Funmi sat alone at the far end of the library, her accounting textbook open but unread. Her eyes kept drifting from the pages to the window, where the trees swayed in the gentle breeze outside. But inside her, there was a storm.
It had been two weeks since Lizzy started acting differently quieter, more distant. The warmth that once lived in her eyes had faded. They still laughed and studied together, but something about Lizzy's smile now felt forced, like it was stitched over something broken.
Funmi couldn't take it anymore. She closed her book and grabbed her phone.
Funmi: "Meet me by the old music room. Now. Please."
A minute passed. Then Lizzy replied.
Lizzy: "Coming."
---
The music room had long been forgotten by most students. The walls were lined with dusty instruments, and the grand piano stood silent under a white cloth. It was the one place they used to sneak into the place Lizzy once said made her feel heard, even when she couldn't speak.
Funmi was already there when Lizzy walked in, arms folded and eyes downcast.
"I'm fine," Lizzy said before Funmi could speak.
"No, you're not," Funmi replied softly. "And I'm not going to pretend with you."
There was silence thick, heavy.
Lizzy looked at the piano, then back at Funmi. "Do you ever feel like… the world moves on without you? Like you're screaming, but no one hears?"
Funmi stepped forward. "Yes. And when I did, you listened to me. You saved me from myself. Let me do the same."
Lizzy's lip trembled. The silence between them wasn't empty anymore it was full of everything unspoken. And slowly, she reached for the piano, brushing off the dust.
She pressed a key. Then another. The melody was faint, but it filled the room like a sigh.
"I don't even know who I am anymore, Funmi," Lizzy whispered. "All I have is music. That's the only thing that's ever made me feel... real."
Funmi smiled and sat beside her. "Then let's find you again through the music. Through whatever it takes."
And so, side by side, they played a quiet tune not just a song, but a promise.