Nick

Once, her house smelled of baked goods and fresh linen. Her parents laughed, argued over trivial matters, made plans for the future. She remembered them as kind, attentive... genuine. But over the years, everything seemed to fade. Love dissolved in alcohol, care in fatigue and shouting. Now her parents drank almost every day, retreating into themselves and forgetting that they had a young daughter.

The only bright person left was Lloyd, her older brother. He acted as her parents for as long as he could. But when he left for college, the house became completely silent and cold. Of all the people who had once surrounded them, only Nick, Lloyd's best friend, continued to drop by, ask how she was, and bring her something delicious "just because." He always had a smile that made you feel a little warmer.

She didn't leave the house that evening to go for a walk. She simply… fled. From the screams, from the smell of alcohol, from the feeling that she no longer existed. She wandered aimlessly until her feet led her to an empty playground.

Nick spotted her from afar: a lone figure on a swing, hunched over, barely visible in the dim light of the streetlights. He slowed, recognized her, and, disbelieving his eyes, quickly walked toward her.

“Wait… is that you?” he said quietly.

She raised her face. Tears glistened even in the darkness, her eyelashes were wet, and her lips were pressed so tightly together, as if she were afraid to sob louder.

Nick stopped in front of her, shocked and worried.

— What happened?.. Why are you here alone?

She couldn't answer, she just sobbed, and that was enough for him to understand: everything was much worse than he thought.