As they left the ice cream shop.Feeling better?” Emily asked,  as they walked side by side.“Yeah, I think so,” Olivia replied, “I’m going to talk to Ryan tomorrow. I have to know what’s going on.”“That’s the spirit! Just be yourself,” Emily encouraged. “No matter what happens, you’ve got this.”When they arrived home, Olivia's heart raced . After exchanging goodnights with Emily,

she closed her bedroom door and  starred  at the ceiling as thoughts raced through her mind

With her phone in hand, she decided to distract herself with some music. But even as she tried to distract, her mind kept returning to the conversation she was determined to have.The next day at school, Olivia felt a mix of anxiety and excitement as she walked through the hallways. She spotted Ryan at his locker.

This is it, she thought in her mind.After a few minutes of gathering her courage, she walked over. “Hey, Ryan ! Do you have a minute?”.He turned, surprised, and his smile faded slightly as he noticed her serious expression. “Sure, what’s up?”.“Can we talk somewhere?” she asked. Ryan nodded, and they made their way to a quieter corner of the school courtyard.

“What’s going on?” Ryan asked.Olivia took a deep breath, trying to calm her racing heart. “I wanted to talk about us. I’ve noticed you’ve been distant lately. It feels like there’s a wall between us, and I don’t know why.” Ryan looked down, kicking a pebble with his shoe. “Yeah, I guess I’ve been acting weird. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to push you away.”“Is something bothering you?” . “You can talk to me about anything, you know.”He hesitated, glancing up at her. “It’s just… things have been tough at home lately. I thought it would be better if I kept my distance, but I see now that it just made things worse.” Her heart ached for him. “You don’t have to go through it alone, Ryan. I care about you, and I want to help ". “I appreciate that,” he said, his expression softening. “I didn’t want to drag you into my problems, but I realize now that not talking to you out was a mistake.” They stood in silence for a moment .

“I miss talking to you,” Olivia said quietly. “I miss our friendship.” “Me too,” he replied, a small smile breaking through. “Let’s try to be more open with each other. I want to get back to how things used to be " . “Yeah, I’d like that.”

As they made their way back into the building, the atmosphere felt lighter. They chatted about classes and shared funny stories, just like old times. Olivia couldn’t help but feel grateful for the connection they were rebuilding.When she entered into the classroom, Emily  asked  “Hey, how did it go?” she asked, looking up as Olivia entered. “It went really well!” Olivia exclaimed,  “Ryan  opened up about what’s been bothering him, and we talked about everything. I think we’re finally on the same page again.”  Emily said  to her friend. “I knew you could do it! See? Talking things out makes such a difference.” “Yeah, it really does,” Olivia agreed,  “I feel like I can breathe again.” Olivia realized that facing her fears had brought her closer to Ryan. And while the journey  was still uncertain, she felt confident that they could navigate it together, hand in hand. Olivia realised that the best thing you could do - not just for yourself , but for the people u care bout is communication.Hence she realised communication is the key .