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Holding On to Maybe
In a small, quiet town nestled between green hills, lived a boy named Aiden. Aiden was 15 years old, with dark brown hair that often fell into his eyes and a shy smile that rarely appeared. He was a quiet boy, not because he didn't have anything to say, but because he didn’t know how to say it.
Every day, Aiden watched other kids his age laughing together, playing games, and talking about things he couldn’t quite understand. They had inside jokes, secret handshakes, and stories they had made together over the years. Aiden longed to be part of that world, to have a friend who would laugh with him, listen to him, and share moments that would make him feel like he belonged.
He tried, over and over, to reach out. At school, he would sit at the edge of groups, hoping someone would notice him. He tried joining in their games, but he wasn’t good at sports, and when he made a mistake, they laughed, not in a mean way, but in a way that made Aiden feel even smaller. He would try to talk to them about things he liked—books, the stars, his favourite music—but they seemed uninterested.
Aiden would come home each day, his heart a little heavier, and sit in his room, staring at the ceiling. He wondered what was wrong with him. Why couldn’t he connect with anyone? Was he so different that no one could ever truly understand him?
His parents tried to help. They told him he just needed to give it time, that making friends wasn’t always easy, especially when you’re quiet and shy. His mother would hug him, saying, “One day, Aiden, you’ll find someone who sees the world the way you do. You just have to be patient.”
But Aiden was tired of being patient. The loneliness gnawed at him, making each day feel longer than the last. Sometimes, he would sit by the window at night, looking at the stars, wondering if somewhere out there, someone was looking at the same sky and feeling the same way he did.
The days turned into weeks, and the weeks into months. Aiden kept trying, but nothing seemed to change. The loneliness became a constant companion, a shadow that followed him wherever he went.
One evening, after a particularly hard day at school, Aiden wandered down to the small lake near his house. It was a place he often went to when he needed to think.Aiden sat by the edge, his knees drawn up to his chest, and for the first time, he let the tears fall.
He cried for the friends he didn’t have, for the words he couldn’t say, for the deep ache in his heart that never seemed to go away. The tears kept coming, washing over him like a flood, and for a moment, he felt like he might drown in them.
When the tears finally stopped, Aiden was exhausted. But in the quietness that followed, he felt something he hadn’t felt in a long time—a tiny flicker of hope. It was small, like a single star in a dark sky, but it was there. Maybe, just maybe, things would be different one day.
He didn’t know when or how, but a part of him believed that somewhere out there, someone was waiting for him. Someone who would understand him, who would laugh with him and share secrets with him. A true friend, the kind he had always dreamed of.
As he sat there, staring at the reflection of the stars in the water, Aiden made a promise to himself. He would keep going. He would keep trying. He wouldn’t give up, because deep down, he knew that someday, he would find that one person who would change everything.
And until that day came, he would hold on to the hope that one day, he wouldn’t be so alone. Maybe it wouldn’t happen tomorrow, or next week, or even next year, but Aiden believed that his true friend was out there, somewhere.
Maybe.
© Xingyun
Every day, Aiden watched other kids his age laughing together, playing games, and talking about things he couldn’t quite understand. They had inside jokes, secret handshakes, and stories they had made together over the years. Aiden longed to be part of that world, to have a friend who would laugh with him, listen to him, and share moments that would make him feel like he belonged.
He tried, over and over, to reach out. At school, he would sit at the edge of groups, hoping someone would notice him. He tried joining in their games, but he wasn’t good at sports, and when he made a mistake, they laughed, not in a mean way, but in a way that made Aiden feel even smaller. He would try to talk to them about things he liked—books, the stars, his favourite music—but they seemed uninterested.
Aiden would come home each day, his heart a little heavier, and sit in his room, staring at the ceiling. He wondered what was wrong with him. Why couldn’t he connect with anyone? Was he so different that no one could ever truly understand him?
His parents tried to help. They told him he just needed to give it time, that making friends wasn’t always easy, especially when you’re quiet and shy. His mother would hug him, saying, “One day, Aiden, you’ll find someone who sees the world the way you do. You just have to be patient.”
But Aiden was tired of being patient. The loneliness gnawed at him, making each day feel longer than the last. Sometimes, he would sit by the window at night, looking at the stars, wondering if somewhere out there, someone was looking at the same sky and feeling the same way he did.
The days turned into weeks, and the weeks into months. Aiden kept trying, but nothing seemed to change. The loneliness became a constant companion, a shadow that followed him wherever he went.
One evening, after a particularly hard day at school, Aiden wandered down to the small lake near his house. It was a place he often went to when he needed to think.Aiden sat by the edge, his knees drawn up to his chest, and for the first time, he let the tears fall.
He cried for the friends he didn’t have, for the words he couldn’t say, for the deep ache in his heart that never seemed to go away. The tears kept coming, washing over him like a flood, and for a moment, he felt like he might drown in them.
When the tears finally stopped, Aiden was exhausted. But in the quietness that followed, he felt something he hadn’t felt in a long time—a tiny flicker of hope. It was small, like a single star in a dark sky, but it was there. Maybe, just maybe, things would be different one day.
He didn’t know when or how, but a part of him believed that somewhere out there, someone was waiting for him. Someone who would understand him, who would laugh with him and share secrets with him. A true friend, the kind he had always dreamed of.
As he sat there, staring at the reflection of the stars in the water, Aiden made a promise to himself. He would keep going. He would keep trying. He wouldn’t give up, because deep down, he knew that someday, he would find that one person who would change everything.
And until that day came, he would hold on to the hope that one day, he wouldn’t be so alone. Maybe it wouldn’t happen tomorrow, or next week, or even next year, but Aiden believed that his true friend was out there, somewhere.
Maybe.
© Xingyun
