Chapter 39: "Cracks in the Quiet"
The afternoon sun poured through the windows, casting long shadows on the floor.
Zariah sat cross-legged on the couch, a blanket wrapped around her like armor. Jasmine was sprawled out on the carpet, lazily flipping through her phone, laughing at dumb videos and occasionally tossing one over for Zariah to see.
For a little while, it almost felt normal.
Almost.
Then Zariah's phone buzzed.
She froze.
Jasmine looked up immediately, reading the panic on her face before Zariah even moved.
Slowly, Zariah picked it up.
It was a message from her teacher:
"Hey Zariah, just checking in. We missed your math test today. Hope everything's okay. Let me know if you need anything!"
The words blurred together, heavy and suffocating. Missed. Math test. Okay. Need anything.
Her heart started to pound, blood roaring in her ears. Her fingers tightened around the phone until her knuckles turned white.
"I forgot," she whispered, voice cracking.
"It's okay," Jasmine said immediately, sitting up straighter. "Z, it's okay."
Zariah shook her head hard. "No, it's not. I was supposed to— I'm supposed to—" Her breathing hitched, the rising storm inside her breaking loose.
She was supposed to be perfect.
Supposed to keep the grades high, keep the mask on, keep the world fooled.
No cracks. No weakness.
If she failed at that, what else was left?
Jasmine moved fast, sitting beside her on the couch, pulling the blanket tighter around both of them.
"Listen to me," Jasmine said firmly. "One test doesn't change who you are."
Zariah squeezed her eyes shut, willing herself to disappear.
"You're not a failure because you needed a day to survive," Jasmine continued, her voice low but fierce. "You're not broken because you're tired."
Zariah let out a shaky sob, pressing her forehead into Jasmine's shoulder.
The world expected too much.
Jasmine just expected her to breathe.
And right now, that was all Zariah could give.
And somehow... somehow, Jasmine made it enough.