Drut drut drut...
The sound of Alvaro's phone buzzed in his hand as he made a call.
He stared at the screen, watching the name "Grandma" flashing. His fingers trembled slightly—not from the cold, but from fear. He had never called her in a situation like this before.
Finally, she picked up.
Her warm, familiar voice answered on the other end.
"Why are you calling me at this hour, dear? Is something wrong?"
Alvaro swallowed hard.
His throat felt dry, and his heart was beating so loud it echoed in his ears.
He opened his mouth, but no words came out.
Will she be mad at me...?
Will she be disappointed...? What if... she stops trusting me?
He took a shaky breath.
"S-Something happened, Grandma... I made a mistake. A big one. Can you please come here... to school?"
There was a pause.
The silence on the other side felt like forever.
Then, in a soft sigh, she said,
"Oh, Alvaro... What have you done this time...? Never mind. I'm coming right away."
And just like that, the call ended.
---
Inside the counseling office, everything felt too quiet.
The room was filled with small decorations—wind chimes, plants in the corners, colorful posters on the wall—but none of them helped calm the tension hanging in the air.
A soft breeze from the open window made a paper butterfly spin slowly, but Alvaro barely noticed it. He sat stiffly on the edge of the chair, eyes fixed on the floor.
He glanced back, just for a second, toward the door.
"Hey," the school counselor said firmly, catching his movement. "You're not allowed to leave until we discuss your behavior—especially what you did to your grandmother."
"I... I wasn't going to leave," Alvaro replied quickly. "I just wanted to check if my grandma was already here."
His voice cracked slightly.
His palms were sweaty, fingers clutching his knees.
His heartbeat was deafening now, thumping like a drum in a cage.
---
⏱︎ ⏱︎ ⏱︎
Footsteps echoed in the hallway.
Each step sent a jolt of nerves through Alvaro's body.
Is that her?
Please let it be her... but also... please let this not be real.
The door creaked open.
A familiar figure entered—frail but upright, with kind but sharp eyes.
Yes.
It was really her.
His grandmother.
"Are you Alvaro's grandmother?" the counselor asked, standing with a professional yet soft tone.
"Yes, I am," she replied, her voice calm but tinged with worry.
"Please, have a seat. Both of you," the counselor said politely.
Alvaro looked at his grandma, who gave him a small, unreadable glance.
Then they both sat down.
The counselor folded her hands and took a deep breath.
"I'll now explain what happened today—and why it's so serious."
---
Minutes passed.
The counselor spoke clearly, detailing the entire incident.
Every word stabbed at Alvaro's chest.
She spoke of the anger. The sudden burst. The glass. The girl who got hurt.
His actions. His reaction.
And then—came the final blow.
"If things go badly... your grandson could be suspended. Or even expelled."
Alvaro felt the ground beneath him disappear.
His head lowered. His chest tightened.
I messed up.
I really messed up...
She must be so ashamed of me now...
He didn't dare look up.
Not at the counselor. Not at his grandma.
Especially not at her.
His hands gripped the edge of his chair.
The silence in the room was now louder than any scolding.
He could feel the weight of it pressing down on his chest.
Then, slowly, he lifted his eyes—just enough to meet his grandmother's gaze.
She wasn't yelling.
She wasn't crying.
But somehow... that made it worse.
Her expression was calm, yet there was something in her eyes that cut deeper than anger ever could.
Disappointment.
She looked at him with a quiet sadness, like she was asking him without words:
"Did I ever raise you to be like this?"
Alvaro's throat tightened.
He wanted to speak. To explain. To defend himself—
But nothing came out.
No words could fix what he had done.
No excuse would make her trust return instantly.
All he could say... was the one thing stuck in his chest.
"...I'm sorry."
It was barely a whisper, like a child who had broken something precious and didn't know how to fix it.
"I'm so sorry, Grandma…"
He lowered his head again, unable to hold her gaze any longer.
---