Invisible Girl

The first bell of Riverside College rang through the hallway, echoing like a reminder that another day had begun. Students hurried past, laughing and calling out to friends. At the back of Room 2-C sat Hita, head slightly bowed, pen already moving across a half-finished essay that wasn’t hers.

“Hitaaa~!”

Mira’s sing-song voice floated over. “Can you finish my report? You’re so good at writing.”

“O-okay,” Hita murmured, forcing a smile.

Mira grinned. “You’re the best!” She turned away, whispering to her friends, and they giggled. Hita heard it but pretended not to. The laughter stung, yet she told herself it didn’t matter. Helping was easier than being ignored.

While others chatted and planned lunch, she kept writing. The classroom emptied until only the scratching of her pen remained. Her stomach rumbled; she hadn’t eaten breakfast. Still, she finished Mira’s report, stacked her papers neatly, and whispered to no one, “It’s fine. They’ll notice me someday.”

But the truth sat heavy in her chest. They never would.

The sound of a chair scraping broke her thoughts. A boy stood by the doorway — tall, with dark messy hair and calm brown eyes. She recognized him: Reyan, the new transfer student who’d joined a week ago.

“You’re still here?” he asked.

“Ah… just finishing something.”

His eyes shifted to the pile of essays. “You wrote those for them?”

“They asked,” she said quickly. “It’s no big deal.”

He watched her for a moment, unreadable.

“You don’t have to say yes every time.”

The words were simple, but they landed somewhere deep. Before she could answer, he left hands in his pockets, voice lingering in her ears. You don’t have to say yes every time.

That evening, Hita sat on her dorm-room bed, books scattered, laptop humming softly. The city lights blinked through the window. She stared at her reflection in the glass tired eyes, small shoulders, the faint curve of a polite smile that felt less real every day.

Her phone buzzed. A message from Mira lit up the screen:

Hita, can you print my report too? I’ll owe you 💕.”

Hita’s finger hovered over the keyboard. Her pulse quickened. Saying “no” felt impossible; it was like breaking a rule the world had written for her. What if Mira got angry? What if everyone stopped talking to her?

She closed her eyes. Reyan’s quiet tone replayed in her head. You don’t have to say yes every time.

Her thumb hesitated… then pressed delete.

The message disappeared.

A silence filled the room heavy at first, then lighter, almost peaceful. Her heart still raced, but something inside her shifted, tiny yet undeniable.

“No,” she whispered aloud, testing the sound.

“I can say it.”

For the first time, the word didn’t feel rude or wrong. It felt like air after holding her breath too long.

She opened her window; cool wind brushed her face. Somewhere below, laughter from the courtyard floated upward carefree, distant. Hita smiled faintly. She wasn’t sure what tomorrow would bring probably questions, maybe anger but tonight, she had taken the smallest step toward herself.

Maybe courage starts like this, she thought.

Quiet. Small. But real.

The wind carried away her whisper, leaving behind a stillness that no longer felt empty.

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