Emily’s face burned as she hurried down the hallway, the teacher’s words echoing in her mind like a relentless drumbeat. “You’re not trying hard enough, Emily. You’re smart, but you’re wasting it. Do you even care about your future?” The fluorescent lights above seemed colder than usual, their glare harsher against the white tiles. She clutched her books to her chest, her hands trembling slightly. The sting of humiliation wasn’t new, but it never got easier. She hated how her cheeks flushed and her eyes watered when she felt cornered, even when she tried so hard to act like she didn’t care. Emily turned the corner, desperate for a moment to breathe. That’s when she saw them. They was sitting alone on the edge of the school courtyard, hunched over a notebook balanced on their knees. They were scribbling something with intense focus. She recognized them vaguely - quiet, always off to the side, not someone who drew much attention. Maybe that’s why she walked toward them. They wasn’t like the others. They didn’t laugh in class when she stumbled over her words or when the teacher sighed loudly at her wrong answers. “Hey,” she said, her voice coming out shakier than she’d intended, accidentally startling them. Their notebook slid slightly on their knees, falling to the ground with a thud. "Shit... sorry, i didn't mean..." as she bent over to pick up the notebook she bumped heads with them "Ow! Sorry... here's your notebook. I just…” She glanced away, staring at the brick wall behind them as if it held the answer. “I saw you drawing the other day. In class.” Her voice softened “It was really good.” Emily hesitated, her heart pounding. This was harder than she thought it would be. She wasn’t used to starting conversations, especially not like this. But the weight of the teacher’s words was still heavy on her chest, and for some reason, she thought maybe talking to them would help her forget, even just for a little while. “Do you ever… feel like you’re just not good at stuff?” she blurted out, her words rushing out all at once “Like no matter how hard you try, it’s never enough?” A small pause ensued. “I… got yelled at again,” she admitted, her voice barely above a whisper. “I don’t know why I thought coming here would help, but…” She squirmed nervously, normally she would confidently say what she wants and why. "Listen i know we aren't really friends... and that i made fun of you sometimes, but... could you... could you help me study. I don't want to flunk out and be a fuckup. You seem smart, smarter then me by a mile. So... could you?"

"Thanks!" she said, relief washing over her in a warm wave. "You don't know what this means to me." As they walked together toward the library, Emily couldn't help but feel a strange sense of hope creeping into her chest. It was possible that things could be different. Maybe they could study together and she wouldn't embarrass herself so badly in class anymore. She smiled at their profile as they walked, unable to resist teasing them just a little bit more than usual. It felt good to not be alone with these feelings, even if it meant spending time with someone like her. Maybe things were starting to look up after all... or maybe she was just getting ahead of herself again. Either way, she'd take what she could get.

"Ugh... math is killing me right now. Can we start with that?" She winced, trying to remember how long it's been since she had paid attention in class. She glanced at them, expecting an amused expression or a sarcastic retort. But they just nodded solemnly and led her toward a table where some textbooks lay neatly stacked on top of each other. Emily sat down gingerly, feeling a little bit guilty for dragging them into this mess. Maybe she should have asked about their interests instead... but it was too late now. They'd already agreed to help her with math. Sighing, she rested her chin in her hands and waited patiently for the flood of numbers and formulas to begin. "So... how's practice going?" *she tried asking casually as they opened their math book, not wanting it to seem like an interrogation or anything. Her

"That's cool. I heard you're really good at it," she said with a little more sincerity this time. She had always admired people who could focus on one thing for long periods, even if it meant dedicating their lives to something as seemingly mundane as playing soccer or joining the band. It was a strange sort of adoration, born from her own restlessness and inability to ever truly commit to anything. But there they were, sitting across from her with a pencil in hand and an earnest expression on their face, ready to help her understand something that had always been beyond her grasp.

It was almost... kind of beautiful in its own way. She wondered if they knew how much it meant to her. Probably not. People like them didn't usually notice things like that. They were too busy trying to be perfect, too focused on their own goals and ambitions. But still... she appreciated it

"Oh... well... yeah..." She hesitated for a moment, wondering if she should really share her feelings with them. But then again, they had already shared something of their own by agreeing to help her with math, hadn't they? And besides, what was the harm in telling someone how you felt? They probably heard much worse from other people all the time. So she took a deep breath and plunged ahead anyway... "I've been feeling kinda lonely lately. I mean, don't get me wrong, I have friends and everything, but... I dunno. It just feels different when you're not really close to someone."

She glanced at them sideways out of the corner of her eye, studying their reaction. Did they think she was pathetic? Too needy? Or maybe they understood exactly what she meant. There was a long pause before either one of them spoke again, but Em

"Really?" she asked, her voice softening. It was almost impossible not to feel a tiny bit better knowing that they'd been there too. "I mean... you seem so together all the time, I just figured..." She trailed off, not sure what she had expected them to be like on the inside. Maybe it didn't matter anymore. It was enough to know that they understood, even a little bit.

They nodded slowly, their gaze fixed on some distant point behind her head as if thinking about something else entirely. Emily watched them for a moment, wondering what exactly they were thinking about. Were they remembering times when they felt lonely too? Or were they just trying to figure out how best to explain it all without sounding too depressing or self-pitying? It was strange, having someone else's perspective like this... almost as if she was seeing the world through a different set of eyes.

"Oh... that's rough." She bit her lip, suddenly feeling guilty for complaining about her own problems when they had clearly been through so much more themselves. She chewed on the inside of her cheek as she tried to think of something comforting or supportive to say, but everything that came out sounded trite and meaningless in comparison. So instead, she just reached out and took their hand, squeezing it gently. It was a small gesture, maybe even silly and childish in the grand scheme of things, but it felt like the right thing to do in that moment. "Hey... I'm sorry you had to go through all that. You don't have to be lonely anymore though," she said, mustering up as much sincerity as she could manage under the circumstances. "I mean... maybe we can help each other? Be there for each other?" She squeezed their hand again

She smiled shyly and gave their hand another squeeze before letting go. "Well... it's a start, right? And hey, who knows? Maybe we could even have some fun together while we're at it." She grinned wider now, feeling a newfound sense of optimism begin to bloom in her chest like a tiny flame. It wasn't much, but it was something. And as they continued working through math problems side by side, Emily couldn't help but feel grateful for the small piece of human connection they'd shared. Maybe things weren't so bad after all.