Writing Challenge - Day 9

Chapter 5 - A Small Comfort

She stopped wondering whether she belonged here. For now, there was the project, and that was enough.

She and her partner settled into a rhythm—meeting after class, shooting footage, and sharing notes when needed. It was functional and efficient. But it was also the only time she really talked to someone since coming to the school.

One evening, as they wrapped up their last study session at his apartment, he leaned back on the couch and stretched. “You know, when I first got here, I felt like I was just floating around. Like I was a visitor, not a student.”

She glanced up from her laptop, intrigued. He didn’t usually talk about himself much. When he did, it was usually about him and his girlfriend, which she took great enjoyment in. Listening to him talk about their story was like being a teenage girl again, reading about high school sweethearts.

“What changed?” she asked.

He smirked. “Networking. Sounds lame, I know, but that’s what this school is about. It’s not just about showing up, doing the work, and leaving. You’ve gotta push yourself to meet people and make connections. That’s how you make it here. That’s how you make it anywhere, really.”

She nodded as she listened, though the idea of forcing herself to talk to people still felt daunting. But with him, she had started to feel comfortable.

“You got that app the school asks you to download? The one with your schedule and everything?” he asked as he looked over at her.

She nodded. “Yeah, of course I do.” She glanced at her phone as if making sure the app was still there, despite knowing she looked at it almost every day for her schedule.

“Here, let me see your phone.” He stretched out his hand, waiting. She raised an eyebrow, giving him a skeptical look as if he was really asking her to just hand over her phone. He chuckled lightly, his hand still hanging in the air. He tilted his head, silently challenging her to deny him. She smiled, rolling her eyes before grabbing her phone from the table and dropping it into his hand dramatically. It’s not like she had anything interesting on it anyway. What was the harm in letting him have it for a second?

He opened the app and navigated to a part she had never seen before.

“See this?” He turned the phone to her.

“This is how I found events to network with people when I first started. I managed to make some friends at these events. I’m sure that you could, too.”

She watched as he scrolled through the list of school events happening throughout the month. She knew he just wanted to help her make friends. Maybe he felt bad for her. Maybe he even found her pitiful. He looked back at her, seemingly done scrolling through her phone. She nodded.

“Yeah, I’ll think about it.”

He studied her for a moment, as if deciding whether she was telling the truth. Whatever he saw in her expression must have satisfied him, because after a few moments, he nodded back as if accepting her answer.

The end of the month approached, and so did the deadline for their project. One day after their last study session, as she gathered her things, preparing to leave, he spoke up. “After this class ends, we probably won’t see each other again. Our programs don’t have many classes together.”

Something inside her dipped just slightly. Despite knowing this already, he was the only person she had really talked to since coming here. She smiled to herself, though it came out more crooked than she intended. “Yeah… I guess not.”

As she slung her bag over her shoulder, she looked back at him. He was already looking at her. “But if you ever need help, or if you get stuck with another project and don’t have anyone to work with, you can always ask me. I don’t mind.”

She smiled, a real one this time. Even if she never talked to another person at this school, at least she knew that if she ever needed help—if another project came up where she had the option to choose—she could count on him.

And somehow, that made everything feel a little better.

xoxo, @auroxisia_

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