The alarm buzzed at 5:30 AM. Leon fumbled for his phone, squinting at the bright screen before silencing it. Another Monday. Another week of the same routine.

  He sat up slowly, rubbing his eyes. The small apartment was quiet—it always was. Just him, the secondhand furniture he'd picked up over the years, and the persistent drip from the kitchen faucet he kept meaning to fix.

  Twenty minutes later, he was dressed in his school uniform and heading out the door. The morning shift at the convenience store started at 6:00.

  "Morning, Leon!" Mr. Chen was already behind the counter, sorting through delivery boxes.

  "Morning." Leon dropped his backpack in the small break room and tied on his work vest.

  "Stock the drinks first, then the snacks. Busy weekend, shelves are looking sparse."

  "Got it."

  The work was mindless. Crouch, grab, stock. Repeat. His thoughts wandered as they always did during these early shifts. Homework due today—he'd finished it last night. Scholarship application deadline coming up next month. He Needed to get his grades up..

  A customer came in around 6:30, businessman type, grabbed a coffee and a breakfast sandwich. Didn't even look at Leon as he paid.

  By 7:15, Leon was clocking out, shouldering his backpack, and heading for the bus stop. School started at 8:00, but he liked getting there early. Quieter that way.

  His phone buzzed as he sat on the bus.

  Unknown Number

  He stared at it for a moment, then answered.

  "Hello?"

  "It's me."

  His stomach dropped. Iris. She never called. Something must be wrong.

  "Oh. Hi."

  Silence on the other end. He could hear something in the background—voices, maybe a meeting?

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  "Did you need something?" he asked carefully.

  "Your phone bill is overdue."

  Leon blinked. "I... I paid it last week."

  "It didn't go through. You're using a card that expired."

  "Oh." Heat crept up his neck. How did she even know that? "I'll fix it today."

  "I already paid it."

  "You didn't have to—"

  "Don't let it happen again."

  Click.

  The call ended.

  Leon stared at his phone screen, at the call duration. Forty-three seconds. That was... probably the longest conversation they'd had in five months.

  He pocketed the phone and looked out the bus window. The city was waking up—people rushing to work, cars honking, the usual chaos. Somewhere in this world, Iris was probably in some high-rise building making decisions that affected millions of people. And here he was, worrying about phone bills and chemistry grades.

  The bus lurched to a stop near his school. He got off, joining the stream of students heading through the gates.

  "Yo, Leon!"

  He turned. Marcus was jogging up behind him, looking half-asleep.

  "Dude, please tell me you did the English homework."

  "Yeah."

  "Can I see it before class? I completely forgot."

  Leon hesitated, then nodded. "It's just the reading questions, right?"

  "Yeah, yeah. You're a lifesaver, man."

  They walked together into the building. Normal Monday. Normal day.

  Except his wife—the most powerful person in the world—had just called him about a phone bill.

  Leon couldn't decide if that was absurd or just... sad.

  He pushed the thought away and headed to his locker.

  Lunch period. The cafeteria was loud, packed with students. Leon sat at his usual spot near the window with Marcus and two others—Daniel and Sophie.

  "So I heard Mrs. Peterson is assigning partners for the history project," Sophie said, picking at her salad.

  Daniel groaned. "Please don't pair me with Jake again. That guy didn't do anything last time."

  "Maybe you'll get lucky," Marcus said, stealing one of Daniel's fries.

  "Hey!"

  Leon ate his sandwich quietly, half-listening. His phone was face-down on the table. He kept glancing at it without meaning to.

  "Earth to Leon." Sophie waved a hand in front of his face.

  "Huh?"

  "You okay? You've been spacing out all day."

  "Just tired."

  "Late shift yesterday?"

  "Yeah."

  That seemed to satisfy her. The conversation moved on—something about the upcoming basketball game, weekend plans, some drama with another class. Leon nodded along, contributed the occasional word, but his mind was elsewhere.

  Don't let it happen again.

  Iris's voice had been as cold as always. But she'd called. That meant something, didn't it? Or maybe it didn't. Maybe she just didn't want her name associated with someone who couldn't even pay their phone bill on time.

  He prodded at his sandwich, appetite fading.

  "You sure you're good?" Marcus asked, quieter this time.

  Leon looked up. "Yeah. Just... a lot on my mind."

  "Scholarship stuff?"

  "Something like that."

  Marcus nodded, accepting the answer. He was good about not pushing.

  The bell rang. Lunch was over. Leon threw away his trash and followed the others back inside.

  Just another Monday.