The Mask We Wear [A 10 Chapter Story]

Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Pain & Nostalgia

The sun was warm and bright as Stella and her friends walked through the park after class, their laughter mixing with the distant sounds of kids playing and families chatting nearby.

The air smelled familiar—something cooking on a hotdog stand nearby and the faint sweetness of ice cream from a cart.

As they walked, Stella caught a whiff of the hotdogs, and a sudden wave of nostalgia hit her, bringing back clear memories from her childhood.

She remembered simpler times at the park, where her family would sometimes take her on rare, happy outings.

The smell took her back to those special moments, a time when she didn’t carry the weight of secrets and scars.

Her heart felt lighter, and almost without thinking, a playful feeling she hadn’t felt in years rose within her.

Before she knew it, she was skipping a little, letting out a small, childish giggle. The carefree, innocent side she thought she’d buried long ago seemed to come alive, and for a moment, she felt like a little girl again.

Dianne and Delilah exchanged amused glances, watching Stella with curiosity. But it was Aria and Grace, her constant companions, who gently brought her back to the moment.

In the comforting space of her mind, they stood close, looking at her with understanding eyes.

"Stella," Aria’s voice sounded softly, warm but serious. "There’s… someone else with us now."

Stella blinked, stopping mid-skip, a curious frown on her face. "What do you mean, someone else?"

Grace stepped forward, her voice soft and comforting. "It’s another part of you. A side that holds the innocence and wonder you had as a child."

"She’s… a piece of your past, someone who’s been here all along, just waiting for the right moment." Stella felt a familiar feeling, a childlike awe she hadn’t felt in years.

“A younger me…” she murmured, piecing together the hints, her heart both curious and protective.

“Yes,” Grace said with a smile. “She’s full of innocence and joy—everything that’s sweet and unguarded within you, just like you were back then.”

Stella’s mind spun as she took in this new idea. It was strange yet comforting to realize she had another piece of herself, one that held her youthful spirit, her unguarded laughter, her purest memories.

She realized she had never been completely alone, not with Aria and Grace, and now there was another—a version of herself who carried the lightness she sometimes struggled to find.

Back in the real world, her friends hadn’t noticed the quick shift, but inside, Stella knew something important had happened.

Her inner world was more complicated than she’d ever understood, filled with pieces and reflections, each one a part of who she was.

And as she walked, feeling the sun on her skin and hearing her friends’ laughter, she felt a new lightness, knowing she was moving forward, not just as herself, but with all the pieces of her past beside her.

Dianne watched Stella from across the classroom, frowning as she noticed her friend’s unfamiliar gestures.

There was something about the way Stella played with her pencil, her fingers tapping a gentle rhythm on her desk, a playful, almost carefree energy radiating from her.

This wasn’t like Stella—not recently, at least. Yet, somehow, it felt like seeing a memory.

As the bell rang for recess, Dianne approached her, sitting down beside her with a hint of hesitation. "Stella?" she asked softly, hoping her friend would look at her.