As soon as the bell rang, signaling the lunch break, Karina let out a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding.

The English teacher gathered his materials slowly, but Karina was already on edge, waiting for him to leave so she could finally try to explain herself, to make her understand that something wasn’t right, that she wasn’t just lashing out for no reason.

But before she could even turn to speak, Giselle was already gone, moving swiftly out of the classroom without a single glance back.

Karina blinked in surprise. She got up from her desk as quickly as she could and rushed to follow, but by the time she reached the doorway, the hallway was filled with students pouring out for lunch. The crowd made it impossible to spot Giselle, and Karina bit her lip in frustration.

She resisted the urge to curse under her breath. She couldn’t afford to draw any more attention to herself, especially after her strange behavior earlier. Clenching her jaw, she forced herself to stay calm. She needed to find Giselle, and the cafeteria seemed like the most likely place.

As she made her way down the hall, a few juniors greeted her, offering their usual respectful smiles. Karina managed a polite nod and a forced smile in return, her mind racing. She didn’t want to come across as rude or risk creating more issues, but she also didn’t have time for pleasantries right now. Her focus was on finding Giselle and making things right.

When she finally reached the cafeteria, Karina quickly scanned the room. Her eyes darted across the long lines of students in the queue, then moved to the tables, hoping to spot her best friend. But Giselle was nowhere to be found.

Karina's heart sank as she exhaled heavily, glancing around one last time before turning back toward the hallway.

She tried to think of where else Giselle might have gone, frustration building as she racked her brain. Where could she be?

Karina's lungs burned with every breath, her pace faltering as she raced from one corner of the campus to the next. The library was empty, the courtyard and park yielded no signs of her friend, and even the garage—though a long shot—offered nothing but a bitter taste of defeat.

Now, as she reached the garden, she was nearly out of breath, her hand clutching her waist as a bead of sweat rolled down her temple.

She paused for a moment, her eyes scanning the area—and that’s when she saw her. Ningning. The junior who had caught Karina's attention yesterday was now stomping across the garden, anger radiating from her as if she were ready to explode.

Karina watched her for a moment, her heart still pounding from her frantic search, but she quickly tore her gaze away. Whatever Ningning was upset about, Karina couldn’t focus on it right now. She had more pressing concerns—namely, Giselle.

Glancing at the time, Karina cursed under her breath. If this were yesterday, she and Giselle would still be enjoying their lunch, casually chatting about life. But today... today everything felt wrong. There was no time to dwell on it. She needed to find Giselle before the lunch break ended.

Her body protested with every step as she approached the stairs to the roof. The sudden workout had left her legs feeling like jelly, her muscles burning with discomfort. She paused at the bottom of the stairs, bending slightly as she tried to catch her breath. The sweat clung to her, sticking the baby hairs along her neck to her skin.

With a deep inhale, Karina straightened herself and began climbing the stairs, slowly and deliberately. Each step felt heavier than the last, her body cooling down as the sweat on her skin began to dry.

As she neared the top, Karina’s thoughts raced. She had no idea what she would say if she found her, how she would explain her outburst, or the sickening feeling that had haunted her all day.

With one final step, she reached the top of the stairs and placed her hand on the door to the rooftop, her heart hammering in her chest. She could only hope Giselle was waiting on the other side.