Chapter Twenty-Six: Yucatan

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Dylan woke slowly, blinking up at the ceiling as the early morning light crept through the curtains. For a few peaceful moments, his mind was still. Then the weight of the day settled in. It was Monday, the start of the second week at Crestwood. He exhaled, pulling himself out of bed and rubbing his eyes.

After freshening up in the bathroom and slipping into his uniform, Dylan glanced in the mirror. His reflection was a reminder of how much had changed in just over a week, though he tried not to dwell on it. Instead, he grabbed his bag and made his way to the dining hall, where breakfast and the rest of the day awaited.

The hum of morning conversations filled the hall as Dylan walked in. He spotted Emily, Hannah, and Kyle at their usual table, already halfway through their meal. With a nod of acknowledgment, he grabbed a tray, filled it quickly, and joined them.

"Morning, Dylan," Emily greeted, her smile warm but a little distracted as she picked at her toast.

"Morning," he muttered, sliding into the seat beside her. "Yucatan Peninsula test today, right?"

"Yeah." Emily sighed. "Not exactly looking forward to it. I barely studied this weekend."

"Same." Dylan pushed his food around his plate, avoiding her gaze. "I kept telling myself I'd look over the notes, but then... I didn't."

Kyle chuckled from across the table. "That's usually how it goes."

Before they could dive further into their mutual test anxiety, Aaron and Marcus arrived. Aaron, acting more like his old self, dropped into the seat across from Dylan with a smirk.

"So, Beyoncé, huh?"

Dylan shot a questioning glance at Marcus, who just shrugged with a guilty smile.

"You told him?" Dylan groaned.

Marcus held up his hands defensively. "He would've found out eventually."

Aaron leaned back in his chair, twisting his long hair that he'd clearly become accustomed to. "I'm just saying, after all your, "we just need to get through this... we're all in this together," comments, it's kinda perfect that you'll be up there, strutting around and shaking your hips like Beyoncé, while we all help you get through it  with our cheers from the audience."

"Shut up," Dylan muttered, taking a sip of his juice and hoping to avoid Aaron's teasing for the rest of breakfast.

Emily chuckled softly, leaning in. "It'll be fun, Dylan. Trust."

"Yeah, fun for you guys, maybe," Dylan replied dryly. He shifted in his seat, turning back to his food, trying to ignore Aaron's grin. He could feel the nerves creeping in, but he shoved them down. He had bigger things to worry about today, like the Geography of the Americas test this afternoon.

The rest of the morning passed in a blur of classes and half-hearted studying. By lunchtime, Dylan's anxiety about the upcoming test had reached a quiet simmer, a constant undercurrent as he skimmed through his notes once again. The dining hall was louder now, filled with the clattering of dishes and conversations, but his focus stayed on the papers in front of him.

"Still cramming, huh?" Emily said, sitting down beside him.

Dylan shrugged. "I mean, better late than never, right?"

"Right." She pulled out her own notes, glancing over them briefly before giving up with a sigh. "I can't tell if I know this stuff or not."

"I guess we'll find out soon," Dylan replied, though his stomach twisted at the thought.

That afternoon, the Geography classroom buzzed with nervous energy as the students filed in, taking their seats. Dylan, seated next to Emily, kept his head down, reviewing his notes one last time before the test started.

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