e need to

s. We were sitting on the couch in our apartment,

phone, a small, confu

amatic. Was it because I fo

to make me feel warm. Now it just felt li

ecision. It was the end of a long, slow emo

ic. I'm serious. I ca

summon the energy for anger. I wa

coffee table. The screen lit up with a name that

at me, her expression shiftin

s right now? It's

vie I' d been waiting weeks to see. The night my grandmother died. Liam always had

time I objected. He played the part of the helpless underdog

iv," I said, my voice h

ne, her thumb alread

second, Noah. Th

the balcony, her voice instantl

's wrong? A

my throat. This was our relationship in a singl

s later. Olivia must have told him to come over. He looked

h and his expression

pe I'm not inter

d with a fake vulnerabil

go if this is a bad time. I just... I had anothe

this, at making himself the victim, at making me the bad

he "emergencies" that were never real emergencies. The way he' d subtly put his

ord that had been stretched

said, my voice louder than I intended. The wo

one when we're supposed to go on vacation. You have one e

dismantle. You make sure you are always the p

as if I had physically struck hi

welling up with tears. "I can't control it. I

s silent plea screaming

e always

her disappointment

now he struggles. How

protective arm around his shoulder

ssolved into dust. I was the outsider in my own

eight. I couldn't fight this anymore. I couldn't compete with

tired of coming in second place to him. I'm tired of being the bad g

vernight bag. I didn't know where I was

or, Olivia's voice, thick with

You're just going to throw everyt

e door but didn

, Liv. I'm just the one fin

e, the click of the latch soundin