(She Smiles, & Leaves)

Korri POV

I reach my hands out in front of me, trying not to bump into walls, and hard objects that will increase my bazillions of bruises I've already gotten from the past three minutes.

"LOLA!" I shout down the hall, feeling the walls, trying to remember the path Mars had shown me to the small storage closet with the breaker, trying to make sense of this.

And I hear the small click of flipping switches.

"Lola?" I call out again, and as I turn the corner, I see a beam of light, focused on the breaker box.

Suddenly, the person realizes that I have caught them in the act.

They gasp as they fumble with the flashlight, trying to turn it off.

I gasp as I realize who she is.

"Lola?" I whisper.

She finally turns it off, making me squint in the pitch black.

"I know you're there." I tremble. "What's going on with you?"

"I-I was um, trying to fix the light 'cause they went out in my room."

Lola has always had a way of lying.

"What are you doing out and about?" Lola asks.

"Don't change the subject."

But I always know when she's doing this.

"W-what? No. I wasn't- I can't lie, can I?

I nod. "Just let me fix the lights."

She turns on the flashlight and hands it to me.

I flip the breakers, and the light blinds me for a second, before my eyes adjust.

"Lola," I say quietly. "We need to talk."

She nods.

I follow her up the stairs into the small attic, and we sit in the dusty chairs, a cloud of dust making us cough.

Once the dust settles, Lola folds her hands on her lap and stares at the ground.

"Do you want me to start?" I ask. "Or you?"

"I may as well just say what I'm thinking." Lola frowns. "I know you love him, but he's a liar, a traitor, and a thief."

I shake my head, but before I can say anything, Lola continues, "Let me finish. Where did Mars get everything? Like, h-he's our age. He lives in the middle of nowhere, plus, he has electricity, gas, heat, how? He's up somethin'."

"Lola-"

"Answer the damn question."

I feel so hopeless.

How did this happen to me?

"I- I think most of the things were his parents." I whisper.

"Then what happened to them?"

"If you want to know that then why don't you ask him?!" I snap.

Her jaw drops, but she quickly recovers. "Why won't you just answer the question?"

"It's not my place to say, you know that."

"JUST SAY IT!"

"NO I WILL NOT!"

I gasp, realizing that Mars is standing in the attic doorway.

Mars winces "So now you notice I exist."

"WHAT DO YOU WANT NOW?!"

"Well I wanted to know what the screaming in my house was from. But I got my answer I believe."

"JUST GO AWAY!"

"You realize that this is my house so therefore I'm the one who makes the orders around here." Mars says calmly.

"You know that I'm still here right?"

"Even May won't listen to reason," Lola continues, ignoring me. "So I think it's high time for me to leave."

I suddenly feel like I'm dying inside. "Lola no-"

"I think it's for the best."

She smiles, and leaves the attic.