Noah rubbed his eyes as the classroom emptied. It was past dismissal, and he had fallen asleep again during Professor Lee’s lecture. He felt exhausted from the long day and the constant tension between him and Anon.

“Noah, you still here?” Professor Lee asked, looking up from his papers. “You’ve been distracted lately. I’m assigning you this extra project to make up for the missed work. Have it ready by Monday.”

Noah sighed and took the papers, putting them in his backpack. As he walked out of the classroom, he saw Anon waiting in the hallway. He tried to walk past quickly, but Anon stopped him. Noah looked away, his voice trembling slightly.

“Please… just let it go,” Noah said softly. He looked at Anon with a mix of sadness and frustration. “The jokes, the constant arguments… it all hurts more than you think. Especially because I still care about what you think, despite everything. I just want to be left in peace.”