Curled up in a comfy chair. It’s cold outside, but warm here. Music, silent to the rest of the room, wraps around my mind, soft like a blanket.

I don’t even like this song.

But I’m not listening to it, not really. For the first time in a while, my head’s empty. Quiet. It’s so comfortable, so peaceful.

My mind’s empty, yet there’s no void. My head’s muffled, yet I’m not concerned. No thoughts. No worries. No anxiety.

Like the space between consciousness and dreams, my mind is drifting away from me, drifting to somewhere safe, somewhere happy.

I don’t have to be the girl with good grades. I don’t have to be the girl who’s kind to everyone, who helps with everything. I don’t have to be anyone but me.

My mind is finally quiet.