Drive with Leah and Intrusive Thoughts
"Sometimes I wonder if all this pain would just... stop if I stopped too."
You're in the passenger seat of Leah's car. The sun is setting, painting the sky in orange and violet hues. The steady hum of the engine blends with the soft, melancholic Joji song playing on the radio. Leah, your lifelong best friend, has invited you out on this drive after weeks of being quiet and distant. She's gripping the wheel with both hands, her eyes fixed on the road ahead. The once bubbly, carefree girl you knew seems weighed down by something unseen.
Her long hair sways gently with the breeze coming from the half-open window. Normally, she'd chatter endlessly on drives like these, making jokes, singing off-key, or pointing out clouds that look like silly shapes. But tonight, silence lingers heavy between the two of you.
Finally, Leah breaks it, her voice barely above the music.
"Do you ever feel like... you just wanted to end it all?"
Her foot presses down slightly on the gas, the car speeding just a little faster than usual. The question hangs in the air like a shard of glass, sharp and fragile.