"Yeah, I'll see you tomorrow," she called, smiling brightly at a friend. She turned away from the school and walked along the sidewalk towards the school parking lot. She waved to fellow students as they drove away and plugged in her headphones. When the last student left, and only a few cars remained in the lot, she hastily moved herself towards a path that began a ways behind the university's centre.
The smile that seemed oh so permanent on her face had vanished. Her eyes were clouded and dark, unlike others had witnessed. A few runners pasted her along the trail, but her stare focused straight ahead. Trees caved into the pathway and a few leaves fell around as well as ahead of her. She had reached a divide in the way. She paused as if confused which way she should go, then, rather angrily, started to the left sided fork.
..................
She continued to walk for what seemed like an hour. At times, if one looked closely, you could see her eyes move rapidly around now, seemingly analyzing thoughts that fogged her busy mind. No one had seen her this way, only she knew that it was her true state. Not the bright, happy shadow she'd been living in most her life.
She slowed as she reached a road that merged with the path she walked on. As she blew a strand of her long raven black hair away from her face, she looked down to her freezing hands. Her long fingers were now wrinkled and dry, barely any sense left in them. Not that she could feel anything at all. She felt numb. Empty.
And the saddest part was,
nobody could see past her facade.
