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Claire didn't stop walking until she was outside, behind the school gym where the walls were cracked and mossy, and no one ever came unless they were skipping class or hiding from life. She wasn't skipping—just escaping.
She leaned against the wall, her breaths shaky. Her fingers traced the edge of her hoodie pocket, finding the little tear she stitched months ago with trembling hands and black thread.
Her safe place.
Until a voice broke it.
"You always hide here?"
She flinched.
Liam.
He stood a few feet away, hands in his pockets, looking like he didn't belong anywhere near cracked walls or broken girls.
Claire didn't answer.
"You weren't exactly subtle back there," he added, not cruel, just honest. "Looked like I scared you."
"You didn't," she said, lying through her teeth.
He nodded slowly, like he knew.
And then he said something that made her freeze again.
"I've seen that look before, you know. The way you disappear even when you're in the room."
Her chest tightened. "You don't know anything about me."
"Maybe not," he said. "But I've seen it. In the mirror, mostly."
Claire blinked.
Something in his voice—quiet, edged with a pain he didn't try to hide—made her look up for the first time. Really look.
He wasn't wearing that cocky grin most guys did when they were trying to flirt or get attention. He wasn't even smirking. He was just… there. Solid. Real.
"You think hiding makes it easier," he said. "But it just makes the silence louder."
She swallowed. "What do you want from me?"
"Nothing," he said, shrugging. "I just get it. That's all."
Claire stared at him like he was speaking a language she forgot existed.
Because people didn't just get it. Not her pain. Not her silence. Not her.
Especially not boys who looked like they belonged in someone else's story.
And yet—he was still standing there.
Still not walking away.
Still not looking at her like she was fragile or crazy.
Just like… she was there.
And for the first time in a long time, Claire didn't feel invisible.
Just confused.
Because maybe Liam saw something.
And maybe… that was scarier than not being seen at all.
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