You are My Muse

Life isn’t so bad

"I thought our days of waking up early ended when we completed secondary school, but what is life?" Leila sighed.

"Oh, c’mon, it’s not that bad!" Marie responded, playfully nudging Leila.

"You’re just saying that because you’re a morning person," Leila accused.

"Oh, shut up! You’re a morning person too!" Marie shot back.

"Girl, you know that’s not true!" Leila scoffed. "I truly hate waking up!"

"Yes, you do, but hear me out," Marie said, switching to her I’m-about-to-ooze-knowledge voice. "I feel like your mind is usually active in the morning. Once you make it out of bed, you’re way more productive in the morning compared to at night. I, on the other hand, can yap all morning, but Lord knows I struggle with productivity. At night, though? That’s my time!"

"I guess you’re making some sense. But oh well, all these labels are just a spectrum. I don’t think you can confine a human being to just one thing, one label. I feel like we can change when we decide to."

"Yeah, yeah… I completely agree. But change takes effort, and most people don’t want to do the work. So they’d rather create all these labels for themselves—a comfort zone to stay in."

"Yeah, for sure!" Leila nodded. "And if I’m being honest, I’m one of those people. I’m so comfortable in my comfort zone." She shook her head.

"You’re not alone, boo," Marie agreed, and they both fell into a comfortable silence.

"So, I guess we’re not leaving our comfort zones?" Leila mused after a moment.

Marie chuckled. "What is life?"

"Damn! We’re back where we began," Leila said with a laugh.

"Personally, I feel like I’m working on so many things on a personal level—I just don’t want to add that to the list," she continued.

"Well, so long as you’re working on something, it means you’re pushing yourself out of your comfort zone," Marie replied with a smile. "I’m proud of you!"

"Thanks, boo!" Leila grinned.

"I feel like no one really prepared us for adulthood. If I knew I had to do this much work, I would have started earlier," Marie finished with a chuckle.

"No cap!"

The voice startled them. Tim.

Where had he come from? No one knew, but somehow, he was suddenly walking beside Marie. He always seemed to join their conversations out of nowhere, and Leila could not help but be annoyed.

"Where did you come from?" Marie asked, nudging him playfully.

"Wherever you are, I am there," Tim responded with a smirk.

Marie giggled. Leila rolled her eyes.

The three of them continued their walk to school, finally arriving at the gate. They all showed their school IDs and passed through.

"Will you be with me in my class?" Marie asked Tim.

"Always," Tim responded simply.

They stopped at the crossroads where they would part ways—Marie heading to her class, while Leila and Tim would continue together.

"I don’t get what you see in him," Leila muttered as she hugged Marie, then added with a smirk, "but I love you."

"Love you too!" Marie called after her before turning to Tim, lowering her voice. "Take care of her."

"Always," Tim replied just as quietly, his voice carrying a softness that was only ever reserved for Marie. "Have a great day."

Then, louder—"Yoh, Leil! Wait up!"

Leila groaned as he jogged to catch up with her.

"Just so you know, we are not friends," she declared the moment he fell into step beside her.

_____________________________________________________________

"M just texted me," Tim said as he caught up with Leila. "Their lecturer just extended their class. Can you imagine? First class with them, and he extends it." He chuckled.

If she ignored him, perhaps he would disappear the same way he usually appeared, Leila thought.

"You know you’re stuck with me, right?" Tim added, as if he could read her mind.

"Me and the gang are going to get milkshakes while we wait for her. You can join us if you want," he continued, already turning in the opposite direction with his friends.

Leila stood there for a moment, debating. She could go find a quiet place to read or sit with her thoughts. That sounded like a solid plan. But… milkshakes. Cold vanilla milkshake.

The battle was won.

She walked slowly in the direction Tim and his friends had taken, trying to be as subtle as possible so he wouldn’t see her.

"Leil!"

She heard a voice call from behind and turned to see Dave—Tim’s friend—catching up with her.

"Hey, Dave," she greeted him with a smile.

"Hey," he replied. "Going for milkshakes?"

"Yeah," Leila admitted.

"Cool!" Dave grinned. "I’m meeting Tim and the guys there."

"I hope the milkshakes are as good as I need them to be. I haven’t tried them yet," Leila said, her voice tinged with hope.

"You’ll love them. Trust me," Dave responded with a smirk.

"I’ll hold you to that," she said as they arrived at the milkshake vendor.

After buying their milkshakes, they joined Tim and the rest of the group.

"Right choice," Tim said to Leila.

She rolled her eyes at him.

"Moment of truth," she announced to Dave before taking her first sip.

"Brain freeze!" Marie’s voice rang out just as she joined the group.

Yes. Leila was having a brain freeze—and she loved it.

"The milkshake is perfect!" Leila declared, bumping fists with Dave. Then, turning to Marie, she grinned. "Hey, boo!"

"Hey!" Marie replied, slipping between her and Tim. "Imagine, that lecturer extended his class—and it’s our first lesson with him. It’s going to be a long semester," she sighed.

"The milkshake will make it better, trust me," Leila assured her.

"I know! Tim brought me one a couple of days ago, and now it’s among my reasons to stay alive," Marie teased.

"Well, to life!"

"To life!" The group echoed, clinking their milkshake cups together.

Life isn’t so bad after all, Leila thought as she let herself slip into the rhythm of the group’s conversation.