I didn't break down in front of anyone.
Not in the cafeteria.
Not in the hallways.
Not when Aiden smiled at Amira like the world made sense again.
I held it together until the end of the day.
Until the noise faded.
Until my room was quiet.
Until there was no one left to pretend for.
The door closed behind me, and that was it.
I slid down against it, knees pulled to my chest, breath coming out uneven. My chest felt too tight, like I'd been holding something in for too long—and my body finally refused to keep it in.
"I'm fine," I whispered, out of habit.
The words cracked.
Tears came suddenly, without warning. Not dramatic sobs—just silent ones at first, slipping down my cheeks before I could stop them. I pressed my hand over my mouth, like that would somehow keep the pain contained.
I wasn't crying because Aiden loved someone else.
I was crying because I'd let myself hope.
Because I'd imagined things that never existed. Because I'd convinced myself that quiet moments meant more than they did. Because I'd tried so hard to be okay with it—and realized I wasn't.
My phone buzzed.
Calvin: You disappeared fast. You home?
I stared at the screen, vision blurred.
Hinata: Yeah.
Three dots appeared. Disappeared. Appeared again.
Calvin: Want company?
I hesitated.
Then my fingers moved on their own.
Hinata: …please.
He didn't reply after that.
He just showed up.
When I opened the door, I lost whatever strength I had left. Calvin didn't say anything—didn't ask what happened or why. He just stepped forward and pulled me into a hug, firm and steady, like he knew I needed something solid.
And that's when I really broke.
I cried into his shoulder, hands clutching his jacket, tears soaking through as everything I'd been holding back poured out. My breathing hitched, my chest ached, and I felt small in a way I hadn't felt in a long time.
"I tried," I whispered. "I really tried to be okay."
"I know," he said softly. "You don't have to be strong right now."
That did it.
I cried harder—not because it hurt more, but because I finally didn't have to pretend it didn't hurt at all.
Calvin stayed. He didn't rush me. Didn't fill the silence. He just sat with me on the floor, back against the door, like that was exactly where he was meant to be.
Outside, somewhere far away, the world kept moving.
But in that moment, I allowed myself to stop.
And for the first time since everything fell apart, I felt like maybe—just maybe—I wasn't alone in it anymore.