Hidden Between Us

Chapter 2: Small Things Add Up

“Life sometimes stretches like a long hallway, empty yet full of noise you cannot name”

Sienna's Pov

By the time the lecture finally ended, I felt like my soul had quietly left my body and decided it deserved better.

I stayed seated even after the room started emptying out. People shoved notebooks into bags, chairs scraped against the floor, conversations overlapped like background noise in a movie scene I was not emotionally invested in.

I stared at my notes. I knew I had written words. I remembered writing them. But if you asked me what any of it meant, I would probably just blink at you.

University really had a way of draining you without asking permission.

"Sienna."

I looked up and saw Sophie standing there, phone in hand, already half distracted. Her hair looked effortlessly put together in that annoying way that made it obvious she had not tried at all. Meanwhile I looked like I had survived something.

"You look like you just fought the syllabus and lost," she said.

I sighed. "I am emotionally unavailable for comments right now."

She laughed, loud and easy. Sophie always laughed like she wanted people to hear it. Like she did not believe in quiet joy.

"That lecture was criminal," she added. "I swear he enjoys watching us suffer."

We walked out together, blending into the flow of students moving through the hallways. Sophie walked like she had places to be even when she did not. Confident, Flashy, Like life was happening for her and she was keeping up just fine.

Meanwhile, I was focused on not walking into a wall.

"Are you eating," she asked, already pulling her bag higher on her shoulder.

"Yes," I said immediately. "If I do not eat, I will become unpleasant"

She smirked "Too late"

We went to the cafe across campus. The line was long, the place was loud, and it smelled like coffee and stress. My natural habitat.

Sophie scrolled through her phone while I stared at the menu like it was going to surprise me.

"Oh," she said suddenly. "By the way, you left your literature book in my bag yesterday"

I frowned. "That explains why my bag felt suspiciously light"

She grinned "You basically launched it in there and said you could not think anymore."

"That sounds accurate"

"You can come pick it up whenever," she said casually.

"Yeah," I replied "I will"

No big deal, No dramatic pause. Just another thing to add to the mental list I kept forgetting.

We finally sat down with our food. I dipped my fries in ketchup like my life depended on it and took a long sip of coffee.

Sophie leaned back in her chair, stretching. "I am exhausted but also somehow wired. Do you ever feel like that."

"Constantly," I said. "My body wants sleep. My brain wants chaos."

She nodded like that made perfect sense.

We talked about nothing important. A classmate who asked too many questions. A group project Sophie was already annoyed about. A random meme she shoved in my face that made me laugh harder than it should have.

She was flashy like that. Loud opinions, dramatic reactions but she never pushed, never clung. She existed beside you, not on top of you.

After we split up, I walked around campus for a while. I liked doing that when my head felt too full. Watching people helped. Everyone looked like they were in motion. Like their lives were progressing in clear directions.

Mine felt paused. Not bad, Just suspended.

When I got home, the noise hit me immediately.

"Sienna," Liam yelled from the couch without even looking at me. "You forgot snacks."

I dropped my bag. "Hello to you too."

"You literally passed the store," he said, still glued to the TV. "This is neglect"

"You are fourteen," I replied. "You will survive"

He finally looked at me. "Barely"

Mom was in the kitchen, moving around like she had ten thoughts racing through her head. She hummed softly while stirring something, already tired but still trying to keep the house running.

"How was class," she asked.

"Long," I said.

She smiled like she understood exactly what that meant.

Dad sat nearby reading the news, occasionally commenting out loud like the world needed his reaction.

The house was loud, warm, slightly overwhelming, Familiar.

Later that night, I lay on my bed scrolling through my phone, feeling that quiet restlessness settle in my chest. Nothing was wrong, nothing was exciting either

Life felt like it was waiting for something.

I turned my phone off and stared at the ceiling, wondering when things would start to feel different.

Then again, maybe tomorrow would just look like today.

And for now, that was enough.