One Week Later
Intermediate Showdown
As the days passed, spending time with Carlo and the rest of our group started to feel normal again. The emptiness inside me was still there, but the pain ebbed and flowed, often striking at the worst possible moments—whether I was surrounded by friends or completely alone. Carlo was always able to tell when my mind wandered away, lost in the depths of grief. Most of the time, he would pull me back with that familiar crooked smile I’d come to rely on. While I knew the void in my heart would never fully close, Carlo and our friends dulled the pain, making it easier to bear. I wasn’t hiding in Carlo’s basement anymore, pushing my body to its limits until exhaustion overtook me. Instead, I was laughing with them, living with them, and slowly beginning to
