Before The Encounter At The Library
217 Words
Zara hated lunch breaks. Not because of the food — though the soggy rice and mystery meat didn’t help — but because it was the loudest hour of the day.
She sat alone, always.
Her tray untouched, her eyes fixed on a spot just above everyone’s heads.
If she looked too closely, she might meet a gaze, and if she met a gaze, someone might see her.
And Zara wasn’t ready to be seen.
She had learned to shrink herself.
Walk the halls like wallpaper. Only speak when a teacher asked, and even then, only just enough. It was easier that way,quieter.
Still, she noticed things.
Like how Kian Rivera always sat with the same three boys but looked like he didn’t belong there.
How he laughed too late, smiled too short.
How he always carried a hoodie even when it was hot , like he was hiding, too.
She didn’t know why she noticed him.
Or why, on days she caught him staring into space like she did, her chest did this weird tight-soft thing. Maybe it was just… recognition.
So when he showed up at the library that day — looking nervous, voice quiet — something in her cracked open.
And for the first time in a long time, Zara wanted to be seen.
- Writer
