Arrival of a Friend

“Zared, what do you want?” Lily interrupted, her patience wearing thin.

“I’ve told you, I need space. I’m trying to move on and focus on my life.”

“I know, but I can’t stop thinking about what happened. I want to make things right, can we meet, please?” he pleaded.

Lily’s grip tightened on the phone.

“You can’t just keep calling me and expect everything to be okay. You’ve done enough damage. I don’t have the time or energy to deal with this right now.”

There was a pause on the other end of the line.

“I’m sorry, Lily. I didn’t mean to upset you. I just—”

“Goodbye, Zared,” Lily said, cutting him off. She hung up the phone, feeling a mix of anger and sadness. She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. The call had shaken her, bringing back memories she was desperately trying to bury.

She stared at her textbooks, but the motivation to study had evaporated. Her thoughts were a storm of emotions, frustration, anger, sorrow. She wanted to move on, to focus on her future, but Z