Bella's phone rang the next day, the familiar tune of Lily's ringtone filling the room. She glanced at her phone, her swollen eyes feeling heavy. She knew she had to talk to her best friend, but her voice was still raw from all the crying the night before. Bella couldn't find it in herself to answer just yet. She simply let the call go to voicemail, not having the strength to explain her emotions.
After a few minutes, her phone pinged with a new message. It was from Lily. Bella picked up her phone to see what her best friend had to say.
The message simply read, "Are you okay?" Bella stared at those words for a moment.
She wasn't sure how to respond. "Okay" felt like a distant and unattainable concept right now. She finally managed to type out a response, her fingers shaking, "Not okay
