Aria woke with a weight on her chest that hadn't been there in days. For a moment, still fuzzy with sleep, she couldn't remember why. Then yesterday came flooding back, the competitions, the failures, the feeling of being so completely inadequate.
She stayed in bed longer than usual, staring at the ceiling. Part of her wanted to hide here all day, to avoid the creek and her friends and the possibility of feeling that small again.
But Cassidy's words from last night echoed in her mind. "True friends will value you for who you are."
The question was: were they true friends? Or had yesterday shown her the truth, that she didn't really belong with them after all?
A soft knock came at her door. "Aria? You awake?" Cassidy's voice was gentle.
"Yeah," Aria called back, sitting up.
Cassidy came in with a tray, warm bread, honey, tea. She set it on the bedside table and sat on the edge of the bed.
"How are you feeling this morning?"
