Lizzy sat by the window of the library, watching raindrops chase each other down the glass. Her horticulture textbook lay open, but her eyes had long since stopped reading. Ben's voice echoed in her mind — soft, unsure, and oddly familiar.
He had spoken to her in passing today, nothing deep, just a "Hey" and a comment about the weather. But it was the first time he looked her in the eye. And for Lizzy, that was enough to plant a seed.
For so long, Lizzy had perfected the art of being invisible — in her home, in school, even in her friendships. Funmi was always the bright light, the talkative one, the connector. Lizzy stayed on the edges, smiling when required, hiding when overwhelmed.
But today something shifted.
She glanced over at Funmi seated at a distant table with Ben. They were laughing at something on his phone. A pang tugged at Lizzy's chest — jealousy? Fear? She didn't know. She hated that she felt anything at all. Was Ben interested in Funmi? Or was he just using her to get close?
The questions piled like bricks in her mind.
Lizzy sighed, closing her book. She needed air — and maybe answers. She walked past their table without saying a word, but Funmi caught her hand.
"Lizzy, are you okay?"
She nodded. "Yeah, just tired. I'll see you at home."
Ben gave a small wave. Lizzy barely acknowledged it.
As she stepped into the gray mist of the rain, she whispered to herself, Don't fall, Lizzy. Not again.
She remembered the last time she let herself like someone — how it ended in embarrassment. She'd promised never to be vulnerable again.
But here she was, feelings stirring against her will.
The storm outside wasn't half as loud as the one within.