Layla stood in the hallway, arms crossed, her lips pressed into a thin line. Her eyes were sharp with frustration — the kind that made everything else in the world seem blurry except the one person she was glaring at.
Nico leaned against the lockers, jaw tightening as Layla's voice rose with accusation.
"Why didn't you tell anyone?" she snapped. "You could've gotten in trouble — or worse!"
Nico's sigh was slow, weighed down with irritation and something softer — regret.
"I didn't think it'd become such a big deal," he muttered, gaze flicking away from Layla's fiery stare. "I handled it the way I thought was best."
Layla's eyebrows knitted together, hurt slipping into her anger.
"That isn't the point." She took a step closer, eyes burning bright. "You just… decide for everyone and then expect us to agree? You left us in the dark!"
Nico's silence hung between them like heavy air.
"…I didn't want to make things worse," he admitted quietly, eyes finally meeting hers. "I thought I was protecting you."
That stopped Layla. Her shoulders relaxed, though her expression stayed tense.
"Protecting us?" she echoed. "By hiding things from us? That's not protection."
A long moment passed.
Footsteps echoed in the hallway.
Katie approached them, heart thumping in her chest. She stopped just a few feet away, watching the argument with wide eyes — conflicted sympathy on her face.
She didn't want to interrupt… but she didn't want either of them to feel alone.
Layla looked at Katie, then back at Nico.
"…You have to understand," Layla said, softer now, her voice shaking just a little. "We're a team, okay? That means we talk — even about the hard stuff."
Nico's shoulders sagged, and for the first time since the fight began, his eyes softened. He ran a hand through his hair.
"Yeah…" he said, a small rueful smile tugging at his lips. "Okay. I get it."
Katie exhaled — relief flooding her.
The tension between Layla and Nico didn't disappear all at once. But it shifted — from sharp and bitter to honest and real.
And that, sometimes, was even harder.
Teacher: "Why ask Tian to meet him?"
Tian waited just outside the school gate, hands in his jacket pockets, eyes fixed on the sidewalk. The late afternoon sun cast long shadows beneath the trees, and his heart felt heavier than the school bag slung over one shoulder.
A call from his teacher had come that morning — a serious voice over the phone, asking him to come meet someone important. It wasn't a typical request. It wasn't vague. It sounded… heavy.
Why would a teacher ask me to meet him?
His breathing was slow but uneven, as if each step toward the small café where he was told to wait was pulling him deeper into uncertainty.
Inside, a man in slightly worn clothes looked up from a table. His eyes were kind, but his expression carried something complicated, like worry and relief tangled together.
"Tian?" the man asked gently, almost unsure.
Tian nodded, voice quiet. "Yes."
The man stood up — older than any teacher Tian knew, but familiar somehow. There was a softness there — a hopeful tremble — like someone trying not to break.
"Tian… I'm —" he hesitated, swallowing hard. "I'm your uncle."
The air seemed to shift in Tian's chest.
"Why… why are you here?" Tian whispered, gaze drifting away.
His uncle's eyes softened. "I heard about you from your teacher. Your father and I weren't close… but when I found out you were living alone…" His voice broke a little. "I had to meet you."
Tian blinked, confused and startled. His world — already complicated enough with school and friends and Katie's awkward smiles — felt suddenly heavier with a name he barely remembered.
"I… I don't know what to say," Tian murmured.
His uncle offered a small smile — warm, but shaky. "You don't have to say anything right now. I just wanted you to know — you're not alone."
Tian's heart fluttered — nervous, uneasy, and just a little bit hopeful.
Because sometimes, even when life feels messy… someone showing up matters more than words.
Layla and Nico get into an argument. Layla is upset because Nico made a decision without telling the group, and she feels left out. They clash over trust and communication, but after honestly talking it through, they begin to understand each other better. It ends with the tension easing, and the two starting to reconcile.
Tian is asked by a teacher to meet someone important — an unfamiliar older man who turns out to be his uncle. Tian is surprised and uncertain how to react. His uncle explains that although Tian's father and he weren't close, he cares about Tian and wanted to meet him. This encounter introduces a new, emotional twist in Tian's life and hints at deeper family connections.