This Side of Paradise

Chp. 1: Crossing Roads

"Oh, hi there! I'm Autumn!" The girl held out her hand as she introduced herself.

Monika was forced to steady her breathing and take a step closer towards Autumn so she could shake it. "Monika." The brunette felt inclined to introduce herself as well, though the girl across from her likely already knew it.

"Mhm, I know!" Autumn let go of Monika's hand and nodded. "Who doesn't know you?"

Monika sighed and smiled, dropping her hand to her sides. The question was obviously rhetorical; it just confirmed to her even more that her popularity started to get her name known even by strangers.

Before Monika could dismiss herself, Autumn spoke up. "I didn't mean to barge in here like this, but I was just wondering if everything was alright in here. I heard someone crying..."

Autumn's voice trailed off as she looked around the room cautiously, only for her eyes to land back onto the brunette. "You're the only one in here.."

"Um, yeah," Monika laughed slightly, trying to ease the sudden tension. "Thanks for your concern, but everything's okay in here."

The shorter girl began to fiddle with her hands. "I know we just met but there's no need to hide anything. If there's something on your mind, you can talk about it."

Monika's eyes stayed focused on the girl in front of her. Should she tell her? It was true that they just met, but Autumn clearly had suspected that something was off with her. It would be rude to walk away and say nothing, right?

Even if it was polite to talk to her, the idea of sharing her troubles with someone else seemed off putting to Monika, who had just realized she had been thinking in silence for a few minutes.

She looked up and noticed Autumn patiently waiting for her to talk.

Monika did her best to keep her voice light and maintain a proper stance. "Well, I, uh.." Though coming to terms with what happened and thinking about it made her stumble on her words.

The other girl smiled softly, and Monika wondered for a second if Autumn found her uncharacteristic nervousness amusing. "It's okay, take your time."

Nodding, Monika began to try and get her thoughts in order, and mustered up the simplest way to state her trouble. "I quit the debate club."

There was a small silence in the room, and Monika looked down at the floor to try and hide her sudden pain that had once escaped only a few minutes ago.

"Why did you quit?" Autumn finally asked, placing her hands behind her back.

Monika inhaled sharply, leaning on the wall behind her. "That club was.." She looked forward again, her heart beginning to rise and fall quicker. "There was so much pressure that the club had. So many high standards..."

Autumn smiled empathetically, walking forward so she stood next to her. "That sounds overwhelming."

The brunette smiled weakly and slid down against the wall so she sat on the ground, clutching onto the ends of her skirt. "You could say that. I just couldn't stay there anymore."

Autumn silently sat down next to Monika as she continued shakily, "I guess I just couldn't handle it anymore." She then paused, feeling her face getting warmer as tears began to flood her eyes. "But it wasn't just that.."

"What do you mean?" Autumn questioned softly. "Couldn't the other people there help you with any work?"

Shaking her head, Monika tried to not let her tears effect her voice. "The work was so demanding because the people there were..." She took a moment to stop talking as her tears began to speed up. "T-They weren't very..."