Naila's Room - Early Morning
The morning sun filtered through the curtains, casting pale golden stripes across the cluttered bedroom. Clothes were piled on the chair. Books were stacked haphazardly on the desk. Empty snack wrappers sat on the nightstand.
And in the center of it all, Naila lay in bed.
But she wasn't sleeping.
Fatimah had come to pick Naila up for their morning class. She'd knocked three times, waited, and received no response. That wasn't unusual, because Naila was notorious for sleeping through alarms. But something felt wrong today. The silence was too heavy.
"Naila?" Fatimah called out softly, while pushing the door open. "Are you okay?"
She froze.
Naila was awake. Her eyes were open, staring blankly at the ceiling with the hollow emptiness of someone who had been looking at nothing for a very long time. Her skin was pale, almost gray. Beside her on the pillow lay an almost-empty bottle of sleeping pills.
Fatimah's bag hit the floor with a thud.
"NAILA!" She sprinted to the bed, grabbing Naila's shoulders and shaking her. "Naila! What did you do?!"
Naila's head lolled slightly. Her voice came out as barely more than a whisper, raw and broken. "Fatimah... I'm so tired..."
Fatimah's hands were shaking as she pulled out her phone. Her fingers fumbled with the screen as she dialed Chima's number, all while keeping one hand on Naila, trying to keep her conscious, keep her present.
"Chima, get to Naila's room. NOW. And bring Alice. Please... just hurry."
***
Naila's Bathroom - 30 Minutes Later
Chima and Alice had arrived in record time. Chima was still in her pajamas. Alice hadn't even brushed her hair. But none of that mattered.
They found Naila in the bathroom, standing unsteadily in front of the sink. Her trembling fingers were fumbling with a razor blade trying to pry it open.
Chima moved faster than anyone had ever seen her move. She crossed the small bathroom in two strides and grabbed Naila's wrist with a grip like iron, yanking the blade away.
"NO!" Chima's voice cracked. "NAILA, NO! ARE YOU STUPID OR WHAT?!"
Naila collapsed against the sink, sobbing weakly. Her whole body seemed to fold in on itself. "My life... is worthless... I just always bother all of you..."
Alice wrapped her arms around Naila from behind, her face, usually so full of laughter, now etched with fear and desperation. "Don't say that! You NEVER bother us."
Between the three of them, they managed to guide Naila out of the bathroom. She was barely walking, her legs buckling beneath her.
Wony arrived just as they emerged. She took one look at Naila's pale, tear-streaked face and the discarded razor blade on the bathroom floor, and her hand flew to her mouth.
"Naila..." Wony's voice was barely a whisper. "My dear... what happened to you..."
***
The Apartment Balcony - 1 Hour Later
They had moved to the living room. Naila was wrapped in a blanket, sipping water, her breathing slowly returning to normal. The crisis seemed to have passed.
But then, without warning, she shot up from the couch.
"I can't do this," she screamed, and before anyone could react, she was running toward the balcony door.
"Naila, NO!" Fatimah was on her feet instantly.
Naila was already trying to climb over the railing, her thin body heaving with desperate sobs. "LET ME GO! I JUST WANT IT TO END!"
Chima caught her before she could get both legs over. The fierce girl wrapped her arms around Naila's waist, pulling her back with every ounce of strength she had. "I WILL NEVER LET GO!" Chima shouted, her voice breaking. "NEVER! DO YOU HEAR ME? NEVER!"
Fatimah and Alice rushed to help, grabbing Naila's arms and pulling her back from the edge. Wony fell to her knees, sobbing uncontrollably, wrapping her arms around Naila's legs as if she could anchor her to the earth.
The four of them managed to get Naila down onto the balcony floor, collapsing in a heap around her. They were all crying now with tears of fear, relief, and heartbreak.
Fatimah was gasping through her sobs. "We need you, Naila. We LOVE you!"
Chima's face was soaked, her usual fierce expression completely shattered. "You are the most important person in my life! Don't leave me!"
Alice clung to Naila's arm, her voice trembling with terror. "Life is fun, Nail. We still have so many adventures left."
Wony's elegant composure had dissolved completely. "You make our lives more colorful... please don't leave us..."
Naila looked at her friends. She saw their tear-streaked faces, their red-rimmed eyes, their trembling hands that still held onto her so tightly. She saw the fear in their eyes. The love.
Something cracked inside her. The wall she'd built around her pain began to crumble.
Naila broke down completely, sobs wracking her small frame. "I'm sorry... I'm sorry... I'm just... I'm just so tired..."
***
The Living Room - Nighttime
The sun had set. The apartment was quiet except for the soft hum of the city outside.
Naila was finally calm. She sat in the middle of the couch, wrapped in the softest blanket Wony had found. Her friends surrounded her, a protective circle of love.
Naila's voice was soft, barely above a whisper. "I feel... useless. I'm just lazy and shy and always a burden..."
Chima grabbed her hand, squeezing it tightly. "You are NOT a burden. You're the reason I learned to be softer."
Wony nodded, her eyes still red from crying. "You remind us that it's okay to slow down and rest. You teach us that not everything has to be perfect."
Alice leaned in, her voice earnest in a way it rarely was. "And you're the bravest person I know... today proved that."
Fatimah took Naila's other hand, her grip warm and steady. "We need you exactly as you are. Just you. The real you. Don't ever think you need to leave us."
Naila's eyes traveled from face to face; from Fatimah's steady strength to Chima's fierce protectiveness, from Wony's gentle care to Alice's bright spirit.
"I promise," she whispered, her voice shaky but determined. "I promise I won't try again. I want to... I want to try to become a better person."
The five of them came together in a group hug, holding each other tightly. The warmth of their embrace seemed to push back the darkness that had been closing in on Naila.
"I love you guys," Naila murmured into the tangle of arms and shoulders. "I'm sorry I scared you."
"We love you too," they said in unison, their voices overlapping like a chorus.
And for the first time in a long time, Naila felt like maybe, just maybe, she could make it through another day.
***
The Same Night - Later
They had ordered takeout, Alice had insisted on Naila's favorite comfort food. The five of them sat in a circle on the living room floor, surrounded by containers of noodles and dumplings and everything warm and delicious.
Chima kept sneaking glances at Naila, as if making sure she was still there. "So," she said, trying to lighten the mood. "Who's going to tell the story about the time Wony got drunk and had a conversation with a plant?"
"NO!" Wony protested. "We are NEVER discussing that again!"
Alice grinned, her usual mischief returning. "Too late! It's already legendary."
Naila smiled, a fragile smile, but a real one. "I would... like to hear it again."
"Traitor!" Wony gasped, but she was smiling too.
The tension in the room began to dissolve, replaced by the comfortable chaos of their friendship. They teased each other. They laughed. They ate too much.
And through it all, they made sure Naila was included. They made sure she knew she was seen. Loved. Wanted.
Later, when they finally left Naila's house, they each gave her one last hug.
Fatimah was the last to leave. She paused at the door, turning back to look at her friend. "You're going to be okay, Naila. I promise."
Naila nodded, tears glistening in her eyes again, but this time, they weren't tears of despair. "I know. I have you guys."
Fatimah smiled. "Always."
And as the door closed behind her, Naila looked around her room. The clothes were still messy. The books were still stacked haphazardly. The empty snack wrappers were still there.
But somehow, everything felt a little bit brighter.
She still had a long way to go. There would be hard days ahead. But she knew now that she wouldn't have to face them alone.
She had her four girls.
And that was enough.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlr3swGBqig
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