Monday arrived with a strange stillness, as if the world was holding its breath. Students trickled onto campus with backpacks weighed down by textbooks and worries. The air was humid after another night of summer rain, leaving everything smelling fresh, new, almost forgiving.
Pim stepped through the school gates, her hands wrapped around her sketchbook like it was a shield. Every time she closed her eyes lately, she saw that painting: the two girls, reaching, the gap between them, the spark of hope.
She wondered if she had the courage to keep reaching.
---
Morning Classes
Nina spotted her from across the courtyard. A slow smile broke across her face, gentle but steady, like a sunrise after a storm.
"Hey," she called softly, jogging over.
Pim looked up, startled, then relaxed into a small smile of her own. "Hey."
They fell into step together, moving through the halls with an easy rhythm that felt new, yet familiar.
Nina glanced sideways, voice careful. "How are you feeling today?"
Pim hesitated, then sighed. "Scared. But… lighter, somehow."
Nina nodded, relief softening her features. "Me too."
They reached the classroom and paused at the doorway, sharing a long look that said everything they hadn't yet found the words for.
---
Afternoon Surprise
Fah, meanwhile, had been battling her own nerves all morning. Mint had encouraged her the night before — if you're scared, it means you care, she'd reminded her — and those words echoed in her head on repeat.
At lunch, she found Nina and Pim sharing bento boxes on a shaded bench near the koi pond. Their laughter was small, hesitant, but real.
Fah approached with a shaky breath. "Mind if I sit?"
Nina gestured quickly. "Of course."
Pim nodded, her eyes searching Fah's face. "We're glad you're here."
They sat in an awkward triangle for a moment, picking at their food, then slowly fell into conversation about classwork, teachers, and silly gossip.
It wasn't perfect, but it was… normal. And that normalcy was a gift.
---
A Gentle Challenge
That afternoon, their teacher surprised them with a group art assignment: create a mural celebrating "harmony."
Pim's breath caught in her throat. Harmony.
The teacher, seeing their three names on the same friend roster, assigned them to work together.
Pim's heart pounded. Could they do this without reopening old wounds?
---
Planning the Mural
After class, they gathered in the courtyard to sketch ideas.
Fah pulled out her notebook. "Maybe a bridge," she suggested softly, glancing at Pim.
Pim met her gaze, surprised, then nodded. "Yes — a bridge, but with flowers growing along it."
Nina smiled. "I love that. Maybe the bridge is cracked, but people are still walking across it, helping each other?"
They sketched together in a quiet, focused bubble, their pencils moving like a shared language.
Something about creating together, hands smudged with charcoal, ideas flying back and forth — it felt healing, even if small.
---
Small Confessions
As the sun sank, casting gold across the courtyard, Pim looked up from her sketch. "You know," she said softly, "I used to think love had to be perfect."
Fah tilted her head, listening.
Pim's voice shook. "But I think… maybe love is just trying. Over and over."
Nina squeezed her shoulder, a proud smile on her face. "I think so too."
---
Evening Reflections
That night, after a quiet dinner at home, Pim curled up on her bed, flipping through her old sketches. There were drawings of her family, of her childhood dreams, of simple flowers and gentle faces — but somehow, every drawing felt lonelier than her new work with Nina and Fah.
Her heart clenched. I don't want to go back to being alone.
She picked up a pencil and began a new piece, a rough sketch of three figures standing on a bridge, hands outstretched, balancing each other against the wind.
---
An Honest Moment
The next day, in the empty art room, Nina found Pim working quietly.
"Hey," Nina said, leaning against the doorframe.
Pim looked up. "Hi."
Nina stepped closer, lowering her voice. "Can I be honest?"
Pim nodded.
Nina took a breath. "I still don't know how to do this. How to love you without falling apart."
Pim felt tears sting her eyes, but they didn't fall. "Then let's fall apart and put ourselves back together."
Nina smiled, voice breaking. "Okay."
---
Painting Day
By Friday, their mural supplies had arrived: buckets of pastel paints, thick brushes, and the big blank wall in the courtyard waiting for them.
Fah dipped her brush into a pale yellow. "Ready?"
Nina laughed softly. "As I'll ever be."
They began working side by side, moving carefully around each other, talking, laughing, fighting over colors, apologizing, then laughing again.
Students passed by and stared, some taking photos, but the trio barely noticed. This was their moment — their proof they could build something, even if it was messy.
---
Colors of Healing
Hours passed, and the blank wall bloomed with delicate flowers, a cracked stone bridge, and three tiny figures reaching across its span.
Pim stepped back, paint-smeared and tired, and felt a spark of pride.
"It's… beautiful," she breathed.
Nina nodded. "Like us."
Fah smiled softly. "Even broken things can be beautiful."
Pim's heart soared at those words.
---
A Quiet Night
That evening, they stood before their finished mural, under the soft glow of campus lights.
They held hands — awkwardly at first, then more confidently.
"I'm proud of us," Pim said, voice calm.
"Me too," Fah added, smiling through tears.
Nina looked at them both, heart overflowing. "Me three."
---
A Gentle Promise
Pim took a shaky breath. "No matter how messy this gets… let's not give up."
Nina squeezed her hand. "Deal."
Fah nodded. "Deal."
They stood there for a long time, taking in their mural, their work, their hearts.
It wasn't a fairytale ending. It wasn't perfect.
But it was honest.
And sometimes, that was enough.