Chapter Twelve — Almost normal
1087 Words
I had spent the entire night trying to convince myself that one strange message couldn’t ruin my day.
It was just words on a screen.
A person trying to scare me.
That was all.
At least, that was what I kept telling myself.
The problem was, a small part of me knew better.
Because whoever was sending those messages knew things about me.
Things they shouldn’t know.
But for one day, I decided I was tired of being afraid.
I was tired of waking up and wondering what new secret was waiting for me.
So I did what every normal twenty-two-year-old girl would do.
I went to class.
I complained about assignments.
I laughed with my friends.
And I pretended my life wasn’t slowly turning into something I couldn’t recognize.
“Amara, if you stare at that notebook any longer, the words are not going to magically enter your brain.”
I looked up from my notes and found Sarah staring at me with a serious expression.
Lena was beside her, trying very hard not to laugh.
“I’m studying,” I defended.
Sarah looked at my notebook.
Then back at me.
“You’ve been on the same page for fifteen minutes.”
I looked down.
She was right.
I had been staring at the same paragraph without actually reading a single word.
“Okay,” I admitted. “Maybe I got distracted.”
“By what?” Lena asked, raising an eyebrow.
I immediately looked away.
“Nothing.”
The two of them exchanged a look.
That look.
The one best friends give when they know you’re lying but they’re waiting for you to admit it yourself.
“Amara,” Lena said slowly, “you have the worst poker face I’ve ever seen.”
“That’s not true.”
“It is,” Sarah added. “You literally look guilty before you even do anything.”
I rolled my eyes.
“You two are annoying.”
“And yet,” Lena said, smiling, “you love us.”
Unfortunately, she was right.
I did.
Some people came into your life quietly and somehow became part of your everyday routine.
Lena and Sarah were like that.
They knew when I was happy.
They knew when I was pretending.
They knew when I needed someone to drag me out of my own head.
And lately, I had been spending far too much time inside my own thoughts.
“Speaking of things distracting you…”
Sarah suddenly leaned closer.
I narrowed my eyes.
“What?”
She nodded toward the entrance of the lecture hall.
I followed her gaze.
And immediately regretted it.
Jason.
He was walking in with a few of his friends, laughing about something.
There was nothing dramatic about him.
Nothing mysterious.
He wasn’t trying to impress anyone.
He was just Jason.
And maybe that was why I liked him.
He was simple.
Easy.
The kind of person who made my life feel normal.
“You’re staring again.”
I quickly looked away.
“I was not.”
Lena laughed.
“You absolutely were.”
“I was looking in that direction.”
“Amara, that is literally the definition of staring.”
I opened my mouth to argue, but Jason walked toward us before I could.
“Good morning.”
His smile made my brain forget whatever argument I was preparing.
“Good morning,” I replied.
Jason looked at the empty seat beside me.
“Is this taken?”
Before I could answer, Sarah moved her bag immediately.
“Nope. Completely free.”
I gave her a look.
She ignored me.
Jason sat down, smiling slightly.
“You have good friends.”
“You have no idea,” I said.
“Oh, I think I do.”
I laughed softly.
And for a few minutes, everything felt normal.
No secrets.
No questions.
Just laughter.
Until someone walked past our table.
A girl from another department.
Pretty.
Confident.
And very clearly interested in Jason.
“Hey, Jason.”
He looked up.
“Oh, hey, Emma.”
She smiled.
“I was wondering if you still needed those notes from last week.”
Jason nodded.
“That would actually help. Thanks.”
“No problem.”
She smiled again before walking away.
It was completely innocent.
Normal.
Nothing happened.
And yet…
Something unpleasant twisted in my stomach.
I immediately hated myself for noticing.
Because why did I care?
Jason wasn’t my boyfriend.
He wasn’t even aware that my feelings existed.
So why did I suddenly feel annoyed?
Sarah noticed.
Of course she did.
She leaned closer.
“Are you jealous?”
I almost choked.
“What? No.”
Lena looked amused.
“You answered too quickly.”
“I’m not jealous.”
“Sure,” Sarah said.
“I’m serious.”
“Of course.”
I stared at both of them.
“You’re both impossible.”
They laughed.
And I tried not to smile.
But secretly…
I liked that they teased me.
Because it reminded me that I was still me.
Not someone chasing shadows.
Not someone surrounded by secrets.
Just Amara.
A girl with friends.
A girl with a crush.
A girl trying to figure life out.
After classes ended, Jason walked with me toward the gate.
The afternoon sun was warm, and the campus was slowly becoming quieter as students left.
“You’ve been distracted lately,” he said.
I looked at him.
“Is everyone secretly watching me?”
He smiled.
“Maybe you’re just easy to read.”
“That’s rude.”
“It’s not.”
He looked at me.
“It’s actually kind of nice.”
I didn’t know what to say to that.
So I looked away.
A small silence settled between us.
Not awkward.
Comfortable.
Then my phone buzzed.
I stopped walking.
Jason noticed immediately.
“What happened?”
I looked down.
Unknown number.
Again.
My heart sank.
This time, there was only a picture.
My hand shook slightly as I opened it.
A photograph.
Not an old one.
A new one.
Of me.
Walking into campus that morning.
Someone had been watching me.
Jason noticed my expression.
“Amara?”
I locked my phone quickly.
“It’s nothing.”
But the moment the words left my mouth, I knew.
I was doing it again.
Pretending everything was fine.
And somewhere in the back of my mind, I realized something terrifying.
Maybe a normal life wasn’t something I could return to.
Maybe it was something I had already lost.
- Writer
