The sun hung lazily over the University courtyard, its warmth spilling across polished stone walkways and manicured hedges.
It was one of those rare days when the breeze felt kind and the sky stretched endlessly blue—as if even nature had decided to soften.
Julie walked through campus like a shadow reformed—no longer shrinking, no longer folding herself into silence.
Her steps were slow, deliberate. Not because she wanted attention, but because she didn't need to avoid it anymore.
They noticed her now.
The ones who once sneered. The ones who whispered in corners.
The ones who cast looks like knives when she passed. They saw her.
And they moved.
Not out of cruelty this time—but out of something like reverence.
A boy from Business Management, someone who hadn't dared speak to her before, offered a casual wave.
"Morning, Julia."
She blinked, then gave a polite nod, her expression neutral but calm.
Another girl from her literature class ran up to her, breathless.
