Submission

The biting cold of Forks seeped through my thin jacket, a familiar chill that mirrored the one in my heart. Snow fell softly, blanketing the isolated roads and turning the world into a hushed, monochrome canvas. I watched the flakes drift past the car window, each one a tiny, fragile whisper against the tinted glass.

Liza, my best friend, hummed along to the radio, oblivious to the storm brewing within me. We were on our way to Bruckbane College, a place that felt both like a lifeline and another cage. It was supposed to be a fresh start, a sanctuary from the ghosts of my past, but the silence inside me was growing louder, echoing the emptiness of the snow-laden landscape.

Another day, another performance. I adjusted the faint smile on my face, the one I wore to convince the world I was okay. The one I wore to survive.