Thursday started badly.
Not because of school.
Not because of studies.
But because Ariana woke up already irritated.
Her stomach hurt. Her head felt heavy. And everything around her seemed unnecessarily loud.
She checked the date.
"Oh great," she muttered under her breath.
That explained it.
At school, even small things annoyed her.
Someone dropped a pen.
Too loud.
Two girls laughed near the window.
Too dramatic.
Lily tapped her shoulder.
"Are you okay?"
"I'm fine."
"You don't look fine."
"I said I'm fine."
Lily blinked. "Okay… scary."
Ariana immediately felt a little guilty.
"I'm just tired."
"Hmm," Lily narrowed her eyes. "Tired… or hormonal?"
Ariana glared.
Lily laughed and handed her a chocolate from her bag. "Emergency supply."
Ariana accepted it without arguing.
Math class felt endless.
Her stomach hurt again.
When the teacher asked her to solve a problem on the board, she made a small mistake — something she rarely did.
A few students giggled.
Her mood worsened instantly.
After school, she walked home faster than usual.
At home, her mother noticed immediately.
"You're quiet."
"Just tired."
"Rest for a while."
She lay on her bed, staring at the ceiling, feeling irritated for no clear reason.
Her phone buzzed.
She didn't want to check.
It buzzed again.
With a sigh, she opened it.
UnknownUser: You're quieter than usual.
She frowned.
How did he notice that already?
SilentStar15: I'm fine.
Pause.
UnknownUser: That usually means you're not.
She rolled her eyes.
Why did everyone say that?
SilentStar15: Stop analyzing me.
UnknownUser: I'm not. Just asking.
She typed quickly.
SilentStar15: Nothing's wrong.
Then immediately regretted sounding sharp.
There was a small pause.
Then—
UnknownUser: Did something happen at school?
She stared at the message.
Her irritation slowly shifted into something softer.
He wasn't arguing.
He wasn't teasing.
Just asking.
She typed more honestly this time.
SilentStar15: Just a bad day.
UnknownUser: Bad how?
She hesitated.
She wasn't going to say that directly.
So instead—
SilentStar15: Everything is annoying.
There was a short pause.
Then—
UnknownUser: Even me?
She almost smiled despite herself.
SilentStar15: Especially you.
Three dots appeared instantly.
UnknownUser: That's tragic.
She actually laughed softly.
Her mood cracked just a little.
UnknownUser: Want distraction?
She raised an eyebrow.
SilentStar15: From what?
UnknownUser: From being annoyed at the entire universe.
She sighed, but her lips curved slightly.
Maybe… distraction wouldn't hurt.