Connection

Logan woke up to the shrill sound of his alarm, dragging himself out of bed with the same exhaustion that had plagued him all week. He got ready quickly, skipping breakfast as usual. Food never sat right with him in the mornings, especially not when he knew what was waiting for him at school.

The walk to school was uneventful, the cold biting at his skin as he clutched his bag tighter. He tried to convince himself it would be a better day, that maybe Barron would be too busy to notice him.

That hope was crushed the moment he reached his locker.

Before he could even spin the combination lock, a sharp yank from behind nearly threw him off balance. Logan stumbled, his bag slipping from his shoulder as he hit the ground hard,
That would definitely leave a side bruise.

"Morning, nerd," Barron sneered, his two jock friends snickering behind him.

Logan stayed quiet, his hands trembling as he pushed himself up.

"Oops, did we interrupt something?" Barron mocked. Without waiting for a response, he grabbed Logan's backpack and ripped it open, dumping its contents onto the floor. Pens, notebooks, and his cracked glasses scattered everywhere.

"Later, loser," one of Barron's lackeys laughed as they sauntered off, leaving Logan crouched on the ground.

Logan clenched his fists, his chest tightening as his vision blurred. But like always, he swallowed the lump in his throat, refusing to let the tears fall.

It's fine, he told himself. Just pick everything up and move on.

He bent down, quickly gathering his belongings, when familiar voices called out from behind him.

"Logan?"

He froze for a second, then turned to see the group approaching—Taylor, Aiden, Ben, Ashlynn, and, of course, Tyler.

"What happened?" Taylor asked, frowning as she looked at the mess on the floor.

Logan forced a smile, clutching his books to his chest. "Oh, nothing. I just- I dropped my stuff, Clumsy me."

Taylor tilted her head, unconvinced, but didn't push. Aiden muttered something teasing about Logan needing to be more careful, earning a lighthearted laugh from Ben.

Logan breathed a silent sigh of relief, joining in their banter as he shoved the rest of his things back into his bag. He could feel Tyler's eyes on him, but he avoided looking in his direction.

As they started walking down the hall together, Ashlynn suddenly spoke up.

"By the way, Logan, how's your grandma?"

Logan's stomach dropped. His steps faltered, but he quickly recovered, forcing another smile. "Oh, she's ..  fine. She's still recovering, but she's doing better."

"Recovering?" Tyler cut in, his voice sharp.

Logan's heart pounded. "Yeah, um, she's been sick," he said, keeping his tone casual.

Tyler frowned, his brows knitting together. "She didn't seem sick yesterday."

Logan froze. His mind raced for an excuse, but his mouth went dry.

"What do you mean?" Ashlynn asked, looking between them.

"She was fine," Tyler said bluntly, crossing his arms. "She even made some type of Greek food, which was delicious."

The group fell silent, all eyes on Logan.

"Oh, right," Logan stammered, trying to think of something—anything. "She has her good days and bad days. Yesterday was ... a good day, I guess."

Ashlynn still looked concerned, but she nodded. "Well, I'm glad she's doing better."

Logan nodded quickly, desperate to change the subject. "Yeah, me too."

Tyler didn't look convinced, his gaze lingering on Logan. Logan avoided his eyes, his chest tightening as guilt clawed at him.

The rest of the group moved on, chatting about random things, but Logan's mind was elsewhere. He could feel the weight of Tyler's confusion—and suspicion—hanging heavily over him.