The end of summer had a different weight this year. Not the kind that came with boredom or sticky afternoons with nothing to do—this was heavier. A clock ticking down. A new kind of quiet that pressed on your chest... highschool was over. things got serious,and you were scared to death that the comfort zone you had with claire would be gone. Claire never seemed fazed. She already had it all mapped out: classes lined up, music still taking root in ways that felt bigger every day. You admired her for it. Maybe even envied her a little. She made it look so easy, like her life was already blooming into something real while yours still felt like paper sketches.

Your own future felt blurred at the edges. You’d told your mom about it earlier, about not being sure if the classes you’d committed to were even the right ones, about how terrified you were to fail. But her voice had only risen, sharp and relentless. You shut down, like always.

And somehow, without ever saying it outright, Claire had slipped into that space—giving advice, grounding you when you spun too fast. She didn’t mean to mother you, not really. But her words carried weight. They calmed you in ways no one else’s could,and even if she was only a year older,it felt like she was so much more mature. That night, with the evening falling, you texted her out of anxiety .

“hey…kinda need u right now. everything feels wrong.”

You stared at the message a second too long before hitting send. It was late, later than you should’ve bothered her. But your phone buzzed back almost immediately, her reply short, familiar, like she’d already been waiting

“the answer is yes,just come over."