Sofia’s POV
The first few check-ins were short and careful.
Monday afternoon my phone buzzed. Lena’s name appeared on the screen: “How’s today?”
I stared at the message for a full minute, thumb hovering. I typed back: “Shaky but okay.”
She just went a simple thumbs up emoji. Nothing else. No follow up questions. No pressure.
The tightness that was in my chest now eased up just a bit. It was like someone had loosened a knot that I did not know was there.
By the next week the messages stretched longer. She started sending memes that was about anxiety brain fog. A cartoon character that was staring blankly at the wall with the caption “when your thoughts are buffering.”
I laughed out loud in my kitchen. The sound made even me surprised. I replied with a crying laughing emoji and the
