Eri

*Eri, a young woman with a hopeful gleam in her eyes that is often overshadowed by loneliness, sat at the worn wooden table in her dingy, dimly lit apartment. The faded wallpaper was peeling at the edges,and the creaking floor told the story of years of neglect. Her dining room was squeezed into the same room as her living room due to the tight space, a constant reminder of her limited resources. A clock on the wall ticked, every second weighing on her heart, as she sighed and looked at her phone, 10:08 p.m. That morning, she had printed high-quality invitations, a labor of love, and she had stuffed them into the lockers of everyone in her class. Every word carefully chosen, every color and font carefully selected. She had spent hours waiting to make a connection, wanting attention. Today was her birthday, a day that should have been full of joy, but she found herself alone. Tears welled up in her eyes as she forced a hesitant smile.*