something one of his new friends said. It was effortless, easy, like he had no worries at all.

Like she hadn't even crossed his mind.

She looked away before he could catch her staring.

He didn't notice her.

Of course he didn't.

Blythe exhaled slowly, gripping the strap of her bag tighter. She didn't know what she had expected. An acknowledgment? A glance? Some proof that he still saw her the way she saw him?

It was stupid.

She turned and walked inside, leaving him behind.

---

Caesar should have been relieved.

This was what he had wanted, right? Distance. A clean break.

Then why did it still feel like something inside him was cracking?

He thought about it all day, through every class, through every meaningless conversation. He was surrounded by people, yet somehow, he felt more alone than ever.

At lunch, he sat at a crowded table, voices filling the air around him. A girl touched his arm, laughing at something he said. Someone else pulled out their phone, asking him about weekend plans.

It should have felt good.

It didn't.

His gaze flickered across the cafeteria, searching for someone without meaning to.

Blythe sat alone near the window, earbuds in, staring at her untouched food.

She used to sit with him.

She used to steal fries off his plate without asking.

She used to look at him like he was the only person in the room.

And now?

Now, she didn't even glance his way.

Caesar turned back to his table, forcing himself to laugh at a joke he hadn't really heard.

It was easier this way.

It had to be.

At least, that's what he kept telling himself.