WHEN GRACE CRAVED THE BROKEN ♥︎

PART 1 : THE DIARY

The evening sun was bleeding into dull, quiet gray, casting long shadows over the Isolated bus stop. It was the hour when steets emptied out, leaving the world feeling hollow and still. Sitting on the furthest edge of the metal bench, completely alone, was a girl.

A matte black diary was resting on her lap. The wind pulled at her hair, but she didn't seem to notice. Her pen moved slowly across the crisp white paper, tracing words that felt far too heavy for the quiet evening.

"When I am gone, you will be left with none..except the weight of what you have done."

For two long minutes, she just sat there, her gaze frozen on the ink. She stared at the words as if they were physically burning her, a sharp pain radiating deep inside her chest. With a sudden sharp movement, she snapped the diary shut, as if trying to lock the fire away.

She shoved the book into her bag, swung the strap over a single shoulder, and began to walk blindly into the fading lights.

_*Thud*_

She bumped sharply with someone. The impact jolted her, And the zipper of her bag gave way. Sending her belongings scattering across the cold ground. She didn't look up. Her eyes remained stuck to the ground, as if looking up would shatter whatever fragile wall she had built around herself.

The boy she had bumped into stood frozen, his eyes fixed on her. But she was already on her knees, gathering her things with trembling hand. She threw everything back into her bag, missing one crucial thing. She stood up and whispered "sorry" in a soft tone and started to walk away.

"Hey! you forgot your diary." The boy called out holding up the black matte diary , but she was gone.

The boy looked down at the diary in his hand. Curiosity getting the better of him, he flipped it open to the very last page. His eyes scanned the freshly written ink.

"When I am gone, you will be left with none..except the weight of what you have done."

A chill ran down his spine. He murmured the words. The weight of them settling in his chest. He knew instantly what it was. It wasn't a note, and it wasn't a poem - it was a goodbye message.

"But... who even are you?" he whispered to the empty street.

_THE NEXT MORNING..._

The heavy wooden door of the classroom slid open. The chatter of the students instantly died as a new girl stepped inside. The teacher Ms.Lee gave her a Warm, welcoming smile, but the girl didn't smile back. She stood at the front of the room, her gaze fixed on the ground.

"Hi , I am Elisa" she said. Her voice was flat, devoid of any warmth "I am new to this city".

Sitting on the last bench of the classroom was Jinhaan, the school's basketball cahmpion. Most famous and handsome boy of the university (A backbencher) . The moment she spoke, his head snapped up , basketball slipped from his hand. It was her. The girl from the bus stop.

From the front of the room, Elisa's face was breathtakingly beautiful, but it was completely expressionless. Looking at her felt like looking at a ghost; her eyes were vacant as if she is entirely dead inside.

The silence didn't last long. Whispers immediately broke out among the students in the back row.
"Wow, look at her attitude."
"She seems so arrogant."
"First day here , and she is already acting like she's better than everyone else."

Ms.Lee clapped her hands gently to drown out the noise. "Welcome Elisa. You Can go and take the last second seat"

Elisa walked without making eye contact with a single soul. She slipped into the lonely seat by the window, pulled out her text book and buried her gaze in it.

The entire class was staring at her, but Jinhaan's gaze was different. It was intense, it was fixed entirely on her trembling hands gripping the edges of the book.

As Ms.Lee turned to the blackboard to begin the lesson, Jinhaan tried to break the heavy tension hanging in the room. He was so funny, the kind of guy who could make the whole class laugh with just a word. Spinning the basketball casually under his desk, he cracked a sharp, funny joke.

The entire classroom erupted into loud, ringing laughter. Even Ms.Lee who was incredibly sweet and deeply attached to Jinhaan, laughed along with them.

But Jinhaan wasn't looking at the laughing crowd. His eyes were locked onto Elisa's expressionless sad face like she is dead inside. He didn't want the attention . He wanted her to smile just once.

But Elisa stayed completely still, staring at her book, her hands subtly shaking.

Whole class noticed that Elisa didn't smile. They started whispering...

"Such a cold girl... don't even smile."
"Icy girl...what she thinks of herself."
"She is just like a ghost."

Elisa didn't even flinch. She sat there perfectly still. Expressionless.

Ms.Lee sighed. She turned around, tapping her chalk against the board. "Silence, everyone. Stop the whispering and pay attention to the board."

The laughter died now. Jinhaan's gaze was just fixed on Elisa.