Lara's inner turmoil:

Lara tossed and turned in her bed, the scene from earlier replaying endlessly in her mind. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw Christine standing there with Alex, his hands so close to her face, their laughter floating in the air like a dagger in Lara’s heart.

“Why do I feel this way?” she whispered into the darkness, her heart heavy with emotions she couldn’t quite name.

It wasn’t just jealousy. It was something deeper, something that gnawed at her, leaving her restless and confused. Why did it hurt so much to see Christine with someone else? Why did it feel like a betrayal, even though Christine hadn’t done anything wrong?

Lara tried to shake off the feelings, but they clung to her like shadows, refusing to be ignored. She hated how tangled up her emotions had become, how Christine’s smile—the one she used to cherish—now felt like a knife twisting in her chest when it was directed at someone else.

It wasn’t just about Alex, she realized. It was about anyone who dared to step into the space she had carved out for herself in Christine’s life. Lara couldn’t help but feel a sharp pang of resentment whenever someone else got too close to Christine, whenever they made her laugh or shared a secret with her. It was as if they were stealing a piece of something that belonged to her.

The intensity of these feelings scared her. Why was she so obsessed with Christine? Why did it matter so much to her who Christine talked to, who she laughed with? It wasn’t normal, and Lara knew it. But knowing didn’t make the feelings go away. If anything, it only made them stronger.

Her mind was spiraling, sinking deeper into the confusion and despair that had taken root there. She couldn’t think clearly, couldn’t find a way to make sense of the emotions swirling inside her.

“Why does she have to be so nice to everyone?” Lara muttered bitterly, clutching her pillow. “Why can’t she see that I’m the one who cares about her the most? Why can’t she be fair to me?”

A tear slipped down her cheek, followed by another, until she was silently crying into her pillow, overwhelmed by the storm of emotions crashing through her.

Lara didn’t know how long she lay there like that, lost in her thoughts, before a soft knock on her door startled her. She quickly wiped her tears away, but it was too late. Mrs. Morgan, her adoptive mother, had already stepped into the room, her face filled with concern.

“Lara, sweetheart, what’s wrong?” Mrs. Morgan asked gently, sitting down on the edge of the bed. “You look so troubled. Did something happen?”

Lara hesitated, but the weight of her emotions was too much to bear alone. She needed to talk to someone, needed to make sense of the mess inside her.

“Maa… it’s Christine,” Lara finally confessed, her voice trembling. “I just… I feel so insecure whenever she’s with someone else. When she laughs with someone else, or when someone else calls themselves her best friend… it drives me crazy. And when I saw her with Alex today, it was like… like a part of me was being ripped away.”

Mrs. Morgan listened quietly, her expression softening with understanding. “Oh, Lara,” she sighed, reaching out to stroke her daughter’s hair. “I can see how much Christine means to you, but it sounds like you’re putting too much pressure on yourself—and on her.”

Lara nodded, her eyes filling with tears again. “I know, but I can’t help it, Maa. She’s so important to me, and I can’t imagine my life without her. But… she doesn’t feel the same way, does she? She treats me the same as everyone else, and that’s what hurts the most. I want to be special to her, more than anyone else.”

Mrs. Morgan’s heart ached for Lara, but she knew she had to help her daughter understand the reality of the situation. “Lara, it’s natural to want to feel special in someone’s life, especially someone you care about as much as you care about Christine. But you have to remember that Christine is her own person. She has her own life, her own feelings, and her own choices to make. You can’t control that.”

“But why does it have to be this way?” Lara asked, her voice breaking. “Why can’t she just be mine? Why do I have to share her with everyone else?”

“Because, Lara, friendships aren’t about possession,” Mrs. Morgan explained gently. “They’re about connection, trust, and respect. You can’t expect Christine to only talk to you, to only be close to you. She deserves her own happiness, and that includes making new friends, having different experiences, and yes, maybe even falling in love one day.”

Lara’s chest tightened at the thought. The idea of Christine falling in love, of planning a future with someone else, was unbearable. “I don’t want her to fall in love,” Lara whispered, her voice barely audible. “I don’t want her to get hurt… or to leave me behind.”

Mrs. Morgan sighed, pulling Lara into a comforting embrace. “I know you’re scared, darling. But you have to trust that Christine will always care about you, no matter what happens. You’re her friend, and that’s something special in its own right. But you can’t hold onto her so tightly that you end up pushing her away.”

Lara’s tears flowed freely now as she buried her face in her mother’s lap. “But I don’t know how to let go, Maa,” she sobbed. “I don’t want to lose her.”

Mrs. Morgan stroked Lara’s hair soothingly, her heart breaking for her daughter. “You won’t lose her, Lara. But you have to learn to give her space, to let her live her life. You can still be there for her, still be her friend, without trying to control everything. It’s not easy, I know, but it’s something you’ll have to figure out.”

Lara nodded weakly, exhausted by the emotional turmoil she had been carrying. She closed her eyes, letting the warmth and comfort of her mother’s embrace lull her into a sense of calm.

“Just rest now, sweetheart,” Mrs. Morgan whispered, holding Lara close. “We’ll talk more in the morning.”

As Lara drifted off to sleep, her head still resting on her mother’s lap, her mind was a mix of unresolved emotions and lingering fears. But for now, in the safety of her mother’s arms, she allowed herself a moment of peace. The battles in her heart would continue, but for tonight, she let herself rest.

__________________________________________

Alex walked home in the soft evening light, his mind lingering on the study session with Christine. The way she had smiled, her innocent eyes lighting up when she finally grasped a difficult concept, had stayed with him. It was a rare moment of peace in what had been a turbulent few months.

As he turned the corner onto his street, Alex’s heart clenched at the sight of flashing lights—an ambulance and police cars were parked near his home. His steps faltered, a cold chill running down his spine as memories he had tried to bury came rushing back.

Eight months ago, on a day that had started as bright and full of promise as this one, Alex and his family were on their way to a weekend getaway. His father was at the wheel, his mother in the passenger seat, and Alex and his little sister, Norah, were in the back. They had been laughing at one of his mother’s silly jokes when everything changed in an instant.

The truck had come out of nowhere, smashing into their car with a force that still echoed in Alex’s nightmares. The sound of crunching metal, the scream that had been ripped from his mother’s throat, and the sudden, terrifying silence that followed—these memories haunted him, vivid and inescapable.

Norah had been only ten years old, full of life and energy, always teasing him or asking him endless questions about everything under the sun. She was his best friend, his little shadow who followed him everywhere. But that day, in a split second, she was gone. The accident had taken her from him, and no amount of time could ever fill the void she left behind.

Alex himself had been badly injured. His arm and leg were shattered, and he had spent months in the hospital, enduring surgeries and painful physical therapy. But the physical pain was nothing compared to the agony of losing Norah. The house had become a place of sorrow, a constant reminder of what they had lost. His parents had retreated into their own grief, and Alex had withdrawn into himself, shutting out the world.

He had switched schools after that, unable to face the pitying looks of classmates who knew what had happened. Homeschooling had become a refuge, a way to avoid people and their questions. He threw himself into his studies, using books to escape the relentless thoughts that haunted him. But no matter how hard he tried to bury the memories, they always found a way to resurface.

Especially when he was alone, like now, walking down the street towards those flashing lights.

Alex stopped a few houses away, unable to go any closer. He didn’t need to see what had happened. He didn’t need to know the details. It was enough to feel the icy tendrils of fear wrapping around his heart, squeezing until he could barely breathe.

But then, as he stood there, trembling, another thought pushed its way through the darkness—a thought of Christine.

She had come into his life so unexpectedly, with her bright smile and gentle presence. There was something about her that calmed the storm inside him, something that made him feel a little less alone in the world. When she was around, the weight of his grief didn’t feel quite as crushing. For the first time in months, he found himself smiling again, even if it was just a small, fleeting smile.

Christine had a way of making everything seem a little bit brighter, a little bit easier to bear. She was always so concerned with making others comfortable, always putting others before herself. There was a purity in her, an innocence that reminded him of Norah in some ways. But it was more than that—Christine had a warmth that drew him in, a kindness that he found himself craving.

He wasn’t sure what it was exactly, but he knew he wanted to be around her more. Maybe it was because she didn’t know his past, didn’t look at him with pity or sadness. Or maybe it was because, with her, he could almost forget the pain that had been his constant companion for so long.

As he stood there, Alex made a decision. He didn’t want to run from the world anymore. He didn’t want to hide behind his books and his grief. He wanted to live again, to find a way to move forward, and maybe—just maybe—Christine could be the one to help him do that.

He didn’t know what the future held, but he knew one thing for certain: he wanted to be Christine’s friend. He wanted to be there for her, just as she had unknowingly been there for him. And maybe, in time, they could help each other heal.