Sohalia
What had started off as a perfectly lovely (albeit embarrassing) interaction had somehow turned sad, and Soh bit back tears as she desperately tried to figure out how to save the situation. She wasn't accustomed to talking about her feelings. Though she tended to wear her heart on her sleeve, she'd been raised by a particularly gruff person; sharing feelings hadn't exactly been Auden's forte. It left Soh - who had plenty of big emotions to process - in a bit of a difficult position. It wasn't that she tried to hide her emotions, it was just that she didn't know how to go about really feeling them.
"Yeah," she sniffled. "I think that's the worst part, right? Like, what if I'd done something different? Would they still be here?" She peered at Jude through watery eyes. He seemed to understand in a way that most people she'd interacted with since Auden's death hadn't. When he reached out to take her hand gently, she looked down with surprise, but she didn't pull away; instead, she squeezed his hand in solidarity. At that moment, they were just two kids who'd felt too much and tried too hard in a world that didn't really care.
As Jude tried to console her, a tear fell from Soh's cheek. Then another, and another, until she was choking back sobs. She hadn't really cried ever since Auden had died, preferring to focus on happier things rather than processing her grief. Jude's words pulled the sadness out of her, and for the first time, she allowed herself to really feel the pain of losing her guardian, and it was nearly enough to break her in two.
"Yeah," she sniffled. "I think that's the worst part, right? Like, what if I'd done something different? Would they still be here?" She peered at Jude through watery eyes. He seemed to understand in a way that most people she'd interacted with since Auden's death hadn't. When he reached out to take her hand gently, she looked down with surprise, but she didn't pull away; instead, she squeezed his hand in solidarity. At that moment, they were just two kids who'd felt too much and tried too hard in a world that didn't really care.
As Jude tried to console her, a tear fell from Soh's cheek. Then another, and another, until she was choking back sobs. She hadn't really cried ever since Auden had died, preferring to focus on happier things rather than processing her grief. Jude's words pulled the sadness out of her, and for the first time, she allowed herself to really feel the pain of losing her guardian, and it was nearly enough to break her in two.
there's no life without you here
