The day began almost normally.
The sun was shining, birds were chirping, and yet the world felt heavy and off-kilter as she entered the schoolyard.
She had resolved to appear strong.
Shoulders straight, eyes forward, no trembling in her lips.
But deep inside, every movement was a struggle.
Her friend walked beside her, talking about homework and weekend plans, but she barely listened.
All she perceived was Vanessa's bright, exaggerated laughter echoing across the yard from a distance.
---
Vanessa stood in the middle of a group, like a sun around which the others orbited.
She held her phone up, the screen turned so everyone could see it.
"Look how cute this is!" she squealed theatrically.
On the display was a photo: her and him side by side, taken the day before when they had coincidentally exited the classroom.
He hadn't noticed anything, had been lost in thought, his gaze directed somewhere else.
