One evening, while Jade scrolled through TheSlap aimlessly, a video from her friends popped up. It was Tori, Cat, Beck, and Robbie, gathered around a phone and giggling, their laughter ringing loud and clear. They were prank calling Sikowitz, their eccentric acting teacher, who seemed completely oblivious to their antics.
Jade watched the video in the silence of her room, her laptop's screen illuminating her face in the darkness. She saw their shared laughter, their camaraderie, and it stung. She should have been there with them, laughing and partaking in the prank. But she was here, in her room, all alone, socially isolating herself from them.
She could have laughed at Sikowitz's reactions. She could have added her own ideas to the prank, but all she could do now was watch them from a distance. Her heart clenched painfully at their happiness, a reminder of what she had voluntarily distanced herself from due to her fear of rejection.
The video ended, leaving her staring at her own reflection in the dark screen. She was Jade West, always defiant, always resilient. But at that moment, she felt small, insignificant, and incredibly alone.