The rhythmic sound of the broom scraping against the floor filled the silent classroom.
Each drag of the bristles against the cold tiles sent a soft but sharp noise through the air, mingling with the occasional clinking of glass shards being swept into a pile. The sound echoed, bouncing off the walls, filling every corner of the room.
For most students, it was nothing more than background noise.
But for Faith, it was unbearable.
Her fingers curled around the edge of her desk, her nails pressing into the worn-out wood as she forced herself to look elsewhere. Anywhere but there.
But no matter where her gaze landed the teacher flipping through his notes, the murmuring students pretending to focus on their experiment, even Alex's knowing smirk from across the table her attention kept drifting back.
To the petite girl.
To the way she crouched on the floor, carefully sweeping the glass shards as if it were her responsibility.
To the way Cole had handed her the broom without hesitation, as though they shared some kind of understanding.
And worst of all, how nobody questioned it.
The teacher, usually strict about lab rules, barely gave them a second glance.
The other students, while mildly entertained, simply whispered amongst themselves, their curiosity fleeting at best.
Even the girls who had laughed earlier had gone quiet, watching the scene unfold like a silent drama.
Faith exhaled sharply, trying to suppress the frustration tightening in her chest.
Why did it have to be her?
Why did she insist on cleaning up after Cole's mistake?
Or rather was it even his mistake to begin with?
Faith glanced at Abdullah, who was still leaning back in his seat, arms crossed, an amused look on his face. He had no regrets about throwing Cole under the bus.
And Cole?
The idiot had gone along with it without so much as a complaint.
Faith gritted her teeth. Why?
Why didn't he say anything?
Why didn't he defend himself?
Why was he just sitting there like none of this mattered?
She didn't realize she was staring until the teacher's voice broke the silence.
"Ten more minutes."
The class stirred at the reminder. Some students hurried to finish their work, while others exchanged quiet words, pretending to focus.
Faith barely moved.
She was still stewing in irritation, lost in her own thoughts, when a shadow fell over her desk.
"Hey."
The voice was familiar, smooth, and annoyingly casual.
Faith looked up.
Abdullah stood beside her, one hand tucked in his pocket, the other held out expectantly.
"Your practical manual, please?"
Faith blinked at him, still irritated from earlier, and narrowed her eyes.
"Why should I give it to you?" she asked flatly.
Abdullah sighed, unfazed. "I didn't really follow along with the class, so…" He trailed off, shrugging. "Just let me copy your work."
Faith scoffed. "No, that's not my problem."
She had no patience for this. Not today.
But before she could finish rejecting him, a hand moved beside her.
Alex.
Without hesitation, she handed her manual to Abdullah.
Faith's head snapped toward her, disbelief flashing in her eyes.
"Why did you give him that?"
Alex leaned back in her seat, barely sparing Faith a glance. "You were going to give it to him anyway, so why stress about it?"
Faith opened her mouth to argue, but Alex smirked.
"You just didn't want the manual to end up with Cole."
Faith froze.
Her stomach twisted at the accusation, even though she knew it was true.
She had no problem with Abdullah copying her work. She never did.
But if her manual ended up in Cole's hands?
She would have rather ripped out the pages.
Abdullah, completely unaware of the silent battle happening in Faith's mind, took the manual and walked off without a care.
Faith watched him go, her frustration shifting twisting into something else.
Something she didn't want to name.
The final bell rang, signaling the end of class.
Students quickly gathered their things, filing out of the lab and into the hallway, heading back to their classrooms for the last lesson of the day.
Faith moved stiffly, her bad mood still lingering like a storm cloud over her head.
And of course
Her friends noticed immediately.
By the time they were heading home, Stephanie had already made a point of commenting on it.
"You've been acting weird ever since class ended," she said, tilting her head at Faith. "You're still mad, aren't you?"
Faith didn't respond.
But that only encouraged Stephanie to keep going.
Alex, walking a step ahead, smirked as she turned slightly toward them.
"You hate him so much, but you're letting him ruin your whole day?"
Faith shot her a glare. "I'm not"
"You sure?" Stephanie cut in, her tone light but teasing.
Faith huffed, looking away.
But that only seemed to amuse them more.
"You know," Stephanie continued, "for someone who claims to hate him, you seem to have him on your mind a lot."
"I said stop."
Faith's voice was low, warning, but her friends had never been the type to back down easily.
Especially not when they were having fun.
Alex placed a hand on her hip, her grin widening.
"He looks so tall and huge," she mused. "I wouldn't mind having a guy like that. I'd definitely love looking up at him from my little height."
Stephanie burst into laughter.
Faith, however, had had enough.
She stopped walking.
The air around her felt heavy as if her frustration had manifested into something tangible.
Alex and Stephanie, sensing the shift in her mood, finally fell silent.
For a moment, nobody spoke.
Then, finally, Stephanie shrugged.
"Maybe it really is hate, then."
Faith exhaled sharply, willing herself to ignore them.
She turned away, quickening her pace, putting distance between herself and her nosy friends.
But no matter how far she walked
No matter how much she tried to push their words out of her mind
One single thought refused to leave her.
Was it really just hate?
Or was it something else?