The lecture hall doors swung open with a sound like a gasp, cutting through the murmurs mid-sentence. Every head turned as Aalam strode back in, her sandals slapping against the tile with the same careless rhythm as when she'd left. The ghost of her laughter still clung to the air behind her,bright and jagged, the kind that made people turn to see who'd dared.
Mariyam was the first to move. She stood so abruptly her chair screeched against the floor, fingers clutching the edge of her desk like it was the only solid thing left. "Did he really just... leave us?" Her voice trembled on the last word, too loud in the sudden silence. The question hung there, swinging like a pendulum between them all.
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