Try, and probably fail, to make it through.

The worst part of Alex's absence isn't, weirdly enough, the absence of Alex. Sure, she's become the reason why you appreciate life. She's the sunrise and sunset, the woman who made you feel the joy of life and want to truly live it. But that's not even the part that drags you furthest down, makes you relive the distrust and isolation of the past.

The problem is in yourself. Without her, all sorts of ideas start to take root once again. She's left you, they tell you. She's abandoned you, and you deserve it. This is all your fault. You really weren't good enough for her. And she lied to you, because she knew you weren't even worthy of the truth. Your logical mind tries to tell you otherwise, of course. No, that can't be true. But there's no way you can refute it, is there? So you can't know that it's wrong. There's every chance that your fears are justified. They have certainly been justified before.

Everything reminds you of her. The light of the setting afternoon sun... the sound of chatter and gossip all around. Even the hard wooden floor of the corridor where you're sitting at the side... reminds you of the floor you were knocked into when you met her for the first time. Everything reminds you that she's gone. And no one can replace her.

Someone tries.

"Hey, over there! What's troublin' ya?"