EXAMS
731 Words
before their final exams, Ivy and Zero were finally out of the high school trenches.
They’d stuck together like always. Studied together. Ate lunch together. Not as a couple — Ivy made sure of that — but as two people who’d become each other’s safe place. Zero never pushed. He just stayed. And that was enough for Ivy to start breathing again.
During exams, Ivy wasn’t alone anymore.
Beside her sat three girls. Not strangers. They’d been around since Ivy transferred in. The trio who’d always been friendly, always invited her along, always insisted she join them for snacks or notes.
One was the *pick-me girl* — loud, always trying to impress the teachers, always posting herself on socials.
One was the *buzzy type* — never quiet, always talking, always in someone’s business.
And one was the *quiet natural girl*, just like Ivy. The type who didn’t care about drama, didn’t care about popularity. She just wanted to pass and leave.
Ivy didn’t let herself get close at first. She told herself it was temporary. _I’ll get my admission to university and leave. No attachments. No goodbyes._
But the three of them were persistent. They studied with her. They walked her home sometimes. Slowly, Ivy gave in a little. She even gave them her phone number. For the first time in years, Ivy thought maybe things were turning out okay for her.
---
Then Zara came back.
It was a few weeks before finals. The hallway was quiet during break when Zara walked up to Ivy.
“What university are you applying for?” Zara asked, casual, like they’d never drifted apart.
Ivy froze.
“Harvard,” she said quietly. “Psychology.”
Zara’s eyes lit up. “Really? I’m applying there too. You should apply with me. I want us to stay friends.”
Ivy didn’t answer. She just gave a small laugh, turned, and walked away.
Because she didn’t know what to say.
How do you tell someone you don’t trust them with your future? How do you tell them that every time you got close, it ended with you bleeding?
Later that day, *Freda* did the same thing.
She approached Ivy with the same question. Same smile. Same answer Ivy gave Zara — _Harvard, psychology._
Ivy just nodded and walked off again.
The silence between them was heavy. Not angry. Not hostile. Just… distance. Like two people who used to know each other but don’t anymore.
---
Ivy didn’t sleep that night.
She kept replaying Zara’s face. Freda’s voice. The way they said _“stay friends”_ like nothing had happened. Like the betrayal, the rumors, the isolation — none of it mattered now that they were all leaving.
Ivy wasn’t mad. She was just tired.
Tired of trying. Tired of hoping people would stay. Tired of pretending that a few kind words could erase years of hurt.
She looked at her phone. Zero had sent her a message earlier: _“You good? You were quiet today.”_
Ivy typed, then deleted. Typed again, then deleted.
Finally she just replied: _“Yeah. Just thinking.”_
His reply came instantly: _“About them?”_
Ivy stared at the screen. She didn’t reply.
Because how do you explain that you’re scared? Scared that if you open up again, you’ll get abandoned again. Scared that Harvard won’t fix what high school broke.
---
The next morning, Ivy showed up to school early.
She sat under the mango tree alone, like she used to. But this time it wasn’t out of loneliness. It was out of choice.
Zero found her there with two coffees.
He didn’t ask questions. He just sat down beside her and handed her one.
They didn’t talk for a long time. They just sat there, watching the sun hit the leaves.
Finally, Zero said, “You don’t have to answer them, you know.”
Ivy looked at him. “What?”
“Zara. Freda. You don’t owe them an answer.”
Ivy exhaled. “I know.”
“But you also don’t have to shut everyone out forever,” Zero added softly. “Not everyone is going to leave you, Ivy.”
Ivy didn’t respond. She just held the coffee tighter.
For the first time, she wasn’t sure if she believed that. But she also wasn’t sure she didn’t.
?
- Writer
