-Kyle Vale:
Yesterday didn't end when I walked out of Caspian's office.
It followed me in a way I didn't fully understand at first, like something invisible had been left attached to my chest and refused to come off no matter how much I tried to distract myself, breathe through it, or convince myself that I was fine.
At first, I thought I could just leave it there in the hallway.
Just shut the door behind me and let it become one of those moments you think about later and shrug off.
But it didn't stay small like that.
It grew.
Slowly at first, like a pressure building under my ribs that I kept trying to ignore while I kept walking. My steps felt normal, my body was moving, but my mind wasn't really following anymore. It kept replaying his face, his voice, the way he looked at me like my feelings weren't something he had to take seriously.
Not rejected.
Not considered.
Just… dismissed at a level that made everything inside me feel wrong for even existing.
