FRIENDSHIPS PART 2

Rain clung to the windows, a gentle drizzle misting the glass as if the sky was trying to share a secret that no one could quite catch. Inside the classroom, the air felt thick not with silence, but with all the things left unsaid.

Elise was back at her usual spot by the window, arms crossed, her gaze locked on the world outside. People had started calling her the Ice Queen behind her back, but not even their whispers could thaw the way she held herself still, cold, and untouchable. Delilah was three seats away, nervously flipping through her notebook without actually writing a thing. I found myself right in the middle of that unspoken tension.

Class flew by in a haze of noise and chalk dust. When the bell rang, everyone else filed out, but I lingered. So did Delilah. And Elise, too.

Delilah was the first to break the silence. "Can we talk?"

Elise didn't even glance her way. "If this is about yesterday, I have nothing to say."

"You don't even want to try?" Delilah's voice was soft but trembled.

"I tried once. I smiled back. You didn't even notice," Elise shot back, snapping her notebook shut with a finality that echoed in the room.

"That's not fair."

"No," Elise replied as she stood up, gathering her things, "what's not fair is pretending we're something we're not."

She brushed past Delilah and left the classroom without another word.

Delilah slumped back down, rubbing her temple. "She's impossible."

"Maybe," I said, "or maybe she's just... guarding herself."

"From what? Kindness?"

"I'd be lying if I said I knew," I whispered.

Delilah gives a slight chuckle after hearing me say that.

"What's so funny?"

"Oh no sorry it's just the way you express with your words really is funny."

"Oh wow thanks."

LATER THAT EVENING

I found Elise back on the rooftop.

"You always come up here when you're upset."

"I'm not upset," she replied. "I'm just tired."

"Same thing."

She gazed out over the school grounds, the wind playfully tugging at her hair.

"She said she just wants to understand you," I suggested.

Elise rolled her eyes. "And that makes me even more angry."

"Maybe she just wants to be there for you." I said." Having friends is important you know."

"That's rich coming from someone who has the direct opposite of what he just said."

"I'm going to ignore that statement."

Finally, she turned to face me. Her eyes weren't icy anymore. They were just... weary.

"I used to think I wanted that too," she murmured. "But every time I let someone in, they either leave or, worse, they stick around just long enough to shatter something I can't mend."

"That's not Delilah."

"You don't know her."

"I know enough to see that she's making an effort."

She didn't argue with me. That alone felt like a small victory.

THE NEXT DAY

The rain came down harder the next morning. Umbrellas popped open like flowers in the courtyard, and students hurried inside, their uniforms damp and shoes muddy.

Delilah was absent from class.

Elise didn't say a word about it. At lunch, I learned that Delilah had left early, saying she was sick. But she wasn't. I knew it, and so did Elise.

"I guess she just gave up," Elise remarked casually as we strolled past the vending machines.

"Maybe she just got tired of running into a wall."

"Is that what I am to her? A wall?" Elise questioned.

"To her? Maybe. To yourself? 100%."

She held my gaze for a long moment before walking away.

THAT NIGHT

Delilah was alone in the music room. She wasn't sick; she was just… feeling overwhelmed. She pressed a key on the piano, then another. Slowly, a song began to take shape—not polished, not perfect, but genuine.

She didn't notice Elise standing in the doorway.

"You play beautifully," Elise said softly.

Delilah froze. "You followed me?"

"No," Elise replied, "I was just passing by. I heard you."

Delilah turned her gaze away. "You don't have to do this. I know you don't want me here."

"I never said that."

"You didn't need to."

Silence hung in the air.

Then Elise took a step closer.

"People used to say I was too intense. That I made them uncomfortable. So I started to pull back. I began to say less, trust less, be less."

Delilah looked up at her.

"I thought that would make things easier," Elise continued. "But it didn't. It just made me feel more alone."

"I never wanted you to be less," Delilah said. "I just wanted to be someone you could talk to."

Another pause lingered between them. Then Elise moved over and sat beside her on the piano bench.

"I don't know how to do this friendship thing."

"You don't have to have it all figured out," Delilah said with a smile. "You just have to be willing to try."

And Elise cold, distant Elise nodded.

"I'll try."

They sat there in silence for a while, fingers brushing the keys without playing. And that was enough.

THE NEXT WEEK

Something shifted.

Elise was still by the window, still had her earphones in, still kept her replies short. But when Delilah walked in, she gave her a nod.

Not much. But it was something.

At lunch, we all sat together. The three of us.

Delilah brought snacks. Elise didn't say a word but ended up eating half the cookies anyway. I made a joke about her being a food thief. Elise smirked. Just a little, but it was there.

Small victories.

Later, we strolled through the courtyard. The rain had finally let up. The puddles mirrored the afternoon sun. Delilah skipped ahead, giggling about something silly.

"I still don't get her," Elise said.

"You don't have to," I replied. "You just need to be her friend."

She didn't respond, but her eyes lingered on Delilah a moment longer.

And she didn't walk away.

Not this time.

Some friendships are built on shared interests. On similar personalities. On years of memories. And then there are friendships like this one delicate, quiet, born from conflict but held together by choice.

Delilah with her open heart. Elise with her closed doors. And me, somewhere in the middle.

We didn't fix each other. But maybe that's not the point of friendship.

Maybe it's simply about being there.

And sticking around.

Even when the music fades.

Even when the rain pours.

Even when it gets tough.

Especially then.