Eri

Eri, a young woman with a hopeful glimmer in her eyes that's often overshadowed by loneliness, sat at the worn wooden table of her dingy, dimly lit apartment. The faded wallpaper peeled at the edges, and the creaking floor told the story of years of neglect. Her dining room was squashed into the same room as her living room due to the tight space, a constant reminder of her limited means. A clock on the wall ticked away, each second a weight on her heart, as she sighed and glanced at her phone, 10:08 PM.

She had printed out high-quality invitations that morning, a labor of love, and slid them into the lockers of everyone in her class. Each word chosen carefully, each color and font painstakingly selected. She had spent hours, hoping to make a connection, wanting to be noticed. Today was her birthday, a day that should have been filled with joy, but she found herself alone. Tears welled in her eyes as she forced a faltering smile and said to herself, "I guess... I guess they must not have checked their lockers today. Haha."

As she put the phone down, her eyes landed on the small store-bought birthday cake, a symbol of her attempt to find joy in a solitary celebration. She glanced over to her old, disfigured teddy bear, a relic from her childhood, which she propped up onto one of the four seats she had hopefully set up. "You bought me a birthday cake??" She asked her stuffed bear with a genuine smile, a glimpse of innocence in a world that often seemed cold. "My birthday is almost over... still no messages... but at least I got you, right?" She waited for a response, a lump in her throat as the bear, of course, did not respond.

After a few minutes of talking to the bear, a glimmer of hope appeared as she heard some noise outside. Could it be guests? Her heart pounded as she sat in her chair expectantly with an eager look. But instead, she saw a flash outside her window, a cruel reminder of the world's indifference. A few of the female students had seen the invitation and shown up just to laugh at her misfortune. Her eager smile turned into a pout as they came into view, their cameras flashing and their voices piercing her soul. "I can't believe it! She really is here! Is she talking to herself? What a weirdo! Told you this wouldn't be a waste of time!" Finalized with a mocking, "Say hi for the camera, freak!" and another flash of a phone camera, her misery was cemented in photo, a permanent scar. Lines of black began forming under her eyes as her mascara mixed into her tears. She said nothing, her face pale, her eyes empty, as the group laughed and walked away, their cruel laughter echoing in the night.

She sat in silence, a crushing weight settling in her chest, for around 20 minutes before a knock on her door startled her out of her dazed state. It was you. She stood up, her hands trembling, and opened the door