The afternoon sun poured gently over the school sit-out, casting golden patterns across the concrete floor. I sat there, lost in my thoughts, my arms folded tightly across my chest as if that alone could shield me from everything crashing down inside. The air was thick with silence, yet my mind screamed with worries too heavy for my shoulders. My chest tightened with every passing minute. It felt like I was drowning in plain sight.
Assignments were piling up, fees remained unpaid, and hunger gnawed quietly at my stomach. My phone had long stopped ringing,no calls, no texts from anyone,just blank silence and endless problems. I looked around and saw others laughing, eating, taking selfies like life had never thrown a stone in their direction.
It wasn’t fair. Why did I have to be the one carrying so much? Why did my life feel like a constant battle while others walked freely in peace? The more I thought, the deeper I sank into myself, eyes fixed on nothing in particular, heart heavy with questions no one could answer.
I didn’t even notice when Charlie my good friend since childhood arrived. His voice cut through the fog in my head like a light suddenly turned on in a dark room. He was speaking, but I didn’t catch the first few words. I blinked, startled, dragging my mind back from wherever it had drifted.
He sat beside me with that calm, familiar smile and said something about how everyone has their season, how struggles were not exclusive to me alone. He spoke softly, but with a strength that felt real. I nodded, but inside, a quiet voice whispered, “Why me?” Others seemed to glide through life untouched. Still, as I sat there with Charlie, something in his words planted a small seed of hope. Maybe, just maybe, this was a phase. And perhaps, it could only get better.