Where I End and She Begins

Just Two Classes

Lola was already at the gates when I arrived, leaning against the brick pillar like she owned the place. She straightened the moment she saw me, pushing her sunglasses up into her hair.

“Don’t hate me,” she said immediately.

I blinked. “Why would I hate you?”

She pressed her lips together, clearly enjoying the drama of it. “Okay, so… tiny schedule adjustment.”

My stomach sank. “What kind of adjustment?”

“I dropped art,” she said quickly, like ripping off a bandage. “And I moved maths into that slot so I could fit drama in where maths used to be.”

I froze. “Wait… so we don’t have maths or art together anymore?”

“Exactly,” she said, shrugging like it was obvious. “Drama had one last open slot, and this was literally the only way to make it fit without destroying my whole timetable. I wanted drama, so maths went into art’s period, and art… well, it got dropped. That’s it.”

She said it like she’d spent hours negotiating a business merger.

“So… we don’t have any of our creative classes together anymore,” I said slowly, feeling that tight knot in my chest again.

“See?” she added, linking her arm through mine like always. “You’ll survive. English, bio, lunch — still together. We’re fine.”

I nodded, even though facing those periods alone already felt heavier than it should have.

“Just one day at a time,” I muttered under my breath.

As we walked through the gates in near silence for a few moments, the morning bustle of students rushing past barely registering. I kept my eyes forward, trying not to think about the two classes we no longer had together. Lola, as usual, was humming something under her breath, swinging her bag against her side like nothing had changed at all.

“So,” she said finally, tilting her head toward me, “first day without maths and art together. Feel that panic setting in yet?”

I shook my head, forcing a laugh I didn’t feel. “No… it’s fine. I can handle it.”

“Sure you can,” she said, smirking. “I’ll be nearby if you need rescuing from boredom-induced coma.”

Her casual words should have helped, but they didn’t. The tighter I held my bag strap, the more I realized how much I’d relied on her presence to carry me through. Not just in classes — everything. Walking through the crowded hallways, navigating conversations, even just making it to the lockers without feeling invisible.

We reached my locker and Lola flopped against the side, dramatically sighing. “Ugh. Finally. I can stop pretending to care about schedules and start pretending to care about the actual day. At least we still have lunch together.”

I slid my books into my locker and leaned against the cool metal, letting out a quiet breath. “Yeah… lunch.”

She glanced at me sideways. “Hey, it’s just two classes. We’ll survive. You know I’ve got your back.”

I wanted to believe her, really I did. But a part of me couldn’t shake the tight knot in my stomach that tightened even more when I thought about sitting alone in maths and art, those two periods where I’d feel entirely invisible without her. Lola’s arm still rested lightly on mine, but even that familiar weight couldn’t fully ease the growing tension inside me.

“Let’s get this over with,” I muttered, trying to sound braver than I felt.

Lola smirked. “That’s the spirit. One period at a time,

Amelia. One period at a time.”

We headed down the hall, the noise of lockers slamming and sneakers squeaking on the polished floor blending with the steady drum of my heartbeat, reminding me that today was different — and that maybe, just maybe, I was going to have to face it on my own.

I stepped into the maths classroom, taking a deep breath as the door clicked shut behind me. Desks were already filling up, the low hum of chatter and chairs scraping against the floor echoing through the room. I scanned the space for a familiar face. Lola wasn’t here, and just the thought made the room feel heavier, quieter, like the walls were closing in.

I slid into a desk near the middle of the room, pulling out my notebook. That’s when someone dropped into the seat beside me.

“Hey, little Miss Detention. Can I sit here?”

I looked up. Ryan. Of course it was Ryan. He plopped his bag on the floor without asking and leaned back casually, grinning.

“You remember me?,” I said cautiously.

“You’re the girl from the party on Friday,” he said. “The one who got detention for being a smartass on the second day back. So… did you ever find your friend?”

I blinked, hesitating. “Uh… I did, sort of.”

“You did?” he asked, leaning a little closer, curious. “Where was she?”

“Well,” I said, shrugging, “we arrived together, but I lost her on the dance floor just before I ran into you. I couldn’t find her again until she texted me right before I said goodbye to you saying she was outside and wanted to leave now”

Ryan raised an eyebrow. “Outside? Alone?”

“Not exactly,” I replied. “Someone spilled a drink all over her, and that’s why she left. She was fine — just… dramatic, as usual.”

He smirked. “Classic. Sounds like her.”

I nodded, a small knot tightening in my chest as I remembered. It had been worrying me more than I’d realized, not seeing her all night.

“Well,” Ryan said, leaning back in his chair, grinning, “at least you found her before anything really went wrong. That’s a win in my book.”

I forced a small laugh, trying to relax. “Yeah… I guess it was.”

“Anyway,” he added, shifting in his seat, “I promise I won’t distract you too much from all these thrilling equations.”

I shook my head and turned my attention to the whiteboard as the teacher started writing out the first problems. But even as I tried to focus, I kept glancing at Ryan, his presence oddly comforting. Lola might have disappeared for most of the night, but at least for now, I wasn’t completely alone. Somehow, that made sitting through maths feel a little less impossible.