Connection

The cafeteria buzzed with activity as students filed in and out, trays laden with questionable food. At their usual table, Taylor, Tyler, and Aiden sat, each in varying states of disinterest or annoyance.

Tyler rubbed his temples, his head throbbing as Aiden yapped nonstop about Ashlyn while poking at his untouched meal.

"Do you think she wants me back?" Aiden asked, his tone oozing overconfidence as he twirled a fry between his fingers.

"Probably not," Taylor said bluntly, not even looking up from her phone. She took a sip of her soda and added, "Where even is she, anyway? And Logan? Haven't seen either of them since the morning."

Tyler shifted uncomfortably, his eyes flicking toward the cafeteria entrance. He hadn't realized until Taylor said it, but their absence gnawed at him. Something felt .. off.

"Think they're skipping?" Aiden asked, now stacking fries and nuggets into a tiny tower. "Or, oh, maybe they ran away together to escape our amazing company."

"Can you be serious for one second?" Tyler snapped, his headache amplifying with every word from Aiden.

Before anyone could respond, Ben approached the table, his expression tight with unease. He gave a small wave, his phone already in hand.

"Ben!" Aiden exclaimed, sitting up straighter. "Have you seen Ashlyn? She's not ditching, right? Because, you know, she secretly loves me."

Ben ignored the comment, his fingers flying across his phone screen. A moment later, the translator's robotic voice spoke:
"Ashlyn is with Logan, He fainted earlier."

Silence fell over the table.

Taylor's eyes widened as she leaned forward. "Wait—what? Fainted? Is he okay? What happened?"

Aiden, for once, looked genuinely concerned. "Yeah, like, fainted fainted? What does that even mean?"

Ben hesitated, glancing at Tyler before typing again. "They're at Logan's house. He's hurt."

"Hurt?" Taylor echoed, her voice tinged with disbelief. "How? Did someone do something to him?"

Tyler barely heard them. His heart dropped, the words echoing in his head. Logan fainted, Logan's hurt. He thought about Logan's smile that morning, the way his laugh had been softer than usual. How had he missed the signs that something was wrong?

"What do you mean 'hurt'?" Tyler asked, his voice unusually quiet.

Ben typed again, the robotic voice continuing:
"He had a bruise under his eye, like someone punched him. His nose was red, He was also walking really slow, limping .. like if he was hurt."

"What?!" Taylor's voice rose, and Aiden's face paled.

"Wait, you're saying someone beat him up?" Aiden asked, his tone filled with disbelief. "Who would—"

The speaker cut him off as Ben kept typing.
"When we ran up to him, he panicked .. and fainted."

The table went silent, the weight of Ben's words sinking in. Taylor and Aiden immediately erupted into a flurry of questions and exclamations, their concern spilling over in chaotic waves.

But Tyler had enough. His frustration boiled over, and he slammed his hand against the table. "Shut up!" he yelled, glaring at them both before turning his attention to Ben. His voice dropped, but his tone was deadly serious. "Who did it?"

Ben hesitated, looking down at his phone as if it could shield him from the tension. He typed quickly, the speaker finally responding:
"I don't know."