Jaden stood in front of his apartment door, staring at the doorknob. He had been here before, unsure, hesitant, trapped in his own fears. But today, there was something different. He took a deep breath and stepped outside.

For the first time, he didn’t feel the urge to hide, to run back to the comfort of his apartment. He had spent too much of his life avoiding the world. Now, he was ready to be part of it. He didn’t know what came next, but he knew it was time to find out.

He walked the streets with a sense of purpose, the weight of the world no longer a burden, but something to be embraced.