Her life

chapter 6

When the morning sun came up, I turned in my bed, realizing I never actually got any sleep. My mind had been buzzing all night, replaying yesterday’s events—the conversation with Alex, Sophia’s teasing, and everything else swirling around in my head. I sighed, rubbing my eyes as the light filtered through the curtains.

The dormitory was starting to come alive with the sounds of my fellow students getting ready for the day. I could hear the faint chatter, the shuffling of feet, and the clanking of buckets being filled for morning showers. I knew I had to get up, but part of me wanted to stay under the covers and escape the whirlwind in my head.

"Faye! Are you awake?" Sophia’s voice cut through my thoughts, bright and energetic as always, despite it being so early.

"Yeah, I’m up," I mumbled, rolling onto my back and staring at the ceiling.

Sophia bounced over to my bed, already dressed in her sports uniform. "Girl, you look like you didn’t sleep a wink."

"That’s because I didn’t."

"Why? What were you thinking about? Wait, don’t tell me it’s Alex!" she teased, a playful grin on her face.

I groaned, pulling the pillow over my head. "Sophia, stop. It wasn’t just that… I just couldn’t shut my brain off."

"Well, maybe you’ll get some clarity after we go for morning chores. You know Prefect Bola won’t spare us if we’re late!" she said, tugging the pillow away from me.

I sat up reluctantly, knowing she was right. The last thing I needed was to get in trouble for being late. I threw on my uniform, brushed my teeth, and grabbed my cleaning supplies. As we made our way out of the dorm, the sun was fully up, casting a soft glow over the school grounds.

We headed to the common areas to begin our cleaning. The school always looked so peaceful in the early morning—no rushing students or prefects barking orders, just the stillness of dawn.

As I swept the floor, I couldn’t help but think about Alex again. Why did that conversation with him stick in my mind so much? Sure, he was interesting, and I didn’t expect him to know so much about *Jane Eyre*, but there was something else about him—something that didn’t fit with the reputation he had around school.

"Faye, you’ve been sweeping the same spot for five minutes," Sophia said, breaking me out of my thoughts.

"Oops, sorry." I moved to another section, feeling embarrassed.

Sophia smirked. "You’re seriously lost in thought today. What’s up? You’re usually not this distracted."

"I don’t know," I sighed, leaning on the broom for a moment. "It’s just… I don’t get why people think Alex is a snob. He was nice, and we had a real conversation. It’s like people don’t even try to understand him."

Sophia stopped wiping down a table and looked at me. "Maybe that’s the thing, Faye. People don’t always take the time to know someone—they just rely on gossip or first impressions. You, on the other hand, actually got to talk to him. Maybe he just doesn’t let many people in."

"Yeah, maybe," I said thoughtfully, resuming my sweeping. "It’s just strange. I’ve heard so many things about him, but none of it matches up with the person I talked to yesterday."

"Well, you can always ask him more about it," she said with a shrug. "Who knows, maybe he feels the same way. Just don’t let it stress you out too much."

"I won’t," I promised, though a part of me was still curious. Why did Alex keep to himself so much? And why was I so interested in figuring it out?

Before I could get too lost in thought again, the gong rang, signaling the end of the cleaning period. Sophia and I finished up, and we hurried back to the hostel to prepare for breakfast. The dining hall was bustling with students as we sat down with our plates of fried eggs and bread. I was just about to take a bite when, out of the corner of my eye, I saw Alex walking toward his table.

He glanced in my direction, and for a brief second, our eyes met. I quickly looked away, feeling my cheeks flush. Why was I suddenly so nervous? I had spoken to him yesterday with no problem, but now I felt like a bundle of nerves.

"Faye, stop being weird," Sophia said, smirking as she noticed my reaction. "You’re acting like he’s some celebrity."

"I’m not!" I protested, though I knew I wasn’t fooling her.

"Right," she said, rolling her eyes. "Just go talk to him after breakfast. The worst he can do is give you one of those ‘snob’ looks everyone talks about."

I laughed, feeling a little lighter. Maybe Sophia was right—I was overthinking everything. Alex was just a person, like everyone else. No need to make it a big deal.

After breakfast, I gathered my things and headed to the first lecture of the day. As I walked down the hallway, I heard footsteps behind me. I turned, and there was Alex, walking at his usual relaxed pace. For a moment, I considered speeding up, but then I remembered my own resolution from last night—don’t overthink it.

"Hey, Faye," he said as he caught up to me.

"Hey, Alex," I replied, trying to sound casual.

"You seemed pretty into your book yesterday. Finished it?"

"Yeah, I did. It was great, as always."

He smiled, a little warmer than I expected. "I’m glad to hear that."

There was a brief silence, but it wasn’t uncomfortable. Just… calm.

"So," I said, deciding to follow Sophia’s advice, "I’ve been meaning to ask—how come you don’t talk to many people around here? Everyone thinks you’re kind of a snob, but you don’t seem like that to me."

Alex raised an eyebrow, clearly surprised by the question. "A snob, huh?"

"Yeah… sorry, that’s just what people say."

He chuckled softly, shaking his head. "People say a lot of things. I guess I just don’t care to correct them. I’m more of a private person, I suppose."

"That makes sense," I said, feeling relieved that I’d asked. "But maybe if people got to know you like I did yesterday, they’d think differently."

"Maybe," he said, his expression thoughtful. "But I’m not too worried about what people think. I just focus on what matters."

And with that, he gave me a small nod and walked ahead, leaving me standing there, wondering what exactly mattered to him.