Writing Challenge - Day 11

Chapter 7 - The Quiet Struggle

The lecture ended, and she exhaled, relieved to escape another hour of sitting through a long lecture. As Eile reached for her bag, Angela leaned over with a bright smile.

“Hey, let me introduce you to some more people.”

Before she could protest, Angela was already waving over a small group of girls packing up their things. “This is Bailey, Maya, and Jane.”

Eile recognized them from a previous class but had never spoken to them. They’d seemed more intimidating, distant—but now, up close, they were much friendlier than she had expected.

Jane’s kinky hair framed her face in soft, springy coils, with some strands escaping from the loose puff she’d tied up absentmindedly. Eile remembered her, her warm, approachable smile. Jane was the first to speak, grinning. “It’s nice to meet you.”

Eile hesitated, unsure of how to respond. Bailey chimed in, her voice casual. “I think I remember you. We had the last class together, right?”

Bailey seemed like one of those art kids. Eile wasn’t sure why, but something about her screamed: “Barely into adulthood.” Bailey’s clothes were a mess of frayed hems and patched-up holes, like someone who had worn the same pants for far too long. Her hair was wild, blue strands cut haphazardly, giving off the vibe of someone who didn’t care but did at the same time. 

Eile pretended to think about it before giving a response. What was she supposed to say? 

‘Yeah, we had the last class together, but I didn’t talk to you because I thought you were gonna be weirdos?’

“Oh, yeah. We were. It’s—uh—nice to meet y’all. I’m Eile.”

Maya stepped forward. “I am glad that the last class is over, though. It was fun, but the professor was definitely strict. I swear by the end of the month, I was already ready to sleep for a week.”

Maya had that effortlessly cool street style, the kind that made it look like she’d thrown something together—but with an air of confidence that probably took years to perfect. Her hair was styled just messy enough to look natural but still polished—everything about her was on purpose, yet it felt like she’d just thrown it together. She had a vibe of knowing exactly who she was.

The girls all laughed and agreed with her as they recounted their experiences from the last class. Their smiles were contagious, their energy warm, and for a moment, Eile started to feel like maybe this wouldn't be so bad. Maybe they weren’t the weirdos she’d expected them to be after all.

Maya turned to Eile. “So, Eile, what month are you in? We’re in our eighth month already. Same cohort.”

Eile nodded. It made sense. They all seemed pretty familiar with each other—going to the same classes with the same people must do that.

“I’m in my eighth month too. I—uh—just did my first six months online. I moved to be on campus last month.”

Jane smiled and said, “Oh! I did that, too. Well, I didn’t take six months online, but I did take the first couple of months online before coming to campus, too.”

Eile smiled back, slightly relieved. Maybe they weren’t that different after all.

“We should hang out together. All of us. Since we’re going to be in the same classes until we graduate,” Maya said, her voice filled with excitement, maybe more about graduating together than the hanging out part.

Angela’s eyes lit up. “Ooh! That’s a great idea!” Angela’s eyes lit up as she eagerly made plans, her voice practically bubbling over. Eile couldn’t help but flinch at the relentless enthusiasm, wondering how long this overzealous friendship would last before it fizzled out like the others. This wasn’t what she’d imagined when she first walked into class. She was hoping not to have to interact much with anyone from school unless absolutely necessary. What if they think that she doesn’t belong here, just like the professor? What if they see her work and see it’s not as good as theirs, not as… polished? It’s better to just keep to herself and stay focused only on school. She was always more of a bookworm than the artsy type, and this school was the opposite of what she had her whole life. 

Eile hesitated, glancing around the room, wondering if this was another one of those situations that would fizzle out. Though, she could be overthinking it. “Uh—yeah. Sounds fun,” she said, the words coming out before she thought of rejecting outright. It wouldn’t hurt to have one outing. The idea of spending time with them didn’t seem so bad. Besides, it’s not like she had anything better to do. She’d probably just spend another day holed up in her room with her books… or try to interact with people from this school—though the latter still felt like a big leap. 

Angela was starting to remind her more of a school tour guide—peppy, friendly, and way too enthusiastic about Eile’s social life. Like a character from Mean Girls. Ha. Maybe this could be a real-life version of Mean Girls. Eile could almost picture Angela as a friendlier, blonder Regina George. She’d be annoyed by her if she wasn’t somewhat intrigued by what angle she was working. Was it curiosity, or was there something else she had planned? Maybe it was sympathy. A more cynical part of her thought it could be an elaborate plan to gain her trust for something else. 

She remembered how these friendships always ended—like the ones that seemed promising back in high school, only for people to lose interest when the novelty wore off. She was waiting for the inevitable letdown, for the moment when she'd be discarded like the others. But maybe, just maybe, this could be different.

This time, Bailey chimed in. “You guys hungry? There’s a ton of places around campus.”

There was a unanimous agreement at the thought of grabbing a bite to eat.

Eile gave a wry smile, half-amused, half-wary. ‘Oh, yes. This is the start of a wonderful friendship,’ she thought, though the only thing they shared might be their degree program. Maybe this wasn’t so bad. Maybe it was the start of something new—or she’d end up regretting it. She wasn’t sure which was worse: being alone or being surrounded by people who felt so different from her. The girls grabbed their things and started to leave the classroom. Only time would tell.

xoxo, @auroxisia_

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