The bell rings for the end of 4th period, and I start to make my way downstairs from research writing. Luca is waiting for me at the bottom of the stairs with a smile. "How was class?" he asks as we walk towards our lockers. It was alright, I guess. Really boring, though." I say with a chuckle. "But Mateo Chris is in my art class.." I say with a roll of my eyes. Luca looks at me like I have come from the dead and says, "Your only class that you like has been ruined!" I ask about the essay assigned to both research writing classes but all I get is a groan. "It's going to be a long night," he says, shaking his head. "But at least we have each other to help get through it." We both laugh and continue on our way to the library. As we enter the library, I notice it's packed with students trying to finish their assignments before the deadline. I wouldn't know what they were seeing, as though I was excused from many of them. We quickly find a table and start working on our research. A few moments later, my stomach growls louder than it's ever before. "Someone is hungry!" Luca says with a smirk on his face. "Really! Do you have anything I can eat?" I say as my stomach growls again. "Yeah, I have a granola bar! Will that work?" He says, grabbing one from his bag and offering it to me.I quickly reach out for it, but my sleeve rises slightly and my bandages show. I jerk it back fast and fix my sleeve, hoping Luca didn't see them"Hayley? What happened to your ar-? " He doesn't even finish his sentence before I get up and run to the bathroom, slamming through the library doors.I run down the hall, and as I do I pass Lydia. She gives me a look but I don't care. I keep running as tears start to stream down my face. I hate today. I hate every day, hour, minute, and second of every week.The bathroom is on the right side of the hall, and I run in and lock myself in the very back stall and cry and cry and cry. I cry until my eyes can't produce more tears. After a few minutes of crying in the bathroom stall, I hear a soft knock on the door. "Hayley, it's me, Lydia. Can I come in?" Lydia's voice sounds gentle and caring, and I feel a small amount of comfort knowing that someone actually cared to come check on me. I take a deep breath and wipe my tears with the back of my hand. I unlock the bathroom stall door and open it slightly, peeking out to see Lydia standing there with a concerned look on her face. "What do you want?" I ask, my voice shaking."Are you okay?" she asks, putting a hand on my back. "I'm fine," I say, wiping my tears and trying to compose myself. "You don't look fine. Did something happen?" she asks, her voice still gentle and caring. "I just...I don't want to talk about it," I say, hoping she will take the hint and leave me alone. But Lydia doesn't seem to get the hint. Instead, she keeps asking questions and trying to pry into my personal life. I start to feel annoyed and frustrated. Why can't she just leave me alone? "Lydia, I appreciate your concern, but I really don't want to talk about it. Can you please just give me some space?" I say, trying to be as polite as possible. Lydia looks hurt, but she nods and gets up from the floor. "Okay, if you need anything, just let me know," she says before leaving the bathroom. I sigh and lean my head against the stall. Why does everyone have to be so nosy? Can't they just mind their own business? After some time, I finally composed myself and left the bathroom. I walk back to the library, trying to ignore the curious stares of my classmates. As I sat down at our table, I noticed Luca still sitting there, and he looked up as I approached. "Hey, what's wrong?" Luca asks concern etched on his face. I hesitate for a moment but then decide to tell him the truth. "It's nothing," I say, "I just had a little breakdown in the bathroom." Luca nods slowly, his eyes flickering down to my arm. "Is that why you wore long sleeves today?" he asks softly. I nod, feeling my cheeks flush with embarrassment. "Yeah," I say, "I just didn't want anyone to see." Luca reaches out and takes my hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. "You know you can talk to me, right?" he says, "I'm here for you, no matter what." I squeeze Luca's hand back and offer him a small smile. "Thanks, Luca. I appreciate it," I say, feeling grateful for his support. "But right now, I just want to finish this essay." I pick up my pen and scribble down some notes on my paper. Luca nods and starts typing away on his laptop.As we work, I can't help but think about the day's events. I hate that I have to hide my scars and that people feel the need to pry into my personal life. But at the same time, I feel grateful for the few people who care about me and support me through everything.After a few hours, we finally finished our essay. I stretch my arms and yawn, feeling relieved that it's over. "Thank goodness that's done," I say with a smile. "I don't think I could have handled another minute of research writing." Luca chuckles and shuts his laptop. "Yeah, me too," he says. "But at least we can relax now." He stands up and offers me his hand.I look at it, slap it away, jump up, and punch his shoulder playfully. "Sure," I say. "Let's go." We packed up our things and started walking towards the exit. As we're leaving, Lydia catches up to us. "Hey, Hayley, are you doing okay?" she asks, genuinely concerned. I take a deep breath and look at her. "Yeah, I'm doing better now. Thanks for asking," I say with a small smile. Lydia nods and smiles back. "Good. If you ever need someone to talk to, I'm here for you," she says. I feel a warm feeling in my chest. Maybe Lydia isn't so bad after all. "Thanks, Lydia. I appreciate it," I say, meaning every word. We say our goodbyes and head off in different directions. As I'm walking home, my phone buzzes in my pocket. I take it out and look down at a message from an unknown number:
