3 days left until the Light blesses the children of the world.
The sun was shining when my alarm decided to murder my ears.7:30 AM.Thirty minutes before school started.Before diving into the chaos of the day, I should probably tell you who I am.
My name is Arda. Senior year student. Born into a middle-class family, yet somehow studying at a private school. With my black hair and dark brown eyes, I'm basically a male copy of my mom. My family and I get along fine—nothing dramatic, nothing tragic. Just… normal.
And then there's my girlfriend, Esma. Blonde, brown-eyed, comes from a rich family. We've been together for two years, but lately she's been avoiding me with the classic "I have things to do" excuse. My old friends said she was cheating, but since I never saw proof, I cut them off for "talking nonsense."
After a cold shower, I headed downstairs. Emre—one of my closest friends—was already waiting for me. He's in the same grade as I am. Blue eyes, black hair, annoyingly handsome.
While walking to school, Emre stretched and said:"We're lucky we got a sunny day. Let's hope it doesn't rain later."
His words immediately reminded me of the new girl."Speaking of rain… A girl named Yağmur transferred to our class yesterday. You didn't see her because you were sick."
He smirked. "I skip school for three days and you replace me already, huh?"
Emre never cared much about relationships, but lately he'd been watching Esma like a hawk. Maybe he believed the rumors too.
We kept talking until we reached the rose shop next to the school. I bought a bouquet—thought I'd surprise Esma. Emre rolled his eyes so hard he practically looked into his brain, then walked into school.
First class was Literature. As always, Aslan Hoca walked in—strict but soft-hearted. I didn't love the subject, but I liked him. I glanced around. Esma wasn't there. She'd been skipping classes a lot with her new trio of friends. The new girl, Yağmur, had joined them yesterday. Their old member was tossed aside instantly—guess money speaks louder than loyalty.
As I overthought everything, my eyelids grew heavy. Luckily, Aslan Hoca didn't mind if I slept.
When I opened my eyes again, the second class had already ended. I asked Emre if Esma had shown up. He shook his head. He went to the cafeteria, and I headed toward the girls' restroom area—maybe Esma was hiding there.
As I walked down the stairs, I heard something near the restroom.Peeking around the corner, I saw a couple kissing.I was about to leave quietly… until I recognized the girl.
Esma.
My heart dropped into my stomach. I stepped closer, hoping—begging—I was wrong. But no… it was her. She froze when she saw me. The boy next to her was Ahmet, the principal's son—fragile, thin, the type you could break by sneezing too hard.
Before I knew it, I lunged at him. The same guy who had been peacefully napping in class ten minutes ago… now beating someone senseless. Students rushed to pull me off him, but not before his face got rearranged. They dragged him to the infirmary. Esma and I were sent straight to the principal's office.
The principal was the classic type: bald, short, round-bellied.After hearing the teacher's report, he glared at me, then turned to Esma.
"What happened?"
Without a shred of shame, Esma said,"We were just talking. Arda came out of nowhere and attacked Ahmet. I tried to stop him, but he pushed me and I fell."
What a joke. Her arm didn't even have a scratch, yet she held it like it was "about to bruise."
The principal sent her to the infirmary and then looked at me.
"You're expelled. Good luck finding another school. I'm not giving you a disciplinary mark, but you will stay away from this campus."
No disciplinary record meant only one thing—Ahmet was planning his own revenge later.
I grabbed my bag and left. Emre and some friends caught up to me, and I told them everything. They sided with me.Right then, Ahmet's fanclub—his "sheep herd"—showed up. Probably sent by him to beat me up. But they hadn't calculated one thing: my friends were tanks. The sheep turned right back around and ran.
Wish I could've seen Ahmet's face when they reported that.
On my way home, the real problem hit me:How was I supposed to tell my parents I'd been expelled?
Then thunder cracked. Rain started pouring. Emre's prediction had cursed me. I ducked into a small grocery store to wait it out.
Twenty minutes later, someone walked in—a face I never expected to see.
Rex.
Rex is my online friend. Lives "abroad"—okay, okay, he lives in Azerbaijan but calling it abroad sounds cooler, and he insists on that. Wants to study psychology. Constantly jokes. Green eyes, blonde hair, objectively handsome but he claims he's ugly. Still don't know why.
But… what was he doing here?
He saw me, smiled warmly, and hugged me. He thought I'd be at school and was on his way to my house when he got caught in the rain. Turns out he came to Turkey as an exchange student and wanted to stay with us for a few weeks. I called my parents and got the okay, and we headed home. I told him everything.
When we arrived, he said,"Then I'll ditch the private school and go to a public one with you."
That actually made me feel better.
I introduced him to my family. We were chatting in my room when the doorbell rang—Dad and Emre arrived. During dinner, Emre and Rex suddenly announced:
"Arda got expelled today."
Traitors.
I told my parents everything. Dad sighed,"Well, we were going to pull you out anyway… tuition's too much. Anyway—did you beat the kid up properly—"
Mom slammed a spoon on his head so fast he shut up.Then he corrected himself immediately:"Violence is wrong. Never do it again."
When Mom left the room, he whispered,"He deserved worse, honestly."
We laughed. Mom returned like a hawk:"What are you laughing at? Beating someone up is funny now? Shut up and eat."
Later that night, Emre went home. Rex and I returned to our room. He was doodling something. I stared at him.
"What's up with you? Since when are you the guardian of honesty? Normally you lie like it's a hobby."
He started coming up with excuses, but I was too tired to argue and flopped into bed.
As I tried to sleep, one question kept echoing in my mind:
How many times did Esma cheat on me?I should've listened to those guys.How could I have been such an idiot?If she was tired of me… why didn't she just end it?Why stab me in the back instead?
My thoughts drowned me…and eventually pulled me into sleep.