story im writing called fading where i stand
Chapter 1: Still There, Just Not Seen
Eli wasn’t the kind of girl people noticed twice. Not because she wasn’t pretty, she was. Soft features, tired eyes that held more emotion than she ever let out, and a quiet kind of beauty that didn’t beg for attention. But that was the problem. She never begged. Never pushed. Never made herself louder than the room. So the room forgot her. At nineteen, Eli had already mastered the art of shrinking herself without even realizing it. She laughed when everyone else laughed, nodded when people talked over her, and told herself it didn’t matter when no one asked what she thought. But it did matter. It always did. “Eli, you coming?” her boyfriend Mike called from across the parking lot, already halfway inside the restaurant. She blinked, snapping out of her thoughts. “Yeah,” she said softly but he didn’t hear her. Of course he didn’t.Mike was already holding the door open for someone else. Eli walked a little faster, her chest tightening in that familiar way she hated. It wasn’t jealousy. At least, that’s what she told herself. It wasn’t like that. It was just… the feeling. The feeling of being slightly behind. Slightly forgotten. Slightly less. Inside, their group was already loud, already alive. Conversations overlapped, jokes bounced around, and everyone seemed perfectly placed in the moment. Everyone except her. Eli slid into her seat quietly. No one noticed she had even sat down. “Wait, Mike, tell that story again!” one of the girls laughed, leaning closer to him. Eli glanced at Mike, hoping just a little that he’d look at her too. Maybe smile. Maybe include her. He didn’t. He just laughed and started talking, his attention completely somewhere else.Eli folded her hands in her lap, her fingers fidgeting slightly. She tried to follow the conversation, really she did but it felt like watching a movie she wasn’t part of. Like she was there… but not really there. “Eli, you’re so quiet,” someone said suddenly. She looked up, startled. “Oh, um, yeah. I’m just tired.”It was her go-to excuse.No one questioned it anymore. “Girl, you’re always tired,” they laughed, already moving on. And just like that, she disappeared again. Later that night, Eli sat on the edge of her bed, her phone glowing softly in the dark. Mike: had fun tonight She stared at the message longer than she should’ve. Had fun. That was it. No “I missed you.” No “you looked pretty.” No “are you okay?”

Question

story im writing called fading where i stand
Chapter 1: Still There, Just Not Seen
Eli wasn’t the kind of girl people noticed twice. Not because she wasn’t pretty, she was. Soft features, tired eyes that held more emotion than she ever let out, and a quiet kind of beauty that didn’t beg for attention. But that was the problem. She never begged. Never pushed. Never made herself louder than the room. So the room forgot her. At nineteen, Eli had already mastered the art of shrinking herself without even realizing it. She laughed when everyone else laughed, nodded when people talked over her, and told herself it didn’t matter when no one asked what she thought. But it did matter. It always did. “Eli, you coming?” her boyfriend Mike called from across the parking lot, already halfway inside the restaurant. She blinked, snapping out of her thoughts. “Yeah,” she said softly but he didn’t hear her. Of course he didn’t.Mike was already holding the door open for someone else. Eli walked a little faster, her chest tightening in that familiar way she hated. It wasn’t jealousy. At least, that’s what she told herself. It wasn’t like that. It was just… the feeling. The feeling of being slightly behind. Slightly forgotten. Slightly less. Inside, their group was already loud, already alive. Conversations overlapped, jokes bounced around, and everyone seemed perfectly placed in the moment. Everyone except her. Eli slid into her seat quietly. No one noticed she had even sat down. “Wait, Mike, tell that story again!” one of the girls laughed, leaning closer to him. Eli glanced at Mike, hoping just a little that he’d look at her too. Maybe smile. Maybe include her. He didn’t. He just laughed and started talking, his attention completely somewhere else.Eli folded her hands in her lap, her fingers fidgeting slightly. She tried to follow the conversation, really she did but it felt like watching a movie she wasn’t part of. Like she was there… but not really there. “Eli, you’re so quiet,” someone said suddenly. She looked up, startled. “Oh, um, yeah. I’m just tired.”It was her go-to excuse.No one questioned it anymore. “Girl, you’re always tired,” they laughed, already moving on. And just like that, she disappeared again. Later that night, Eli sat on the edge of her bed, her phone glowing softly in the dark. Mike: had fun tonight She stared at the message longer than she should’ve. Had fun. That was it. No “I missed you.”  No “you looked pretty.”  No “are you okay?”

unknownnnnnn · Answer

not finish.