In the room that had fallen silent again, Sia slowly closed the door. The soft click of the lock turning echoed gently, as if sealing away all the noise of the outside world.
She staggered toward the bed, then let her body drop onto it just like that. The mattress creaked softly, bearing the weight of her body that was still fragile from the fever.
Her face was buried in the pillow, while her right hand still gripped tightly the pink invitation envelope from Garin, as if afraid it would vanish if she let it go.
The room was quiet. Only the sound of Sia's heavy and uneven breathing filled the air.
A few seconds passed in suffocating silence before Sia finally spoke, her voice muffled by the pillow.
"…Why are you still there?"
Near the window, Asher stood motionless. His figure was nothing more than a dark silhouette with his back facing Sia, staring outside through the gap in the curtain. His shoulders were straight, his gaze fixed on the quiet street in front of the house.
"What are you looking at?" Sia asked again, a little clearer though her voice was still hoarse.
Asher finally turned around. His expression was calm, but the look in his eyes hinted that the gears in his mind were spinning fast.
"Just watching your friends who just left," he replied shortly.
Sia lifted her face slightly, glancing at Asher with a weak, suspicious look. "Really?"
Asher did not answer immediately. The silence he created lasted too long, making Sia's suspicion grow thicker.
"Told you," Sia muttered softly. "There's definitely something."
Asher let out a faint sigh, then casually walked away from the window. "I just feel uneasy about them," he finally said.
Sia fell silent. She slowly turned onto her back, staring at the dim ceiling of her room. The envelope was now placed right on her chest.
"I think… you're being too suspicious, Asher," she said quietly.
Asher raised one eyebrow. "Oh yeah?"
Sia gave a small nod. "If they had bad intentions, they wouldn't go through the trouble of coming this late at night just to visit me."
Asher leaned against the wall, crossing his arms. He simply listened.
"Garin even gave me her birthday invitation directly," Sia continued, her voice sounding sincere, as if she was convincing herself. Her gaze dropped to the envelope in her hand. "She said… I'm the first person she gave it to."
There was a brief pause. A faint, fragile smile appeared on Sia's pale lips. "That means they're really kind, right?"
But right after she said that, the smile faded. The light in her eyes dimmed, now clouded with doubt. As if her conscience was at war with her own logic.
Asher watched the change in her expression without saying a word. Then, the corner of his lips lifted slightly into a smirk that was hard to tell whether it was mockery or pity.
"You're just building your own expectations," he said coldly.
Sia turned quickly. "What?"
Asher kept staring at her, not letting her look away. "You take that small gesture as proof that they're kind just because…" he paused, "…you've never been treated like that before."
That sentence hit Sia right in the chest. Her eyes widened, real shock clearly visible on her pale face.
"…How do you know?" she asked, her voice almost gone.
Asher answered lightly, as if it were an easy little secret to guess. "Just because."
Sia stared at him for a few seconds with an empty gaze, before her expression turned flat. "What kind of answer is that."
Asher only shrugged casually, smiling slightly as if he had just made the funniest joke in the world. Sia let out a long sigh, then turned her face to the side. She was too tired to argue. Even so, her fingers tightened slightly around the envelope.
***
Midnight wrapped Sia's room in thick silence. The digital numbers on the bedside table showed a little past two when Sia woke up. Her body felt uncomfortable. The fever still lingered.
Her tired gaze moved to the corner of the room. On top of the wardrobe, Asher was asleep in a half-lying position. His face looked much calmer without the usual annoying expression he always showed.
Sia watched him for a moment, then Asher's earlier words echoed again in her mind like a broken cassette.
"You take that small gesture as proof that they're kind just because you've never been treated like that before."
Sia reached for the invitation beside her, lifting it in front of her face. Her eyes traced every curve of the paper, searching for a hidden answer.
"…Are they really sincere…?" she whispered softly.
The sound faded into the ticking clock.
Her mind began to fill with questions she couldn't stop.
Does Garin really consider her a friend? Did Arven and Lira really come because they cared? Or was it all just an act? Just pity?
Or worse… just a game?
Sia's chest began to tighten. The image of their kindness instead made her afraid. Because if all of this turned out to be fake, she wasn't sure her heart could stand back up again.
"If they're just pretending to be kind… what should I do…?"
Tears began to gather. The small object in her hand, which was supposed to bring happiness, now felt like a ticking bomb ready to destroy her.
***
*Flashback 2 years ago
That day was an ordinary school day. The noisy chatter of the cafeteria and laughter in the corridor felt like background music that hurt the ears. Sia walked alone with her head down, trying to be invisible.
But the world seemed unwilling to let her be at peace.
Disgusted whispers and mocking laughter followed behind her steps. Sia heard everything. Every cruel word, every sneer, all of it felt like thorns piercing her slowly.
Her steps stopped when two girls blocked her path. One looked at her with disgust, while the other smiled sweetly. The kind of smile that hurt more than insults.
The girl with the disgusted look held out an envelope. "You're invited to my birthday party," she said lazily, as if throwing away trash.
Sia froze. She didn't dare take it.
"Don't get the wrong idea," the girl continued with a smirk. "Don't expect too much just because I'm being nice this time. My mom told me to finish all the invitations, and yeah… I had to give it to you since this is the last one."
Thump.
Sia went still. Not because she was happy, but because she was confused. She was afraid to believe it.
The girl lost patience and shoved the envelope roughly against Sia's chest. "Hold it properly!" she snapped. "And don't you dare not come. If you don't show up… there will be consequences."
Sia nodded nervously. "Y-Yes…"
She quickly walked away, wanting to disappear as fast as possible. But…
"Why did you invite her? And the last invitation too," asked the girl beside her.
The birthday girl laughed brightly. "Because my party needs entertainment. Might as well invite that trash. At least we don't need to spend extra money for entertainment."
The girl beside her laughed immediately. "Wow, that's so smart!"
Their laughter burst out, blending with the noise of the corridor that suddenly felt distant. The sound was so light, so careless, as if destroying someone's dignity was just a casual pastime.
For them, it was just a joke. For them, humiliating Sia was free entertainment.
Sia stood frozen, her back facing the source of the voices that kept tearing apart her dignity. Her body was stiff, as if all her muscles were locked by overwhelming shame.
Her hand clenched the envelope with the remaining strength she had, crumpling the thick paper until it was crushed in her fist.
Her eyes began to burn. The view of the corridor in front of her slowly blurred, covered by a thin layer of tears pressing to fall.
But she stayed silent. She had no other choice.
What could she do? Fight back?
The school had its own unspoken law of the jungle. They were at the top of the food chain. Girls with thousands of followers, influence strong enough to twist facts, and voices that would always be accepted as truth.
And her? She was just a shadow in the corner of the classroom. She was nobody.
If she fought back, she would be labeled as "too sensitive." If she reported it, everyone would turn a blind eye to avoid trouble with the school's rulers. If she spoke, not a single person would stand by her side.
So, the only defense Sia had was silence.
Silent while swallowing all the pain that tore at her chest. Silent while pretending to be deaf to the mocking laughter. Silent, while letting her dignity be trampled flat against the corridor floor.
Tears were now truly pooling, ready to fall at any moment. But Sia refused. She held them back with all her strength because she didn't want to give them the satisfaction of seeing her cry.
She bit her lower lip so hard that the metallic taste of blood began to spread on her tongue. A distraction from physical pain so her tears wouldn't break free.
With trembling steps and weak knees, she walked again.
She dragged herself away, leaving behind the laughter that still echoed. She walked away with burning shame in her chest, carrying a wound that didn't bleed, but left a scar that would never truly heal.
*Flashback off
***