Chapter 11: Smiles That Hurt
1347 Words
Daisy barely slept.
Every time she closed her eyes, she saw her father's guilty expression.
Her mother's tears.
Emily's cold smile.
And the anonymous message.
Ask them why they kept lying after they learned the truth.
Morning arrived far too quickly.
Her alarm rang at 6:30.
She stared at the ceiling for several seconds before forcing herself out of bed.
When she looked in the mirror, she hardly recognized herself.
Dark circles shadowed her eyes.
Her face looked pale.
She splashed cold water across her cheeks and changed into her school uniform.
Maybe school would distract her.
Maybe.
As soon as Daisy stepped downstairs, the smell of breakfast filled the house.
Toast.
Eggs.
Fresh soy milk.
Everything looked exactly the way it always had.
As though last night had never happened.
Her mother stood by the stove.
The moment she saw Daisy, she smiled warmly.
"Good morning, sweetheart."
Daisy froze.
Sweetheart.
After everything...
Her mother said it as naturally as ever.
"As if nothing had happened," Daisy thought.
Her father walked into the dining room carrying his briefcase.
"There she is," he said with a cheerful smile.
"Morning, Daisy."
He sounded relaxed.
Comfortable.
Nothing like the broken man who had confessed the truth only hours ago.
Daisy stared at both of them.
Were they pretending?
Or had she imagined everything?
Her mother placed breakfast on the table.
"Sit down before it gets cold."
Daisy obeyed silently.
The three of them ate together.
Her parents chatted casually.
Her father complained about traffic.
Her mother talked about a neighbor's new puppy.
Normal conversations.
Ordinary conversations.
Not a single mention of last night.
Not one apology.
Not one explanation.
It was as though the hallway confrontation had been erased.
Her father glanced at her plate.
"You're hardly eating."
"I'm not hungry."
"You should eat more."
Daisy looked up.
The concern in his eyes seemed genuine.
That only made it worse.
"You were worried about my health before," she thought bitterly.
"So why couldn't you trust me with the truth?"
She lowered her gaze.
"I'll eat later."
Neither parent argued.
Instead, her mother simply smiled.
"Don't forget your umbrella. They said it might rain this afternoon."
Daisy nodded without speaking.
She picked up her backpack.
"I'm leaving."
Her mother walked her to the front door.
"Have a good day at school."
For one brief second...
It almost felt like every other morning.
Then her mother reached out and gently adjusted Daisy's collar.
The familiar gesture nearly broke her heart.
"I love you," her mother whispered.
Daisy couldn't answer.
Not because she didn't love her mother anymore.
But because she didn't know how to separate love from betrayal.
She opened the door.
"Bye."
Then she walked away.
The morning air was cool.
Daisy walked to the bus stop with slow, heavy steps.
Usually, the neighborhood felt peaceful.
Today, every house looked strangely distant.
She reached the stop just as the public bus pulled up.
The doors hissed open.
She climbed aboard, tapped her transport card, and found a seat beside the window.
The city rolled past outside.
People hurried to work.
Students laughed together on the sidewalks.
Life continued.
As if nothing had changed.
Her phone vibrated.
Her heartbeat quickened.
She unlocked the screen immediately.
A message.
Not from the anonymous number.
From Sophia.
Sophia: Did you get any sleep?
Daisy stared at the screen.
She didn't know how to answer.
Finally, she typed.
Daisy: A little.
The reply came almost instantly.
Sophia: You don't have to tell me everything.
Daisy smiled sadly.
There was that sentence again.
You don't have to tell me.
Leo had said it.
Sarah had said it.
Mrs. Carter had said it.
Now Sophia.
Somehow...
The people who respected her silence were the ones she trusted most.
Another message appeared.
Sophia: But don't disappear after school today.
Daisy hesitated.
Emily was expecting her.
She still had questions.
Daisy stepped off the bus with dozens of other students.
The familiar school gates stood open.
Teachers greeted students at the entrance.
Someone laughed loudly near the bicycle racks.
Everything looked exactly the same.
Only Daisy had changed.
She tightened her grip on her backpack and walked through the gates.
"Daisy!"
Sarah's cheerful voice cut through the crowd.
Before Daisy could react, Sarah jogged over, slightly out of breath.
"I've been looking everywhere for you."
"You just got here."
"I know." Sarah smiled. "Still counts."
Daisy couldn't help smiling faintly.
Sarah studied her face for a moment.
"You look exhausted."
"I didn't sleep much."
"I can tell."
Sarah looped her arm through Daisy's.
"Come on. We still have ten minutes before class."
They walked toward the main building together.
Students rushed past them, chatting about homework and weekend plans.
For a moment, Daisy almost felt normal.
Almost.
Just as they reached the staircase, another familiar voice called out.
"Good morning."
Leo stood at the bottom of the stairs, one hand in his pocket and the other holding a bottle of water.
He tossed it toward Daisy.
She caught it automatically.
"You forgot to drink water again," he said.
Sarah rolled her eyes dramatically.
"You two are unbelievable."
"What did I do?" Leo asked.
"You act like an old married couple."
Both Daisy and Leo looked at her.
"What?"
Sarah grinned.
"You worry about each other too much."
Leo sighed.
"We're friends."
"I know."
Sarah smiled mischievously.
"I'm just saying."
Daisy shook her head.
"You watch too many dramas."
"I absolutely do."
For the first time that morning, Daisy laughed.
A genuine laugh.
It was small.
But it was real.
The three of them climbed the stairs together.
As they entered the classroom, students were already taking their seats.
Daisy sat beside Sarah while Leo took his usual seat one row behind them.
Their homeroom teacher walked in carrying a stack of papers.
"Good morning, everyone."
"Good morning, Mr. Chen," the class replied.
Mr. Chen placed the folder on his desk.
"Before we begin today's lesson, I have an announcement."
The room quieted.
"We have two transfer students joining our class today."
Excited whispers immediately spread across the classroom.
"Two?"
"At the same time?"
"I wonder where they're from."
Mr. Chen smiled toward the door.
"You may come in."
The classroom door slid open.
A tall boy entered first.
He had neatly combed black hair, calm gray eyes, and a composed expression that made him seem older than the rest of the class. His uniform was perfectly pressed, and he carried himself with quiet confidence.
Behind him walked a girl.
She had long dark hair tied into a low ponytail and sharp, intelligent eyes that slowly scanned the classroom. Unlike the boy, she didn't smile.
She simply observed.
The room became unusually quiet.
The two stood side by side.
Mr. Chen gestured toward the boy.
"This is Ethan Lewis."
Ethan gave a small nod.
"Hello, everyone. I hope we get along."
Several girls immediately whispered among themselves.
"He's handsome."
"So polite."
Mr. Chen then looked toward the girl.
"And this is Emily Parker."
For a split second...
Daisy forgot how to breathe.
The name echoed inside her head.
Emily.
Slowly, Daisy lifted her eyes.
The girl looked directly at her.
There was no smile.
No greeting.
Only a calm, unreadable expression.
It lasted less than a second before Emily looked away as if Daisy were just another classmate.
"Please take care of us," Emily said politely.
Her voice was soft.
Gentle.
Completely different from the cold voice Daisy had heard behind the old auditorium.
Mr. Chen looked around the classroom.
"Ethan, there's an empty seat near the window."
Ethan nodded and walked to the back of the room.
"Emily..."
Mr. Chen glanced at the seating chart.
"You can sit beside Ethan for now. We'll rearrange the seats next week."
Emily walked calmly toward her seat without looking at Daisy again.
Sarah leaned closer.
"They seem nice."
Daisy forced herself to nod.
"...Yeah."
But her fingers tightened beneath the desk.
Emily had come.
Not to another school.
Not to another city.
To her classroom.
And somehow...
Daisy knew that wasn't a coincidence.
- Writer
