Episode 8: The Way They Started Looking
344 Words
It started small.
Ehi noticed it first.
Not the words.
The looks.
People were looking at her.
Not directly.
Not openly.
But enough.
Whispers.
Short glances.
Then quick silence when she passed.
She knew this feeling.
It was not new.
But it was different.
Before, she was invisible.
Now…
She was being noticed.
And she did not know which was worse.
In class, she kept her head down.
More than usual.
Her pen moved faster.
Her breathing slower.
Controlled.
“Ehi.”
She froze.
Again.
Daniel’s voice was softer this time.
Like he did not want to startle her.
“I brought your notebook,” he said.
He placed it gently on her desk.
Not loud.
Not careless.
“Thank you,” she whispered.
“You’re welcome.”
He did not leave.
That was new.
“Was it… okay?” she asked.
She did not know why she asked that.
Maybe she wanted to know if she had done something wrong.
Daniel frowned slightly.
“Okay?”
“My notes,” she said quickly.
“Were they okay?”
Something changed in his expression.
Not pity.
Not confusion.
Something else.
“They were better than okay,” he said.
“They made things make sense.”
Ehi looked up.
Just for a second.
Their eyes met.
That was a mistake.
Because now—
She could not pretend he did not see her.
From the back of the class—
A chair scraped loudly.
Amara stood up.
Too fast.
Too sharp.
“Some people really like attention these days,” she said.
Loud enough.
Clear enough.
The class went quiet.
Ehi’s chest tightened.
There it was.
The thing she feared.
Daniel turned.
“Amara—”
But she smiled.
Sweet.
Sharp.
“I didn’t say any names,” she said.
Then she walked out.
Silence followed.
Heavy.
Ehi looked down.
Her fingers trembled.
“I’m sorry,” Daniel said.
She shook her head quickly.
“No. It’s fine.”
But it wasn’t.
And they both knew it.
Because being seen…
always came with a cost.
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