Lila had grown used to the silence that surrounded her at school. It was easier to fade into the background than to hope for something different.
But one day, the silence broke.
"Hey, Lila, right?"
She barely looked up from her notebook. The voice belonged to Rachel, one of the popular girls in her class.
Lila hesitated. No one ever talked to her unless it was to mock her.
Rachel smiled, and to Lila's surprise, it wasn't cruel.
"You should sit with us at lunch today," Rachel said.
Lila blinked. "Why?"
Rachel laughed, waving her hand dismissively. "Because we've never really gotten to know you. And you're always alone. Thought it was time we changed that."
Lila's fingers tightened around her pencil. This had to be a joke.
But Rachel didn't seem insincere. And when Lila glanced up, the other girls at the table—Emma, Sophie, and Maya—were smiling too.
Something inside her wavered.
She had spent so long believing she didn't belong.
Maybe… maybe she had been wrong.
—
At lunch, Lila found herself sitting at their table.
It was strange, being included.
Rachel and the others talked about meaningless things—movies, gossip, weekend plans. But every now and then, they turned to her, asking her opinion, laughing at her hesitant responses.
"You should come shopping with us this weekend," Sophie suggested.
Lila blinked. "Me?"
"Of course! It'll be fun," Emma added.
Fun.
Lila had almost forgotten what that word meant.
For the first time in years, she felt seen.
Maybe things were changing.
Maybe she wasn't so alone after all.
—
That night, she sat in her room, staring at her phone.
A new group chat had been made.
They had added her.
Her chest felt warm in a way she didn't understand.
Maybe… she finally had friends.
—
But in the shadows of the school hallways, whispers floated between Rachel and the others.
"She actually believes it."
A quiet snicker.
"This is going to be fun."