thoughtsinthemargins
[SOON]
People say light is supposed to guide others.
Sa mata ng lahat, ako si Ellara Quinn Ashbourne-the girl who always seems certain, composed, and in control.
President ng school campus. Someone who carries responsibilities like they were made for her shoulders. Every achievement, every decision, every smile I give becomes proof that I deserve the place everyone has already given me.
They see the confidence.
They see the leadership.
They see the light.
What they don't see are the quiet moments after everything ends.
The silence in my room when the applause fades. The questions that follow me into the night. Did I say the right thing? Did I choose the right path? Am I really the person they believe I am?
Because sometimes, being the person everyone admires feels like standing on a stage that never goes dark.
I keep moving anyway. I keep smiling. I keep leading. That's what people expect from someone like me-someone who seems to have everything figured out.
But even the brightest flames have a center that burns too hot to touch.
And somewhere between responsibilities and expectations, something changed. Not loudly. Not dramatically. Just small moments I couldn't quite ignore. A presence that didn't try to interrupt my carefully arranged world... yet somehow made it feel less certain.
Glances that linger longer than they should.
Silences that feel heavier than words.
Nothing is said.
But sometimes the quietest things are the ones that stay the longest.
The world continues to see the same Ellara-the confident leader, the girl who shines without hesitation. And maybe that's how it should stay.
Because when people believe you're the light... you don't get to show them how dark it feels to carry it.