She stared blankly through the open window, the gray day mirroring her mood perfectly. She was glad the sun hid its face – she didn’t think she could handle the cheeriness. A cold wind whipped through the room, causing her hair to thrash wildly. She didn’t feel it. Rain fell – first in droplets, then in a steady downpour, dulling the landscape. She thought it fitting.

She had a hard day at school.

At times, she wondered why she remained friendly with some of her lunchmates – their views clashing violently with her own. Intolerance was something she couldn’t stand, but yet…

She wondered if they realized.

Comments were made, and she almost saw red. How dare they! How dare they say such things in front of her? Their callous words bit deeply into her heart. Their ignorance made her want to heave. They were intelligent people! Nice people! Well, most of the time. How could they come to such uninformed conclusions?

She sighed and rested her head on the cool pane.

Why? She asked herself. Why was the world so cruel?