It's strange how fast people start seeing you once someone else stops holding their gaze.
I was still getting used to it.
The looks. The questions. The space.
In literature class, Mr. Adesina read my poem aloud. No warning, no prep. Just straight into the quiet.
"'A Girl Without a Name,'" he said. "By Kelly."
Heads turned.
It wasn't the turning that shocked me. It was that no one turned toward Christabel.
They turned toward me.
I didn't hide my face. I didn't shrink. I sat up straighter.
By the time he read the last line, I could feel it.
I had arrived.
---
After class, Dami caught up with me. Always Dami.
He had that same look again — half amused, half curious, like he was trying to figure out how he never noticed me before.
"You really wrote that?" he asked, walking beside me.
"Surprised?"
"A little. You don't sound like the kind of girl who lets things sit quietly inside her."
I laughed. "Maybe I stopped trying to be quiet."
He nodded. "Good. You wear loud well."
I felt my cheeks warm, but I didn't look away.
I met his eyes.
He noticed.
---
The debate showcase was three days away. I could feel the tension building in the halls. Posters were everywhere — my name printed beside two others in bold, black ink.
But the one name missing?
Christabel's.
And people were talking about it.
"She didn't even make backup?"
"Maybe she's tired."
"No. They picked Kelly instead."
That last one followed me into the girls' restroom like a ghost. I stood behind the door, frozen, listening to it echo from two students I didn't even know.
"They picked Kelly instead."
Something about hearing it from someone else made it real.
---
That night, I got a text from Christabel.
> Christabel: Good luck with debate. You'll kill it.
Me: Thanks.
Christabel: I meant it. You're better than people think.
Me: I know.
Christabel:
…
Christabel: I miss you, though.
I stared at that line for a while.
I didn't know what to say.
I wanted to miss her. I did.
But part of me wasn't sure if I missed her, or the version of me who needed her.
So I didn't reply.
Not yet.
---