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How come the two of them can now, of all times, be together in the same room? And agree on something, no less.

My eyes don’t move from the spot they’ve been glued to for days now. I’ve been looking at the same spot in the grey morning sky like it’s the most fascinating thing in the world.

Dark, moody clouds that are hiding sunlight correspond to my mood completely. I wouldn’t be surprised if soon snow starts to fall although it’s late October. The air has this almost crispy feel to it. It bites your cheeks making them rosy cold.

I should know; Mom came every morning and left the windows open for fresh air to enter my room.

“Tomorrow,” I murmur, getting under the covers more. I’m debating pulling them all the way over my head, but don’t want to be too impolite. Max and Brook did come to visit me. They are both good friends, and it isn’t their fault I don’t want company.

“No, now.”

Max is standing behind me so I can’t see him, but I can feel the stomp of his heavy boot against the wood floors. I can imagine him—hands crossed over his wide chest covered in dark cotton shirt, lips pressed in a thin line, brows close to each other, and a deep furrow caressing his forehead.

“Listen to me, Lia.” He takes one deep breath, but it doesn’t cover his frustration. “You’ll get out of the bed this minute, and then you’ll go and take a shower. I don’t care if I have to take you there myself.”

Max pulls the covers off.

“Hey!” I turn around and glare at him, but he continues like I didn’t say anything. “Then you’ll go and eat something, ‘cause your Mom said you didn’t eat anything these last few days, and we’ll help you do your homework.”

“I said I don’t want to.” I sit up in my bed and follow his stance, crossing hands over my old, faded Harry Potter t-shirt that doubled as my PJ’s.

“And I said I don’t care.”

Silence falls over my bedroom while we have our stare off.

Max can be such a bully. I don’t want to get out of bed, so what? A girl has the right to have a few days off after she finds out that the guy she had… something with, had that same something with another girl all this time.

You should have never let yourself fall for him again, a small voice whispers in my head, but I decide to ignore it like I did before.

“Oh my god, you should see yourselves!” Brook laughs and stands from the window seat. Her hands curl around my shoulders, and she pushes me up. “Don’t be a baby, Lia. No more moping around.”

I look at my friend, my sister, pleading her with my eyes. “I’m not ready, Brook,” I whisper, my voice trembling a little.

There is understanding in her green eyes, but she shakes her head. “You are ready, Lia. You are strong. Don’t let some stupid guy take that away from you. Don’t let him break you.”

I swallow the lump in my throat. Biting into my lower lip to prevent it from wobbling, I nod once.

She is wrong.

I’m not the strong one; she is.

Brook has always been my strength and my support system. I knew I could count on her, and she would help me get through anything. She is determined and strong-minded and so, so fierce. All of that is hidden behind the cold, collected exterior that she shows to the world.

We are only seventeen, but those jade green eyes are hiding knowledge of the world that surpasses our age, strength born from darkness that is accumulating inside of her and that she is safely hiding inside, not letting anybody else share her burden.

“Let’s go.” I nod and let her help me get on my feet and take me to the bathroom.

Brook helps me get out of my clothes like I’m one big baby. She even leaves a change of clothes for me on the clean surface next to the bathroom sink.

“I’ll get us something to eat.”

She looks at me once again—most likely trying to decide if it’s safe to leave me alone here—before leaving me in the room slowly filling with steam looking at my reflection in the mirror.

Amelia

“Thank you for coming, Max.”

He softly smiles at me, his hand brushing a loose strand of hair behind my ear. “You are welcome. Just, please, no more scares like that.”

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