Chapter 15: "When Silence Wins"
Zariah stood outside the counselor's door.
Her hand hovered over the doorknob, shaking slightly. She'd walked here twice already that morning—once before homeroom, once during break. Both times, she turned away.
But Jasmine's words rang in her ears like an alarm that wouldn't shut off.
"I can't be the only one keeping you alive."
So she stood there, frozen. Just open the door. Three seconds. That's all it would take.
But then the voice came back—the one in her own head.
"They'll send you away."
"They'll say you're dramatic."
"You'll ruin everything."
And with that… she turned around. Again.
Later that day, Jasmine caught up to her in the hallway. "Did you go?"
Zariah looked at the floor. "No. I couldn't."
Jasmine didn't get mad. She just nodded. "Okay. But you're not giving up, right?"
Zariah wanted to say no. She wanted to promise she'd go tomorrow.
But all she could whisper was, "I don't know."
Because the truth was, she didn't know what was scarier—staying silent, or finally saying it all out loud.
That night, the silence screamed again.
She sat on her bedroom floor, back against the door, tears streaming down her face. Her stomach ached from not eating. Her eyes burned from exhaustion. Her scars, old and new, pulsed under her sleeves.
She pressed her hands to her head, trying to block the voices out.
"No one would miss you."
"You're too broken to fix."
"Even Jasmine will leave one day."
She wanted to scream. But instead, she reached for the blade again.
She didn't go as deep as last time. But it still hurt.
Afterward, she curled up under her blanket, fully clothed, still shaking. She stared at the ceiling until the dark felt like it was breathing with her.
In the morning, she put on her hoodie, her mask, and her A-student smile.
And nobody knew a thing.
Except Jasmine. Jasmine always knew.
And even she was starting to realize… something bad was coming if Zariah didn't speak soon.