Next day

The next morning, sunlight spilled softly through Zuri's window. She woke feeling a little lighter—like the warmth from Ms. Ama's voice had settled somewhere deep inside her.

But the day still stretched long ahead, slow and unyielding.

Classes felt harder to focus on. Her usual notes blurred into scribbles, and the laughter in the halls sounded far away. Zuri moved through campus like a shadow, her thoughts circling back to that quiet moment after the call, when she'd felt seen, really seen.

During lunch, she found a quiet corner in the library, her tea growing cold beside her unopened books. She watched students rushing by, their easy chatter a stark contrast to the stillness pressing inside her.

Hours passed without much changing. The clock seemed determined to drag the day out.

Just as Zuri was packing up her things, her phone buzzed on the table. She glanced down.