Episode 4:SHADOWS OF THE PAST
345 Words
Amina sat on the edge of the dorm stairwell, hugging her knees. The late afternoon sun slanted through the windows, painting stripes across the floor, but it didn’t reach the shadows she carried.
Her mind replayed the last conversation with Zuri in the student center. Patient. Understanding. Bold. The kind of person who made her heart ache and her chest tighten at the same time.
A voice called from below.
“Hey, Amina! You coming to the study group?”
It was Jada, one of her classmates. Loud, bubbly, and impossibly curious.
“Not today,” Amina called back, forcing a smile.
Jada’s brow furrowed. “You’ve been hiding up here all day. Something wrong?”
Amina’s throat tightened. She wasn’t used to sharing. Not like this. Not anyone.
“Just tired,” she said softly, eyes flicking to the shadowed corner of the stairwell.
But even in her dorm, shadows followed her. Memories she hadn’t touched in years clawed at the edges of her mind: the whispered insults at her last school, the betrayal of someone she had trusted completely, the feeling of being exposed, humiliated, unworthy.
No one can know. Not Zuri. Not anyone.
Jada didn’t move closer, sensing the distance. “If you ever want to talk…” she said, voice gentle, “…I’m here.”
Amina nodded, forcing another smile, but inside, her heart pounded. She knew that letting someone see the real her—even someone like Zuri—could bring all that pain back.
Her phone buzzed. A text from Zuri.
“Library later? I can save you a spot.”
Amina froze. She wanted to run. She wanted to stay hidden.
But a small part of her—one she rarely let breathe—wanted to say yes.
The fear of being seen battled with the curiosity she had for Zuri, a dangerous mix that made her feel alive and terrified at the same time.
Amina sat there a moment longer, thinking of all the ways she could disappear, and all the ways she wanted to step forward.
- Writer
