? |DREAMS TO REALITY| ? [SCHOOLBUSGRAVEYARD X READER]

|| S2 || CHAPTER 48 - Endless Loops

Tirana nodded again, slow and thoughtful. "Do they make you feel that way, or is that just how you see yourself?"

Y/N frowned. "What's the difference?"

"Well," Tirana said, leaning back slightly, "are they pushing you out, or are you keeping yourself at a distance?"

Y/N stiffened. Her fingers clenched around the edge of her sleeve. "I don't-I mean, I don't think they're pushing me out."

Tirana hummed. "But you're still on the outside."

Y/N didn't answer right away. She chewed on the inside of her cheek, eyes flicking to the bookshelf behind Tirana. A lot of books. Some old, some newer. Neat, organized. Everything had a place.

"I guess it's easier," she mumbled finally.

Tirana didn't push, didn't demand an explanation. Just waited.

Y/N exhaled sharply. "People leave. Or they change. Or they just-stop caring. It's easier not to expect anything."

Tirana nodded again, like that wasn't an unfamiliar answer. "That makes sense."

Y/N blinked. "...It does?"

Tirana offered a small, knowing smile. "You've been let down before. So you prepare for it. Keep yourself at a safe distance."

Y/N swallowed. Her fingers curled tighter around her sleeve.

Tirana tilted her head. "Does it help?"

Y/N opened her mouth, then shut it.

Did it?

Tirana let the silence stretch again before speaking. "What about your dad?"

Y/N's shoulders tensed.

Tirana noticed. Of course she did.

Y/N exhaled, running a hand through her hair. "I trust him," she admitted, almost reluctantly.

"And before him?"

Something twisted in Y/N's chest. She pressed her nails into her palms.

"My mom," she said, barely above a whisper. "She just... got me. I didn't have to explain myself. She just knew."

Tirana nodded, not saying anything, just letting Y/N sit with it.

The words felt strange, sitting there in the open. Vulnerable.

Y/N cleared her throat. "I don't know why I'm even talking about this."

"Because it matters," Tirana said simply.

Y/N scoffed, shaking her head. "Yeah, well. What good does it do? Talking about stuff that already happened?"

Tirana studied her for a moment. "Because you're still carrying it."

Y/N's stomach twisted. She looked away.

Tirana didn't press. Instead, she stood and walked to her desk, opening a drawer. The soft rustle of paper filled the quiet as she pulled something out.

She returned to the table, setting a small, neatly bound journal in front of Y/N.

Y/N frowned. "What's this?"

Tirana rested her hands on the desk. "Something for you."

Y/N eyed it suspiciously. "What am I supposed to do with it?"