you walked the halls of nevermore aimlessly, constantly feeling something weigh on your shoulders. classmates and friends all around noticed your sudden shift and asked you how you were doing, but you always said you were alright. smiling from ear to ear, you felt an emptiness in yourself, but there was uncertainty as to why. if you said you weren’t okay, people would ask why and you didn’t have an answer.
larissa weems was casually walking down the halls when she noticed a certain student looking down. she walked over to you, tapping your shoulder and leading you to a nearby bench in the main square. the questions that people have asked you the past few weeks left her mouth and you felt that automatic ghost of a smile appear on your face, saying that you were alright. larissa raised her eyebrows as she could feel the exhaustion radiating from you. not wanting to let you miss your incoming classes, she sent you off. as she watched you walk back into the halls, larissa knew she had to come back to this issue later on.
classes were over for the day and you found yourself laying on the bed reading a book. as your eyes skimmed over the hundreds of words, you knew your mind was somewhere else. your wandering thoughts drifted to a certain woman as you put your book down. at that moment, your eyes became glossy thinking about her comforting smile and how she probably had one of the best hugs in the world. you were interrupted by your roommate, who burst through the door exclaiming that principal weems wanted to see you. wiping away the tears that almost fell, you got up from bed and made your way up to her office, your chest filled with dread.
you clenched your fists as you took a deep breath. you knocked and heard a soft ‘come in’. opening the door slowly, you were immediately greeted with the warmth from the fireplace and your principal sitting cozily next to it. the sight alone made you smile. “there is that smile i adore.” you looked at her as your face fell back to its stoic expression. she gave you a knowing but sad smile. the woman patted on a seat next to her, inviting you to sit. you cautiously walked towards her and sat down. the two of you shared a moment of silence, the only thing audible being the crackling of the fire. you felt it. you knew why she called you up here and what she was going to tell you. as the blonde was about to speak, you cut her off. “i know why you called me here. i’m completely fine and i don’t need you or anyone asking me anything. i don’t need your pity. i already have overflowing pity from everybody else.”
the entire speech from you would’ve fooled larissa if you weren’t shaking as your eyes became glossy again. a long pause of silence lingered in the air as you feared that you have truly driven your principal away just like everybody else who tried to care for you. what you didn’t expect was long arms to wrap around you into a warm hug. as you were pressed against her, you couldn’t help but let go of all that pain and emptiness that you had kept for weeks. tears flowed down as you sobbed uncontrollably. after what felt like years of crying, you let go of her and noticed that part of her dress where you laid your head was soaked. you apologized repeatedly for ruining her dress, but as you looked up at her for a response, there was just a smile. “it’s quite alright.” you gave her a genuine smile and quietly asked for another hug. “you don’t even need to ask.” as you were enveloped in her embrace, you realized you were right. larissa weems did have one of the best hugs in the world.