KAYLA'S POV:
After what happened in the cafeteria, I couldn't focus on a single thing for the rest of the day.
Not the lectures.
Not the notes on the board.
Not even the endless whispering spreading through every hallway like wildfire.
Everyone was talking about the fight.
About Theo.
About Hari.
About how the cafeteria looked like a war zone by the time it was over.
And no matter how much I tried to ignore it, my mind kept replaying the same image over and over again,
Theo's face twisted with rage.
Hari bleeding.
That injured boy on the floor.
And the way Theo had reacted when Hari said something that clearly hit a nerve.
It sat in the back of my mind like a thorn.
Annoying.
Persistent.
Uncomfortable.
By the time classes were over, I finally gave up pretending I didn't care.
I needed to check on Hari.
Not because I wanted to.
Not because I was suddenly some saint full of concern and sympathy.
But because Theo was my friend.
And if he nearly beat someone half to death in public, then the least I could do was make sure the other person wasn't actually dying in the nurse's office.
That was all.
At least… that's what I told myself.
I made my way down the quiet hallway toward the school nurse's office, the sound of my heels softer this time, almost hesitant.
When I reached the door, I paused for a second.
Then I pushed it open.
The room smelled faintly of antiseptic and medicine.
Sunlight streamed in through the half-open blinds, painting soft golden lines across the pale walls and metal cabinets. It was quieter here, too quiet compared to the chaos outside.
My eyes immediately landed on Hari.
He was lying on one of the beds near the far wall, propped up slightly against a pillow. A white bandage had been taped over one side of his cheek, and there was a bruise forming along his jaw. His lower lip was split, and even from where I stood, I could tell his knuckles were scraped raw.
He looked exhausted.
But still calm.
Too calm, considering he'd just been in a brutal fight.