Matteo sat in silence, his body cold and stiff, his damp clothes clinging to him like a second skin. His fingers trembled against the desk, his knuckles turning pale from the pressure of his grip. Every inch of him wanted to disappear, to become nothing, to sink into the floor and never be seen again.
He didn't even realize he was staring at them...Noémie, Annelise, Seraina.....until they turned in unison, their lips curling into knowing smiles.
Noémie stuck her tongue out, winking.
Seraina smirked and made a mocking gesture as if wiping away tears.
Annelise simply mouthed one word: "Pathetic."
Matteo swallowed hard, lowering his gaze. He could still feel the phantom cold of the water they had poured on him in the restroom. His body was shaking from more than just the air conditioning now.....it was fear, exhaustion, and something else he couldn't name.
"Matteo," Eliane's voice rang through the room, smooth and sharp.
His head snapped up, his entire body going rigid.
"Get out."
Matteo's breath hitched. "But...… I—"
"You smell, and your presence is disgusting," she said, her voice casual, as if she were commenting on the weather. "Get. Out."
The class chuckled under their breaths.
Matteo didn't move at first. He wanted to plead, to beg, but his throat was dry, and no words would come. He forced himself up, each step heavy with humiliation as he walked toward the door.
The moment he stepped into the hallway, the laughter behind him grew louder.
And then.....silence.
A silence heavier than anything else.
He stood there, his head bowed, his arms wrapped around himself as the cold air bit at his skin.
The hallway stretched out before him—empty, hollow, endless.
When the final bell rang, signaling the end of the day, Matteo didn't move. He didn't have the strength.
He just wanted to go home.
But then...
A shadow loomed over him.
He barely had time to react before fingers curled around his collar, yanking him forward.
Seraina's sharp, teasing voice filled his ears. "Still got strength left, huh?"
Before he could respond, she let go, sending him stumbling backward.
Noémie and Annelise stood beside her, their expressions unreadable.....except for the amusement twinkling in their eyes.
Matteo opened his mouth, but nothing came out.
"Let's see how much more you have left," Noémie said with a grin.
The field was enormous...an endless stretch of green under the sinking sun.
Matteo ran.
His legs burned. His lungs ached.
But he ran.
Noémie, Seraina, and Annelise stood at the edge of the field, watching. Smiling.
"Come on, one more round," Annelise called out.
Matteo barely heard her. His vision was swimming, his body screaming in protest.
But he ran.
The world spun.
His knees buckled.
And then....darkness.
Voices.
Distant, warped, echoing.
"Is he dead?"
"Don't be stupid, he's breathing."
"He really is weak, huh?"
Matteo's eyes fluttered open, the sky above him blurred. He felt something soft beneath his head.....Seraina's lap.
He could barely move, his body paralyzed by exhaustion.
"Water.....…" His voice was barely a whisper, his throat raw. "Water…...."
A capful of liquid dripped into his mouth, barely enough to quench anything.
He gasped, his body reacting on instinct, his lips parting in desperate search for more.
The bottle hovered just above him.
And then.....nothing.
His eyes refocused.
Annelise was holding the bottle, smirking down at him.
Then Seraina stood, and his head hit the ground with a dull thud.
Pain shot through his skull, but Matteo barely registered it.
He needed water.
He needed anything.
"Please," he rasped.
Noémie knelt in front of him, holding the bottle out. "Here," she said, her voice almost kind.
Matteo crawled forward, his fingers reaching—
A sharp kick sent the bottle flying, its contents spilling onto the ground.
The earth drank the water before he could.
Matteo stared at the damp patch of grass, his breath shaky, his heart hollow.
Laughter surrounded him.
Noémie leaned down, whispering into his ear.
"Next time, beg a little harder."
Matteo closed his eyes.
And for the first time...
He wished he wouldn't wake up.