After the Rain

it’s late at night. Rain pours endlessly as a young man stands alone on a bridge, gripping his phone

with shaking hands. Raindrops mix with the tears he refuses to acknowledge. On the screen is

the last message from the girl he loved more than anything—an abrupt confession that

she had been lying to him for months. He lowers the phone slowly, staring down at

the dark river below, searching for an answer that never comes. Suddenly,

he hears footsteps rushing toward him. His best friend sprints through the rain,

soaked completely, breathless. She stops in front of him, insisting he doesn’t

believe every word he read, reminding him he doesn’t deserve to be broken by