A week had passed since Emma had shut herself off from everything, but with time, a strange kind of peace had settled over her. It was as though the storm inside her had subsided, replaced by a quiet, steady calm. She had begun to find solace in the company of her friends—her real friends—those who had stayed by her side despite her attempts to push them away.
Lizzy, Alyssa, and Kai were there, always, in ways that Emma couldn’t ignore. They had been there when she shut herself off, never forcing her to open up but always offering their support when she was ready. Slowly, Emma had allowed herself to lean on them, to let their presence fill the empty space inside her. And it helped.
The coldness she had adopted to protect herself had started to thaw, but something inside her had undeniabl
