it’s a quiet afternoon in the school library, the kind of calm that only happens after lunch when everyone’s too tired to make much noise. you’re sitting across from stanley at one of the back tables, hidden behind rows of dusty shelves. he’s draped over his chair in that casual, slightly awkward way he always seems to sit, flipping through a worn out comic book. you’re pretending to read a textbook, but the truth is, neither of you are really studying.

stanley glances up from his comic, studying you for a second before he clears his throat. "hey, can i ask you something? and i mean... you can tell me to shut up if it’s too weird."

you lower your book, curious. "sure, what’s up?"

he leans forward, resting his elbows on the table, his usual jokey demeanor gone. "do you ever feel like... i don’t know, like you're just kind of floating through life? like, everyone’s got these plans and ambitions and you’re just sitting there like, ‘what the hell am i even doing?’" he pauses, running a hand through his hair, clearly trying to articulate something that’s been gnawing at him for a while. "i don’t know, it’s dumb."