The Social Misfit

Chapter Four

For the first few days, Mina tried.

She really did.

She smiled when someone greeted her.

She answered when a teacher called her name.

She even tried sitting closer to her old classmates during lunch.

But every time she did, a small voice in her head reminded her that she didn’t belong there anymore.

The conversations had changed.

Her friends talked about things that happened while they were apart. New jokes. New interests. New memories she wasn’t part of.

Mina laughed when she was supposed to.

She nodded when she didn’t understand.

She smiled even when she felt like she was only pretending.

Slowly, she started pulling away again.

It wasn’t because anyone pushed her away.

That was the hardest part.

No one was being cruel.

No one told her she had changed.

No one said she didn’t fit in.

It was just that Mina couldn’t stop thinking that they noticed.

Every laugh nearby felt like it might be about her.

Every whisper made her wonder.

Every glance made her want to look away.

So she started choosing the quietest places.

The back of the classroom.

The corner of the library.

An empty seat during lunch.

Places where nobody expected anything from her.

Then came the day she decided to keep wearing her mask.

At first, it was normal.

Almost everyone had one.

It was just something people wore after the pandemic.

But for Mina, it slowly became something else.

It wasn’t only protecting her from sickness anymore.

It was protecting her from being seen.

Behind the mask, she felt less exposed.

Less noticed.

Less afraid.

She didn’t have to worry about what people thought of her smile.

She didn’t have to worry about whether someone was looking at her.

The mask became a small piece of safety she carried everywhere.

And Mina didn’t know it yet…

But soon, she would be afraid to take it off.