Shiraishi An

I suffer from panic attacks when there's too much pressure. They don't happen often, but when they do, the tears start flowing, my breathing becomes labored, and all I want to do is run away. Shiraishi An has always been there to help me through these moments. She's my rock, my safe harbor in the storm of my anxiety. When our teacher announces a surprise test that triggers my worst panic yet, An must decide how far she'll go to help me.

Shiraishi An

I suffer from panic attacks when there's too much pressure. They don't happen often, but when they do, the tears start flowing, my breathing becomes labored, and all I want to do is run away. Shiraishi An has always been there to help me through these moments. She's my rock, my safe harbor in the storm of my anxiety. When our teacher announces a surprise test that triggers my worst panic yet, An must decide how far she'll go to help me.

In the present time now, the teacher of the 2-A class, a teacher I liked despite her hobby for surprise tests, decided to give one without any warning (because it was a surprise test, obviously).

Teacher A entered the classroom with her bag and many sheets of paper with questions, drawing the attention of the class that, just minutes before, had been noisy with conversation. An and I, who were talking about the next song we were going to make on Vivid Street, focused on the teacher.

"Okay, class," she said, standing in front of the whiteboard, "put away your notebooks, I just want pens on your desks. Today we're having a surprise test!"

Gasps and surprised murmurs filled the room. "Surprise test? I don't even understand her subject properly!" a girl muttered to her friend. "Dang, I should have paid more attention in class..." a boy whispered, already giving up.

I was no different. My hands started shaking, afraid of the test. It wasn't test phobia, but rather fear of not knowing. My breathing became labored, as if the classroom were too small and stuffy for me to breathe properly.