Slowly, I was getting over Harvey. He hadn't spoken to me since prom, and I hadn't spoken to him, either. He would barely look at me during the day at school, so I decided to just leave him in the past. School was almost over, and I was ready for college. I would have so many more opportunities for me there without worrying about my life here.

Beckett had gotten so much better since he had gotten home. His skin wasn't as pale as it was before, and he actually smiled a lot more than he ever used to. There was nothing that made me happier than his smile. He got a second chance at life, and I was so thankful for that.

I stepped into the kitchen and let out a sigh. Sunlight trickled in through the window above the sink, flowing across the white tile. The sun acted like a spotlight on the dust that danced through the air. They jumped and darted around in the light like little dancers on a stage. 

I passed right through the spotlight and opened the refrigerator. There wasn't much food in there because we had a small party last night with some of our cousins and aunts and uncles for Beckett. They ate everything in our house, so Mom and Dad went to the store earlier today. The two of them hadn't come home yet, and I was starving.

"Beckett, are you hungry?" I yelled toward the stairs. Something thudded, so I ran to the base of the stairs. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah!" he called back. "I dropped my phone!"

I blew out a breath of relief. "Okay. Good. Are you hungry?"

"Yes, but you're not making anything for me." He appeared at the top of the stairs, crutches pressed under his arms. I rushed up the stairs and helped him step down the first stair. "Thanks."

"You're welcome."

I helped him down the rest of the stairs and followed behind him to the kitchen. It would suck really bad if he fell down with just me here because I wasn't sure if I could pick him back up. He was my little brother, but somehow he had gotten bigger than me. 

A lot of things had gotten away from me lately because of Harvey, but now I was going to notice things, like how my brother shot up like a beanstalk over the summer or how my parents were more hesitant with each other over the past few days. I didn't know what had happened at my house because I was too busy worrying about myself, and I felt really bad. My issues weren't as important as the rest of family's issues, especially because mine were only about a boy.

The two of us finally made it into the kitchen, and I helped Beckett sit down at the island. He protested about sitting down, but I finally convinced him to sit down and let me cook. He only sat down because I told him he could watch me cook him his meal.

"Why do you not trust me to cook?" I asked him as I opened one of the cabinets up. 

I shoved a few cans aside, trying to find some soup or something that I could cook on the stove for a few minutes. "You've nearly burned down the house multiple times," he said. "That's why I don't trust you. Especially now that I can't run as fast as I used to."

"I think you'd manage."

I finally found some mac and cheese, so I set it on the counter and started sifting through the pots and pans. While I searched for the pot, Beckett said, "I can't believe you're going to graduate in a couple of weeks."

"Me either," I replied. My favorite pan must've been hidden, so I grabbed the one right in front of me and stood back up. "I'm ready to go to college, though. I'm not like Sophia or Chris who are terrified to leave home."

"You're not afraid?"

"No." I shook my head. "I'm actually excited to meet new people and learn new things. I don't have to be afraid because I'm going to college like fifty miles away from here."

"That's true." When I was done mixing everything, I left the pan on the stove and sat down next to Beckett. "Where's Sophia going to school?"

"Same as me," I replied. "We're going to be roommates. You didn't know that?"

He shook his head. "No, I didn't. You didn't really talk to me before this. You just sort of ignored me and only spoke to me when you had to."

I sat there for a second, contemplating what he said. I guess that was true. I generally only spent my time around my friends and the softball team; I rarely spent it at home. Even during the winter I was always running around.

"I didn't realize that I did that," I said quietly. "I am so sorry, Beckett."

"I mean, I do the same thing to you sometimes, but it's okay," he said with a nod. "I know that you're trying to spend time with us now."

"What do you mean?"

"You've rarely gone out since prom. You only go to school and come back home and that's it."

"That's because I haven't spoken to Harvey or most of my friends since prom," I replied. I stood up and stirred the mac and cheese before turning the heat off. "Sophia has been the exception, obviously."

"Why haven't you spoken to Harvey since prom?"

I sighed as I scooped some mac and cheese into two bowls. I handed him one and sat back down next to him. "Do you want to hear the long story or the short story?"

"Short story, please."

"Him and I kissed, and then you got into your accident. We haven't spoken since then."

I stuffed some mac and cheese into my mouth as he took in that information. The mac and cheese burned the inside of my mouth, but I still chewed, ignoring the pain. Beckett took a small bite as well.

"I knew you had romantic feelings for him," he said with his mouth full. "I had always seen it whenever he was around. Especially on prom night."

"Yeah." I smiled softly. "Yeah, I think I always have had feelings for him. But now it's over, so I'm ready to move on."

The door opened, and I glanced to the left. I couldn't really see who entered, but I could hear my mom and dad speaking to each other. They were saying something about how expensive groceries were. I stood up and stepped into the family room.

"Hey, guys," I said. "Do you need any help bringing groceries in?"

"That would be nice," Mom said gratefully. "Thank you."

After a few minutes, we finally had all the groceries in and put away. Beckett had finished his mac and cheese by that time, so Dad helped him to the living room so he could watch TV. Mom and I were alone for the time being, so she said, "How have you been, Cat?"

"I've been fine," I said to her. We both sat down at the island together. "What about you?"

Mom sighed and plopped her head in her hands. "I've been better."

I nodded. "Oh, I get you."

We sat in silence for a little bit. I didn't really know why she hasn't been good. We hadn't really spoken about her issues before because she loved to keep her feelings to herself. I knew I was definitely her daughter because I kept my feelings to myself as well. Maybe that was why Harvey decided he didn't want to be with me; I never told him how I was feeling, especially about him. It was my fault that he didn't want to be with me.

A cloud passed over the sun, blocking it from entering through the window in the kitchen. Shadows descended upon us, but I didn't want to live in them anymore. I was tired of feeling like this. Life wasn't meant to be lived in the shadows; it was meant to be lived in the light without a single fear. 

Dad walked into the kitchen after a few minutes. He offered me and Mom a weak smile before sitting across from us at the island. Him and Mom shared a look together, leaving me frowning. There was something strange about the way they were acting around each other lately, and I didn't like it one bit.

"Cat, we need to talk to you," Mom finally said. 

I looked at her, my frown deepening. She didn't sound happy at all. "About what?" I asked her quickly.

"Your father and I have decided to separate from each other."

I wasn't sure if I heard her correctly or not. Mom and Dad couldn't be separating. They were the epitome of love. I looked up to them when I was little to know what true love was like. There was no way that they could have gotten away from that. I didn't believe it.

"However, before we do make it official," Dad continued, interrupting my thoughts, "we are going to try to make it work again. We still care for each other deeply, but we've been arguing so much over the littlest of things that we need to take a little breather."

I hadn't even noticed that they were having issues. I was too focused on my own crazy life to notice that my parents were having issues in their marriage. When had I become like that? When had I decided that my life was better than everyone else's? I didn't know, and I hated that so much.

I was glad that Harvey was out of my life for the time being. Though it did hurt worse than anything I've ever felt before, I knew it was for the best. He was a huge distraction in my life, and I didn't want to live life without noticing anything besides my pain anymore. I wanted to be there for the people in my life, and this was the first step to doing that.