Khrisana sat in the backseat of Amara's car, her phone pressed to her ear. Her mom was on the line, her voice full of warmth. "You slept good, baby?" she asked. "Yeah,"  Khrisana  murmured. "The bed was soft. Like, rich soft." Her mom chuckled. "As long as yuh comfy. Yuh eat?" " Mhm," she said. "We had breakfast before we left." Jaylen was in the front, half-arguing with Amara about who had the worst handwriting in their group. Khrisana  lowered the phone from her ear, still smiling as she listened. When they arrived at school, the day picked up quick. It was presentation day for their group project in Media & Society, and the nerves were already crawling under Khrisana's skin. She walked through the halls with her head slightly down, backpack heavy, even though it mostly held air and tension. In class, their teacher Ms. Rowe stood at the front, clipboard in hand, lips pressed tight. "Edwards, Hartley, and Westwood," she said, voice crisp. "You three are up for the media presentation." Khrisana's heart nearly sank to her shoes. She felt Amara's elbow nudge her softly. "We got this," Amara whispered. Jaylen rolled his eyes dramatically. "If I can survive math, I can survive this." They stood together at the front of the room. Amara kicked things off confidently, talking about the effects of social media on teenagers. Jaylen followed up with humor and stats. Then it was Khrisana's turn.

She paused for a beat too long. "Um..."She stared at the slide on the screen, then at the sea of faces watching her. But Jaylen shot her a thumbs-up from the side. Amara smiled at her gently, mouthing go on. So Khrisana cleared her throat and pushed through, talking about comparison culture, identity issues, and the pressure to be perfect online. Her voice wobbled here and there, but she didn't stop. When they sat down, she felt like she'd just run a mile. But something about the way Amara leaned in and whispered, "You did amazing," made her shoulders drop. Just a little. At lunch, they all laughed about how serious Ms. Rowe looked the entire time. "She looked like she was watching the Oscars and hated the nominees," Jaylen joked. Khrisana snorted into her juice. "She probably thought I was gonna faint." "You didn't," Amara said. "You spoke. You showed up. That matters." After school, they each headed their separate ways. Amara caught her usual ride, Jaylen walked toward his older cousin's car, and Khrisana took her time walking home. Her fingers clutched the strap of her bag tighter the closer she got. Her front door felt heavier than usual. She hesitated.

But when she stepped inside, she was met by the smell of dinner on the stove and the sound of her baby brother yelling her name. "Krissy!" he called, running and hugging her legs. Her little sister peeked out from the hallway, holding a popsicle. Her mom popped her head out from the kitchen. "Yuh home! You good"" Khrisana smiled, her heart swelling with something warm and gentle. "Yeah, I'm good". Later that evening, she changed her sheets something about Amara's soft comforter had inspired her and sank into the mattress. The light was off, the room dim. Her phone buzzed.

Jaylen: "Y'all saw the way Ms. Rowe blinked through my whole monologue? Iconic."
Amara: "I'm still stuck on how Khrisana bodied the part about identity pressure. Period."
Khrisana: "Y'all lie so sweet 😭 but thanks"

She chuckled to herself and turned onto her side. The house was quiet. Safe. Tonight, she didn't feel small. She didn't feel afraid. Not completely.