I'd be a little cautious around the second part of the chapter, because there's some verbal abuse???

Sugilite's Pov

"So let me get this straight," I said. It was a warm night during spring break and Alex and I were spending it the best possible way- driving.

I gotta admit, with all the driving I'd been doing in the fall between campus, Mom's place, and home, I started to really like driving. Not that my wallet agreed. Anyhow, Alex and I had decided one afternoon to head out to see Amethyst. I was a little worried because she hadn't answered my texts, but I knew she'd probably just lost her charger.

"Yeah?"

"You liked Opal?" Alex laughed a bit.

"Yeah, I did. Why?" I shook my head.

"I don't know. I just feel kinda weird when I think about people having cruses on Opal. I always have."

"How long have you known?" Alex asked. "That you liked her, I mean." I laughed.

"Look at us! Like? It's like we're in middle school or something!" Alex laughed a bit too. The reflection of the sunset in her sunglasses shone in my eyes for a second, so I leaned back a bit. "But really, I mean... I've always loved her. And honestly, there's not a day that goes by that I don't miss her. We've known each other since Kindergarten, but now some days go by where we don't even text each other. It's sad. I feel like we're a middle-aged married couple who've lost their love before they even realized it. Things just haven't been the same." Alex nodded. We were quiet for a minute.

"Do you-" We both started at the same time.

"I'm sorry, you go first."

"No, it's okay." Alex insisted.

"Do you love Olive?" She sighed.

"Yes and no." I looked at her questioningly, and she sighed again. "I guess I do. But I don't like the way she makes me feel."

"Are you guys dating?" Alex shot me a look. "Did you ever date?"

"I don't think so. In some ways, she treated me like I was her girlfriend and in some ways she didn't."

"Can I ask how?" Alex took a deep breath.

"I don't think she ever loved me. Or maybe she did, in her own twisted way. I always thought she'd broken my heart, but I guess when I left Baltimore I broke hers."

"Did she ever tell you that?" Alex shook her head.

"Of course not. Liv wouldn't tell you what was going through her head if her life depended on it. It's impossible to know how she feels." I nodded, then put my seat back. "What are you doing?"

"Everything's confusing. I honestly feel like that's what we're doing now. Being confused and using that to figure things out." Alex laughed.

"We'll never figure things out. That's the point of adulthood. We just have to bullshit it enough for everyone else to think we have things figured out." I smiled and nodded.

"You're right, aren't you?"

I knocked on the apartment door not knowing what to expect. The sun had just recently set and there were still a few kids outside but the kids were already inside. A few toys scattered on the front steps showed that they had been outside earlier, though.

"You sure you don't wanna just wait in the car?" I asked, turning back to Alex. She shook her head firmly.

"You know what types of people I was raised with." I started to point out that I wasn't raised with any of the kids, but decided it wasn't worth it. Isaiah opened the door.

"Who the hell is it?" Mom's voice ordered from inside.

"Sugilite!" Isaiah called back, not breaking eye contact with me. "And someone else!" He looked like he'd been crying earlier. Smiling with sympathy, I patted his head and stepped in. Alex followed me.

"Hey, Ma!" I called. She finally stormed out of the girls' room, where Nikki, Izzie, and Beatriz stood outside the door. They'd been peeking in but stepped aside when Mom stepped out. She looked at me and Alex.

"Did you get a new bitch?" I looked back at Alex, then glared at y mother.

"Alex is my friend. And don't call her a bitch." I sighed. "Where's Amethyst?"

"She's in trouble." Before I could ask what she'd done, I heard Eric practically screaming from inside the girls' room.

"What the fuck were you thinking?" I pushed past Mom and into the room. Amethyst was sitting on her cot, crying. Eric stood just inside the bedroom. 

"What the hell?" I demanded.

"The little slut's flirting with boys at school! One came by earlier tryna 'hang out'." He turned back to Amethyst. "You tryna end up on Teen Mom?"

"Shut the fuck up!" I yelled, pushing him out of the room. "Don't fucking call her that! You're just like my fucking father!" I turned to my mother. "I'm taking her," I said firmly.

"Good. I don't care. Hell, take em all if you want!" I went back into the room and silently helped Amethyst pack her stuff. All of it. I almost knocked into Nikki as I turned to leave.

"Are you taking me with you this time?" SHe asked quietly.

"I can't. Not this time." I ran my hand through her hair, which she'd dyed pink. "I'm sorry." She nodded and stepped aside so I could get through.

As we left, I looked at my mother. She'd poured herself a glass of wine. I nodded at her with a glare, then left.

"Why did you pack everything?" Amethyst asked from the backseat when we got into Alex's car.

"Because you're going to need everything," I said. I turned to Alex. "Can I ask you a huge favor?"