Chapter Text
The final bell had rung. The sun hung lazily in the sky as Hayli Withaneye walked home, her footsteps slow, her sighs frequent. For most, the last day of school meant freedom, celebration, maybe even hope.
But for Hayli?
It was the end of the road.
Not just any road—the road. High school was over, and with it, the comforting routine she’d grown used to. No more lockers, no more lunchtime antics, no more hallway conversations with the friends she adored. Ahead of her stretched the vast unknown: part-time work, a quiet room, and the distant sound of college-bound friends chasing dreams she never quite reached for.
Would they remember her? Would they change?
The questions clung to her like the summer heat.
Regret was a familiar ache. Not just for what had been, but for what hadn’t. If only she’d broken free from her shell sooner—been more present, more bold. Maybe then… maybe she would’ve been right there with them, shining.
But maybe… that belonged to another lifetime.
“Sighhh… I’ll be lonely again,” she murmured, slipping on her headphones. “At least I’ll have music.”
It was a small comfort, but a steady one.
Four years of high school had turned out better than expected. Compared to the messy metamorphosis of middle school, it had been almost golden. She found her circle. Laughed. Cried. Belonged.
And yet—she’d often disappeared into herself. Her biggest flaw, she knew, was how easily she could vanish.
Still… summer wasn’t over yet. There was time. Maybe not to rewrite everything—but enough to feel again.
And this time, she’d dedicate it to the friends who meant the world to her—
“Oh my gawd—it’s a cat!”
All her spiraling thoughts scattered like dandelion fluff. A tuxedo cat stood nearby, its tail flicking as it trotted straight toward her like it had been summoned by fate.
Giggling, Hayli dropped to the grass. “Kitty kitty cat cat, kitty cat ca—”
The cat purred. No—rumbled.
She gasped. Her heart fluttered. Her brain sparkled.
Something warm exploded inside her. She clutched her chest with a dazed smile, whispering,
“…too… cute…”
And then, surrounded by sunshine, the smell of wildflowers, and one absurdly charismatic cat, Hayli Withaneye died from overwhelming dopamine.