Freya woke up to the sound of her alarm, letting out a loud yawn and stretching her body without paying attention to her surroundings.
Bang
"Ow!" she shouted, rubbing her back after falling off the bed. She tried to cling to anything that could keep her on, but it was too late. With a groan, she pulled herself up and proceeded with her morning routine.
Feeling lazy, she barely bothered with her hair after her shower. Freya finally got ready and headed downstairs, where her family was already busy. Her dad sat in his wheelchair, watching the news, while her mom bustled around the kitchen, preparing breakfast. Her dad greeted her with enthusiasm.
"Hey Frey, good to see you up," he said cheerfully. "Could you pass me that remote? It's too far."
Freya handed him the remote, feeling a pang of guilt. Her dad was always optimistic and proud of her prospects, but he never really inquired about her well-being. He didn't understand her struggles, and she felt compelled to hide her emotions to avoid adding to his burdens, especially given his condition.
Her dad, a former construction worker, had been paralyzed from the waist down after an accident. Despite his hardships, he remained cheerful, but his disconnect from Freya's emotional reality made her wear a "mask" around her family to keep them from worrying.
After breakfast, Freya made her way to college. At college, she often felt out of place and disconnected from her peers. She had two friends, Sophie and Leah.
Upon entering the lecture there were numerous open seats, Freya preferred sitting in the middle, the back was where all the people and messed about, causing the lecturer to have to complain every now and then.
And the front… No one likes sitting at the front. Where Freya preferred to sit was either in the middle as mentioned before or on the sides.
As she goes up the stairs, she sees her friend Sophie already sitting down, pulling her laptop out and preparing for the lecture to start.
Without a second thought, Freya goes to sit next to her greeting her. Despite being friends Freya never went anywhere with her friends outside of college. It has never been brought up and wasn't a person who liked going out a lot anyway.
pushing these thoughts to the side. She felt the urge to show her work as she has been struggling with assignments recently especially written ones where you're "supposed" to give your view on a subject.
This one is "The Meaning of a Mask"
Normally she barely passes these assignments but thanks to Sophie's help she has been able to pass despite it being barely.
She shows Sophie her work, on it so far. Freya wasn't expecting much, but she realised it taking longer than usual to hear her feedback, which made her worried thinking it was even worse.
After a while, Sophie gives a suspicious look at her, which leaves Freya Startled.
"Did you write this?" Sophie asked.
"Yes, why?" Freya replies
"well… it has lots of depth and passion behind it."
Freya looked surprised. Even hopeful to some extent. However, Sophie realises this and quickly shuts her down.
"But, the writing grammar itself still needs work, spelling mistakes, and bad dialogue between characters. But this is unlike you, has something happened?"
Freya still happy to finally see progress in her writing, excitedly shows Sophie her progress on her book. Seeing what she thinks Before answering.
"Kinda," she says slightly flustered, thinking of how Wisdom has impacted her in a way.
Sophie gave another suspicious look at her face. "hmm" Not buying what she was saying.
Freya quickly changed the topic, insisted her to read the story she was trying to make.
As Sophie began reading again, she had a shocked reaction from just reading the first paragraph. "Who wrote this?" she quickly said.
Freya deciding just to tell her admits to a guy she met at a cafe has helped her a little.
Sophie now looked shocked to then worried.
"Why didn't you tell me? Who is this guy?" As Sophie said this she could already picture a guy in his 40.
Causing her to ask more questions "he's not a creep right, you have to be careful." Sounding even more worried.
Freya quickly calmed her friend down and exclaimed that they were around the same age and were a student here before leaving.
Sophie still being doubtful goes on to say "I need to see him for myself. Tomorrow!"
Before Freya could get another word in, the lecturer coughed signifying the class was about to start causing them to stop talking.
Freya thought to herself being in a happy mood. Seeing her writing has improved and wanted to thank Wisdom.
Sophie's compliment boosted Freya's confidence, and she thought of thanking Wisdom for his encouragement.
However, in other lectures, Freya's sense of isolation was pronounced. She found herself bored. Not knowing anyone in the other classes.
After school, Freya visited Leah at the hospital. Leah's condition has been getting worse.
She has visit her family who seem sadder than everyone. they told Freya how eversince the doctor gave a update about her condition. Something change in Leah that day. She refuses to talk.
Her mother grabs Freya hands hoping that she can do something as she is one of her only friends.
As she got to the hospital she quickly went to the room she is normally in. She saws Leah lifeless body starting at the ceiling. Seeing this quickly saddened her.
She quickly grabbed a chair to sit beside her bed. Feeling their bond slowly burning apart
"Hey Leah, guess what? Sophie loved my assignment today. She said it was amazing," Freya said, hoping for a reaction.
Out of Desperation Freya would talk about her day, even mentioning Wisdom. But Leah remained silent, her eyes staring blankly at the ceiling. Freya's heart ached, but she continued talking, trying to keep the connection alive.
Leah was a successful writer before her illness and had always inspired Freya. Leah was so lively and hardworking always mocking Freya for her lack of effort and carefree attitude. She missed the old Leah.
reminiscing on a memory she remembers Leah saying "You'll always be by my side right?" with such a glowing and vibrant smile.
Freya just chose to sit there in silence. Not knowing what to say. Finally, Leah moved to her side away in a direction away from Freya.
Freya looked at the time realizing visiting hours were almost over. and decided to leave after saying goodbye.
As Freya left Leah's vision started to blur as she silently cried amidst the silent noise of the hospital.
As Freya got back home, Freya sat at her desk, staring at a blank page. She thought about Leah, her family, and her struggles. With a deep breath, she began to write, pouring her heart and soul into the words. Writing became her lifeline, a way to stay connected to her friend despite the emotional distance.