Armor of Solitude

Friday Night Plans

The university courtyard buzzed with laughter as Maria sat on a bench, surrounded by her friends. They were in the middle of planning their usual Friday night escapades, a ritual they had upheld since freshman year.

"So, what's the plan for tonight?" Maria asked, her voice filled with anticipation.

Her friend Sarah, grinned mischievously. "I heard there's a new club downtown that just opened. We should check it out!"

The group murmured their agreement, excitement rippling through their ranks. Maria's heart quickened at the prospect of another night of revelry, the perfect escape from the monotony of university life.

As they continued to discuss their plans, Maria couldn't shake the feeling of restlessness gnawing at her insides. Despite the laughter and noise of her friends, she felt a familiar pang of loneliness tugging at her heart.

Lost in her thoughts, she barely listened to the conversation around her until Sarah nudged her gently. "Hey, you okay?" she asked, concern etched on her.

Maria forced a smile, pushing aside the nagging doubts that threatened to consume her. "Yeah, I'm fine," she replied, her voice strained.

But Sarah wasn't convinced. "You've been distant lately," she notice, her eyes searching Maria's face for answers. "Is everything okay?"

Maria hesitated, torn between confiding to her friend. In the end, she chooses for the latter, plastering on a bright smile to mask the turmoil beneath the surface.

"I'm just tired, that's all," she lied, hoping Sarah wouldn't see through the charade.

Thankfully, Sarah seemed to buy her excuse, her expression softening with understanding. "Well, if you ever need to talk, I'm here for you," she offered.

Maria nodded gratefully. As they resumed their discussion of Friday night plans, Maria excused herself.

"I forgot I gotta go to the library to pass something" She excused but actually just wanna get away from her friends.

"Aight, see u later night" They said and wave at her as she walks away feeling guilty lying.

Walking to the library she realize how her excitement to Friday nights are different from before as she wanted to decline tonight's escapades but also don't want to disappoint her friends. She shrugged the thoughts away.

"Maybe I'm just thinking too much" she said before entering the library.