Lizzy had always thought strength meant holding everything together smiling when it hurt, standing tall when her world trembled. But lately, she felt more like glass than steel. One wrong word, one wrong moment, and she feared she would shatter.
Brightwood College was supposed to be her escape, a place where she could breathe without the shadows of her past trailing her. Yet no matter how far she walked, the echoes followed. The laughter in the cafeteria sometimes reminded her of voices she wanted to forget. Even the comfort of her books didn't drown out the quiet ache that lived in her chest.
Funmi noticed she always did. "You've been quiet lately," her sister said one evening as they sat by the dorm window, watching the sunset bleed into the horizon.
Lizzy forced a small smile. "Just tired. Classes are piling up."
But that wasn't the whole truth. Part of her silence had a name. Ben. His kindness lingered in her memory longer than she admitted, but so did the distance he kept. It left her wondering if she had imagined the softness in his eyes, or if he had simply decided she wasn't worth the effort.
The next day, as Lizzy left the library, the autumn air met her with a chill. She hugged her cardigan closer, trying to steady her thoughts. That's when she heard footsteps behind her.
"Lizzy?"
Her heart stilled at the familiar voice. She turned to find Ben, his hands shoved into his pockets, a nervous half-smile tugging at his lips.
"I uh, I noticed you've been… quiet lately," he said, almost echoing Funmi's words from the night before. "I just wanted to check if you're okay."
Lizzy hesitated. She could give him the same excuse she gave Funmi, brush it all off with a tired smile. But something about the sincerity in his eyes made the words catch in her throat.
"I'm… managing," she whispered instead. "Some days are harder than others."
Ben nodded, his expression softening. "I get that. You don't always have to manage alone, though."
His words hung between them like an unspoken promise. For the first time in weeks, Lizzy felt a flicker of warmth push against the cold.
"Thank you, Ben," she said quietly.
He offered her a small smile, the kind that didn't demand anything, just gave. And in that moment, Lizzy realized that maybe strength wasn't about holding everything together it was about letting someone else carry a piece of the weight with you.