Setting: A floor above the corridor, near the glass railing. The courtyard below lays like a stage — and Tina stands like a silent audience to a performance she never wanted to watch.
She hadn't meant to stop.
She was just passing by — heading to the library, her sketchpad under one arm, hair pulled back in a neat ponytail that shimmered in the afternoon light.
But something in the air had pulled her to pause.
Below, through the curved arch and between climbing vines, she saw the scene play out.
> Aahi… standing with warmth and honesty in her expression.
Aarif… calm, quiet, then horrified.
Red… smiling when he shouldn't have.
Tina's eyes narrowed as she watched it all — every twitch, every tear, every slap.
And when Aarif walked away — when Aahi stood alone, breath trembling, hand against her cheek — Tina gripped the railing tighter.
She whispered in her mind:
> "She didn't deserve that…"
Her gaze didn't soften. It sharpened.
> "I don't know who she is… but I know what I saw."
She looked at Red's back as he walked off with that smug smirk still playing on his lips.
> "That boy doesn't belong near kindness."
And then her eyes fell on Aahi again — still standing still, still trying not to cry in front of the world.
Tina turned.
And walked away.
But her heart was already making a decision:
> "I'll speak when it matters."
"She won't be alone."