As soon as I turned around, I saw a familiar face.
A girl… someone I had known for the past 2-3 years.
But never… not even once, had I spoken to her.
Maybe because I was just that introverted.
And today, out of nowhere, she had called out to me.
I tried to wipe my tears quickly, but the marks were still there — red eyes, wet cheeks.
There was no hiding it.
She looked at me and asked gently,
"You're from our class, right?"
I couldn't speak. My voice… it just wouldn't come out.
Not because I didn't want to talk, but because I couldn't.
My throat felt blocked by everything I had just been through — the note, the mistake, the heartbreak.
Still, I somehow managed to nod and whisper a weak "Yes."
Then she looked at me again, her eyes soft but direct.
"You were crying… weren't you?"
I didn't reply.
My face burned with embarrassment.
How could I admit it?
How could I explain what had just happened without sounding pathetic?
She didn't press further.
She didn't laugh.
She didn't look away.She simply said,
"Come on… let's walk home together."
I didn't say anything.
But my legs… they started walking on their own.
As if my heart had taken over my mind, guiding me to follow her.
There was something strangely peaceful about walking beside her.
After all the pain, her presence felt like a small break from the storm inside me.
And then she asked, casual but curious,
"How many friends do you have in school?"
In a very faint voice, I replied,
"Just one…"
She looked at me with a slightly tilted head, her expression unreadable for a moment.�
And then, with a teasing grin, she said,
"Ahem… you are a boy… you only talk to one boy… what about you two… you know…"
I stared at her, confused.
My mind, still numb from earlier, couldn't process the joke at first.
She continued, her eyes sparkling with mischief,
"Are you two gay? And he broke up with you today, that's why you're so heartbroken?"
I was stunned.
I almost forgot I had been crying.
The shock hit me like cold water, pulling me out of my sadness.
And suddenly, I blurted out loudly,
"Hey! It's nothing like that! He's just my friend! I'm not that kind of guy!"
She burst into laughter.
A real, bright laugh that made the street feel a little less heavy.
"Chill… I was just kidding, lol. But seriously, why don't you make more friends?"
I stayed quiet.
Her teasing had lightened the mood, but it also made me face my own loneliness.
She looked at me again and said,
"Honestly, you really seem gay…"
"Don't worry, I won't tell anyone."
I was losing my mind.
I didn't know whether to cry again or laugh this time.
Her words were like punches wrapped in jokes — hitting hard but somehow making me smile through the pain.
I took a breath and finally replied, my voice low,
"I'm an introvert… who'd want to be friends with me? I'm not good at games, not a topper, not even good-looking..."
She paused.
Her teasing smile faded.
She looked at me softly and said,
"Have you ever asked your friend… why did he become your friend?"
I replied,"No… because he never gave me a chance to ask…"
She smiled again, this time without teasing.
A warm, real smile.
"Don't even ask… because to be someone's friend, you don't have to be smart, handsome, or a topper…
You just need a good heart."
She laughed softly,
"And the rest was just a joke… sorry haan… don't be mad"
And just like that…
"Anyway… while joking around, we've reached my place. I'm heading home. See you again."
I wanted to ask her name.
I wanted to say thank you.
I wanted to ask her to walk together again tomorrow.
But I didn't have the courage.
And I didn't even know that she lived just a few houses away from mine.
Maybe because…
I never really stepped out.
And then… somehow,
I reached home.
I don't even remember the walk from the gate to my room.
I changed my clothes.
I wasn't in the mood to eat.
So I opened my homework notebook…
…only to stare blankly at the pages.
And then — the tears came again.
Slow, silent, and uninvited.
"I was not able to understand anything"
Nothing felt real.
Nothing made sense.
Only her words were echoing in my mind…
Her strange jokes, her comforting silence, and that warm voice saying,
"You just need a good heart..."
And the truth is…
This was the most colorful day of my life.
And the darkest one too.
But somewhere in that darkness…
There was a strange light.
A voice…
that wasn't pulling me back…
…But gently pushing me forward.
Toward something unknown.
Something beautiful.
Maybe…
toward a version of myself I never thought existed.