We both had been sitting at the same seat on the bus, yet none of us said a word.

It wasn't until after a long moment of awkward silence that I decided to speak up. By this point we were both off the school bus and making our way home.

"So how's life been?" I asked.

I couldn't decipher the look on her face, I even thought for a moment that she wasn't going to answer.

Okay then.

Then she finally replied.

"Speechless." She took another pause. "I don't even have words for it."

I was amazed by her response. What words could I even use to follow what she had said? Normally people would have made up an excuse and said that life has been "pretty good", or tell half of the truth and say "it has been better". But never in my life, have I heard a response like that. I was so caught up in pondering what she had said that I didn't notice her looking at me. Our eyes caught each other, and we exchanged a glance I am sure none of us even understood. 

By now the silence had returned.

"How about you?" She returned my question.

"Well, life has been life. It's still the hardest struggle known to man." I realized that where I was going, I probably would say something that would lead to self reflection, like what she had said did. "Plus school is really aggravating me right now."

"How's your family?" She asked.

"Oh my family is good actually. We're doing way better."

She briefly nodded. "Well that's what really matters right?"

"I guess so."

We continued walking from there on in silence, until we reached her house. I saw her sister waiting for her at the door, wearing the bright smile she always did.

"Hi." I greeted.

"Hello." Her sister responded.

They fell into conversation, but I wasn't quite listening to what they were saying.

"Well bye now. See you both at school."

"Bye." They said simultaneously.

Well this was a little excerpt from the story of my life. We was walking home from school and had this conversation with a girl who lives right across the street from me. We had had brief conversations before, but this really impacted me.