Adrian didn't expect it to happen in school.
Not there.
Not in the middle of something normal.
The day started fine.
He woke up, got ready, and went downstairs. Breakfast was the same as always now. He sat beside Alessio, ate without hesitation, and even answered when Nico said something random about a game.
Nothing felt off.
Nothing felt heavy.
That was why it caught him off guard.
—
It started during class.
Math.
Adrian wasn't good at it yet, but he was trying. He had his notebook open, pencil in hand, following what the teacher was writing on the board.
Numbers.
Steps.
Simple explanations.
He was keeping up.
Then the teacher said something.
"Copy this down quickly."
Her voice wasn't harsh.
But the word quickly—
It did something.
Adrian's hand paused.
Just for a second.
Then he started writing faster.
Too fast.
His handwriting became messy, uneven.
His breathing changed slightly.
He didn't notice it at first.
He just kept writing.
The teacher continued speaking.
"Make sure you don't fall behind."
That made it worse.
Adrian's grip tightened around the pencil.
His chest felt tight.
The numbers on the page started to blur together.
He made a mistake.
Then another.
"…No," he muttered under his breath, erasing quickly.
The eraser tore part of the paper.
That made his heart beat faster.
"Adrian?"
The teacher's voice reached him again.
But this time, it sounded different.
Not like her.
Like someone else.
"Why are you so slow?"
The words weren't actually said in the room.
But Adrian heard them.
Clear.
Sharp.
His breathing got worse.
His hand stopped completely now.
"Adrian," the teacher called again, softer this time.
But he didn't answer.
He was staring at the page, but he wasn't seeing it anymore.
He was somewhere else.
—
A small table.
A different room.
The sound of something hitting the surface hard.
"Again."
The voice was cold.
Adrian's younger self sat there, holding something in his hands.
Trying.
Failing.
"Too slow."
The same words.
The same tone.
His chest tightened in the present.
His fingers went numb.
"Adrian?"
A chair moved beside him.
Someone touched his shoulder.
He flinched hard.
Like he had been hit.
—
"Hey, hey… it's fine."
That voice—
That was real.
Adrian blinked.
The classroom came back slowly.
The teacher was beside him.
Her hand had already pulled back.
"I'm sorry," she said quickly. "I didn't mean to scare you."
Adrian stared at her for a second.
Then looked around.
Everyone was looking at him.
His chest was still tight.
"…I'm fine," he said, but his voice didn't sound right.
The teacher didn't look convinced.
"Do you want to step outside?"
Adrian nodded quickly.
"…Yes."
He stood up too fast, his chair making a loud sound as it moved back.
That didn't help.
But he didn't stop.
He walked out of the classroom without looking at anyone.
—
The hallway was empty.
Adrian leaned against the wall, his breathing uneven.
"…It's not real," he said quietly. "It's not happening."
But his body didn't calm down immediately.
His hands were still shaking.
His chest still tight.
He slid down slightly until he was sitting on the floor, his back against the wall.
"…I'm here," he added after a few seconds.
He looked around.
The hallway.
The lockers.
The light.
"…I'm safe."
It took longer this time.
Much longer.
But slowly—
His breathing started to even out.
The shaking reduced.
The tight feeling in his chest eased.
After a few minutes, footsteps approached.
Adrian looked up.
Alessio.
"Marco called the school," he said, slightly out of breath. "They said something happened."
Adrian looked away.
"…It's nothing."
Alessio didn't accept that.
He crouched down in front of him.
"It's not nothing."
Adrian stayed quiet.
Alessio waited.
Then Adrian spoke.
"…I remembered something."
Alessio's expression changed slightly.
"What?"
Adrian shook his head.
"…I don't want to say it here."
Alessio nodded.
"Okay."
He stood up and held out his hand.
"Let's go home."
Adrian hesitated for a second.
Then took it.
—
The car ride back was silent.
Not uncomfortable.
Just quiet.
Adrian leaned his head back against the seat, staring at the ceiling of the car.
He didn't close his eyes.
He didn't want to see it again.
Alessio didn't push him to talk.
He just stayed there.
That was enough.
—
When they got back to the mansion, Marco was already waiting.
He stepped forward the moment Adrian walked in.
"What happened?"
Adrian didn't answer immediately.
He walked past him and into the living room.
Then he stopped.
"…He kept saying I was too slow."
The words came out flat.
But the meaning behind them wasn't.
Marco followed him in.
"Who?"
Adrian's hands clenched slightly.
"I don't know his name."
The room went quiet.
Alessio stayed near the door.
Marco stepped closer, but not too close.
"What do you remember?"
Adrian shook his head.
"…Not everything."
He looked down.
"Just… sitting there."
He swallowed.
"…Trying to do something right."
His voice tightened slightly.
"And he kept saying I was too slow."
No one interrupted him.
No one rushed him.
Adrian continued.
"…And when I made mistakes…"
He stopped.
His jaw tightened.
Marco didn't push.
"…You don't have to say it," he said.
Adrian shook his head.
"No. I do."
He looked up slightly.
"…He hit the table."
His voice dropped.
"Loud."
That explained a lot.
The reactions.
The flinching.
The sounds.
Adrian exhaled slowly.
"…I think he hit me too."
The room stayed silent.
Not empty.
Just quiet.
Alessio's hands were clenched at his sides.
Marco's expression didn't change much.
But his eyes did.
"…Okay," Marco said.
Adrian frowned slightly.
"You're doing it again."
"What?"
"Just saying 'okay.'"
Marco nodded.
"Because I'm listening."
Adrian didn't respond.
But this time—
He didn't feel frustrated.
—
Later, Adrian sat on the couch, leaning back, staring ahead.
He felt tired.
Not physically.
Just… drained.
Alessio sat beside him.
Not too close.
Not too far.
After a few minutes, Adrian spoke.
"…It was clearer this time."
Alessio nodded.
"Yeah."
Adrian rubbed his hands together.
"…I didn't like it."
"I know."
Adrian glanced at him.
"…What if it gets worse?"
Alessio didn't answer immediately.
Then he said,
"Then we deal with it."
Adrian looked back ahead.
"…We?"
Alessio nodded.
"Yeah. We."
Adrian didn't reply.
But he didn't question it either.
—
That night, Adrian didn't stay alone.
He didn't even think about it.
He just walked to Alessio's room again.
Knocked once.
And when the door opened—
"…I'm staying here," Adrian said.
Alessio moved aside.
"Yeah."
No questions.
No explanations.
Adrian lay down on the bed, staring at the ceiling.
The memory was still there.
Clearer than before.
Closer.
But something else was there too.
Not replacing it.
But standing next to it.
People.
Voices.
The present.
Adrian closed his eyes slowly.
"…I'm not there anymore," he said quietly.
And this time—
He believed it a little more than before.