Sofia had never given herself time to exhale. She was always inhaling. Always working. Always carrying on with life. Always getting through the day. All she did was inhale and inhale and inhale. And even now, all she was doing was inhaling.

She was inhaling as she got her little brother ready for his play-date. She was inhaling as she threw on a dress and put on a light dusting of makeup. Shewas inhaling as she rushed to the car, her seven year-old brother in tow. She was inhaling as she smiled and dropped of her brother at his friend's house. She was inhaling and inhaling and not exhaling at all.

Finally, Sofia collapsed into the driver's seat of her car. She cast a glance at her watch ― 12:50 p.m.

Fuck, she had to get to the bowling alley. Sofia unlocked her phone and typed in the address into her GPS. And then she was pressing the gas pedal and speeding off, inhaling once more.

The bowling alley was in the middle of town. It was bustling with people Violet would never know. It was bustling with people who went on with their lives as she would go on with hers, for as long as it lasted.

Violet heaved a sigh and watched out the window as Shawn pulled over to the bowling alley. 

Violet stepped out of the car ― the sky was clear and bright though the early autumn air fired at her fingers like gunshots. Violet pulled her jacket closer to her body. The fallen leaves crunched under her torn and far too old sneakers.  The trees were stripped of their bright green leaves, instead replaced with dark red and orange ones which littered the ground as they fell to their death.

Violet found it beautiful.

The bowling alley was a flat cuboid of bricks. The building was squeezed between a grocery shop and a clothing store, and there was a bright neon red sign hung on the door.  Violet looked back to see that Oscar and Shawn both, were running up to her. As they neared, Violet noticed a familiar car parked in front of the building. Sofia's car.

Shawn hadn't said anything about about Sofia coming ― but perhaps she was just here like anyone else.

Oscar grabbed a hold of her hand, squeezing it softly. Violet knew she was safe. It was their way of communicating since they'd met in their first year of high-school and Oscar had found out about her scars, her past and the fact that she didn't have a home. 

He was the one who had helped her out. He was the one who had offered to drop her off to school, help her with her homework. He was an angel to her, helping her, being kind ― Oscar Starr was everything she'd needed then and he was everything he needed now.

As Shawn pushed open the door of the bowling alley, the trio walked inside, shivering from the gust of air which had come in when Shawn had opened the door. 

Inside the bowling alley, people were bustling around ― ecstatic cries rung out from teenagers high-fiving their friends, the scent of dust, the odor of sweat and the wonderful scent of pizza mingled in the air all at once. 

Violet took a deep breath, her eyes fluttering close for jut a moment as she breathed. She opened her eyes slowly, exhaling and her body finding peace. 

Violet glanced at Shawn who was looking around the bowling alley frantically looking around. His hazel eyes swiveled around, looking up and down and left and right. 

He had mentioned that Queen was coming along with them. Perhaps that was the reason for his obvious nervousness. Violet wasn't sure what Queen meant to the boy, but whatever it was, she didn't want to get in the way of it. Violet started to make her way through the plethora of people.

Shawn had told Oscar and Violet both to go on and find a good seat at the small, grimy cafe behind the multitude of lanes. Oscar had raised an eyebrow at Shawn's distress, for his brother was rummaging his pockets for his phone and once he had found it, he had started to tap on the screen, not typing anything or calling anyone. 

Oscar was about to leave with Violet, but she had tugged on his sleeve and told him that Shawn obviously needed him. Oscar had glanced at his brother who was running a hand through his hair and still looking for someone, and nodded. After making sure Violet would be okay by herself, he had let her go and turned to the problem known as Shawn Starr.

So, now, as Violet was seated not so comfortably at a corner of the small but well-lit cafe, a familiar blonde came blundering towards her. Sofia Walters. Also known as the girl who had taken Violet's world and ripped it apart with her bare hands. Violet laid her head on the back of the seat.

Sofia slid into the booth, taking a place next to her.

"Violet," she said, crookedly smiling. It added to her charm. There was something about Sofia that Violet wasn't quite able to understand just yet. There was something about her which was tainted and dark and broken ― but Violet didn't know what it was yet. She'd heard something once, "The world breaks everyone," did that hold true for Sofia? Did that hold true for the girl who was sure to have just as many pretty lies as Violet did? Was it possible that the world had broken Sofia too? 

"I didn't think you would come," she continued, smiling again. Violet was looking at her now.

Violet shrugged lightly and tapped her fingers lightly on the table, "Oscar and Shawn dragged me over here."

Sofia laughed softly, setting her handbag down on the table. Sofia was dressed to kill, Violet thought. "Well that's nice, I'm glad you're here," Sofia said, turning so that she was completely facing Violet. Violet nodded in acknowledgement, saying nothing more. Sofia couldn't bear the silence ― how could she when she had so much to say?

"I'm sorry," Sofia started simply. 

"Let's not talk about this." Violet's reply was expected. She turned to meet Sofia's eyes. Cold dark eyes met soft brown abysses. 

"But I want to," Sofia protested. "I think we should talk―"

"I don't want to," Violet said. "Please."

Sofia hesitated. There was so much she wanted to say, so much she wanted Violet to hear. There was so much she wanted to do. 

She wanted to hold Violet close, run hands through her long inky black hair and whisper broken comforts into her ear. She wanted to convince Violet that it would be okay ― it would, wouldn't it? 

But Violet, Violet would never let her do so. Violet, who was facing problems Sofia knew nothing about but so desperately wanted to help. Violet was sure to brush their entire conversation off, even if it had unearthed something in her she had never wanted the world to see. Sofia looked at Violet once more, before, with reluctance, heeding to her wishes. "Are we waiting for Oscar and Shawn?"

"Yes," Violet said plainly. Her voice was bland and muted. "Shawn was waiting for Queen to arrive and Oscar decided to wait along with him."

Sofia nodded as she excused herself to go order a pizza for all of them. She got up from her seat, grabbing her wallet from her handbag. Violet looked at her retreating figure. Violet looked as she talked to the cashier, smiling and making her order. Violet looked at the way Sofia's eyes crinkled when she grinned. Violet watched as Sofia turned back from the counter and made her way back to the table.

The light struck her face.

And her soft velvety brown eyes melted into golden rays, circling an eclipse — they were copper against honey, the shade of nature after a rainfall, rich like chocolate and decadent like coffee, and unyielding and thoughtful all at once.

Violet hung her head back on the seat again. She was fucked and she knew it.

Shawn and Oscar had slid into their seats at the small table with a thud. The pizza Sofia had ordered about ten minutes ago had arrived and both boys grabbed a slice as soon as it was placed on their table. 

"Oscar," Violet started, "Where's Queen?"

Oscar shook his head vigorously and made the universal sign for NO! NO! Don't say anything! or he waved his hand around his neck. Violet glanced at Shawn who was still holding his phone, as if he was wondering whether he should call up Queen.

Violet nodded solemnly, deciding that Oscar and Shawn would figure it out later, and picked up a piece with shaking fingers ― she was expected to eat something, Oscar had told her. It translated to You have to eat something Violet, because I don't think you want Shawn to pin your hands back again. But of course, the message had been conveyed with love and a shrug and smirk from Shawn. 

Sofia wasn't eating anything however. The group was making small talk among themselves, asking each other how school was going or about their interests and Sofia had managed to make sure that no one had noticed that she hadn't touched even an onion slice yet. But of course, Violet, beautifully fucked-up Violet had noticed.

She had been observing Sofia from the minute the pizza had been set down and she was still observing. 

As the pizza was eaten and the group had managed to continue their muted chatter for a while longer, Shawn stood up from the table and said that he wanted to actually do some bowling for that was the reason they were here in the first place. Shawn smiled ― though Violet knew it wasn't real ― took one final sip of his drink, slammed it down on the table with a clang! and went off to pick a lane.

Oscar pointed in his direction, "I'm going to go check on him. I think he's a little uh, prone to explode?" Oscar shrugged, giving Sofia and Violet a light smile.

Sofia just nodded and said that he should go, because even though she didn't know what was going on with Shawn, he did seem more fidget-y.  Violet too nodded as Oscar smiled and stood up. He leaned across the table and gave Violet a quick kiss on the cheek and ran off to make sure his brother didn't do anything stupid.

And then it was just Violet and Sofia.

"Okay," Sofia started again. "You wanna get out of here? The noise is going to give me a headache and," Sofia glanced towards Shawn and Oscar who were talking among themselves, "And I think those two need some time to talk."

Every cell and molecule in Violet's body was begging her to say no. Spare herself the heartache she was bound to feel later. If she went with Sofia, she would start her fall into her soon to be nagging attraction to this girl. If she went with Sofia, everything could come apart again. She was already fucked, and she was already starting to spiral. She needed to let go now before this became a problem. She had to let go before her heart started to yearn for the girl sitting next to her.

She held on tighter.

"Yeah, sure." Violet agreed.