Xoa couldn't drag the thought away from herself that all of this was her fault. She continued to text Niko, asking how her day was and if she was ok. As Niko began giving less robotic responses, Xoa began to ask deeper questions. She softly confronted Niko about self-harm, asking the girl if she had done it recently. Niko denied having hurt herself, but that did not erase the worries in Xoa's mind.
As time went by, Niko was becoming distant from Xoa and Drey and eventually Sage. Each time the girls tried to talk to her, Niko would shut them out and refuse to talk about what was happening in her life, including her troubles. She would deflect and lie when they asked her about things, as though she didnt understand their intentions.
After three days of awkard texts messages and broken pain, Xoa's family holiday came to an end, along with the school holidays.
Xoa was nervous about returning to school. Things would be different. She hadn't seen Niko for two weeks and so much had changed.
Xoa arrived back at the school and immediately went to class, avoiding eye contact with everyone around her. She was terrified. All Xoa wanted to do was leave and never come back. Here, with Niko in the same room as her, Xoa couldnt ignore the feelings of self blame she had. She hid away in the corner not looking at anybody until Sage walked into the room.
Xoa had forgotten all about Niko as soon as she saw Sage walk towards her. When she realised what had happened she jumped up from her seat and hugged her tight. "I missed you!" she said happily. Sage hugged the shorter girl back, declaring that the holidays were too long.
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