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𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐌𝐈𝐃𝐃𝐋𝐄

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Sunshine lounged comfortably on her side atop Violet's bed, her head propped up by her hand, elbow sinking softly into the mattress as she listened to her sister complain.

"They planned some brutal family dinner for tonight," Violet vented, her tone a mixture of frustration and resignation. "Like that's going to make me feel better."

"Ugh. That's tonight?" Sunshine grumbled, extending her arm flat against the bed before allowing her head to rest on it. 

Tate perched at the edge of the bed, his feet dangling just above the floor, flipping absently through one of Violet's books. 

"Do you believe in ghosts?" Tate asked suddenly, turning his gaze toward Violet.

Sunshine and Violet exchanged a puzzled glance. 

Violet raised an eyebrow and turned her attention back to Tate. "Why are you asking me?"

Tate turned away for a moment, lost in thought, before glancing back at Violet. "I don't know," he admitted. "It can't all be shit, right?"

Violet shrugged.

"There's got to be someplace better, somewhere. For people like you guys, at least," Tate continued, glancing back and forth between the sisters, his gaze lingering on Sunshine for a fraction longer.

"Not you?" Sunshine asked, her voice tinged with sadness as she sensed a deeper truth behind his words. Tate's stare softened momentarily before he turned back to the book in his lap, a faint frown creasing his brow.

"Ever since you guys got here, this is the better place," 

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Sunshine sat directly across from her sister at the dinner table, their parents on either side, the tension thick enough to choke on. She forced herself to take another bite of her food, each chew feeling more mechanical as the silence stretched on, becoming heavier with each passing second. 

Violet, on the other hand, didn't even pretend to engage. She leaned her head on her hand, her gaze distant, the untouched plate in front of her a silent protest.

"You're not eating anything," Vivien said, breaking the silence, her eyes flicking over to Violet with concern.

"I'm not hungry," Violet mumbled, barely glancing at their mother. "Pretty stuffed on bullshit."

"Your mother and I know that you're upset. Maybe there's some things you want to talk about?" he suggested, his voice calm but loaded with professional undertones.

Oh God, not the shrink talk. Sunshine rolled her eyes, trying to disappear into her water glass as she took a sip.

Violet's eyes darkened as she turned her gaze to Ben, then Vivien. "Like who I'm going to live with after you get divorced?" she shot back. "Is there a third option? 'Cause both of you kind of make me want to kill myself."

Sunshine nearly choked on her water. 

Violet's tone was flat, almost disturbingly nonchalant as she continued. "Is that what you guys are afraid of? Why else would you want to actually deal with the problem?"

Ben's voice softened even more, leaning into his professional training. "You never leave your room. You barely eat. These are textbook signs of depression. We're very concerned, Vi."

Sunshine's heart clenched. She understood where her parents were coming from. They had every reason to be worried. They didn't know about Violet's previous attempt, but Sunshine did. 

She felt for them—how scared they must be. But at the same time, she knew how Violet felt too. Their parents weren't happy together, and pretending otherwise only made things worse.

Violet's frustration boiled over as she stood abruptly from the table, her chair scraping loudly against the floor. She made it halfway to the door before turning on her heel, crossing her arms defiantly. 

"Look, you guys drag me all the way out here to save our family, then you decide to break up. You buy a house that I actually like, then you're telling me you're selling it without even asking what we want. So, fine, I'm depressed. But I'm not going to off myself. So, you can go back to your policy of benign neglect."

Her words struck like a dagger, leaving Vivien and Ben momentarily speechless As Violet stormed out of the dining room. Both parents exchanged a helpless look before glancing toward Sunshine.

Sunshine felt the eyes on her, and she cleared her throat awkwardly, pushing her plate aside. "May I be excused?"

Vivien gave a small nod, not arguing, clearly needing the space to talk privately with Ben.

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Sunshine sat at her desk, one earbud in, the other dangling as soft music played in her ear. She tapped her pencil against the edge of her notebook, trying to focus on her homework. For the first time in what felt like ages, she was doing something that felt... normal. 

"Sunshine."

Her mother's voice pulled her out of her thoughts. Sunshine glanced up as she turned to see Vivien standing in the doorway.

"Yeah, Mom?" she replied, dropping her pencil onto the paper and swiveling her position to face her. 

Vivien glanced over her shoulder, as if checking to ensure no one was eavesdropping, before stepping further into the room. 

"I got a call from the school nurse today," Vivien said, her tone calm but weighted.

Sunshine's stomach dropped. Fuck. She tried to keep her face neutral, though panic started to simmer beneath the surface. "It's nothing, Mom, seriously," she said quickly, hoping to brush it off.

Vivien's eyes narrowed, rubbing her temples as if the conversation itself was giving her a headache. "A positive pregnancy test isn't nothing, Sunshine."

The room felt like it was closing in on her. Sunshine's mind raced, searching for the right words, the right explanation. Could she even explain this? She had only recently lost her virginity, and even then, she didn't believe she could be pregnant. Not with the timing... not with everything that had happened.

"When were you going to tell me?" Vivien asked, her voice laced with disappointment, her hand resting on her hip as she sighed heavily. She looked hurt, as if their bond had fractured in ways Sunshine hadn't realized.

"Mom, it was defective or something," Sunshine said, shaking her head in frustration, her voice rising defensively. "There's no way." 

Vivien studied her for a moment, her expression softening. She let out a deep breath, nodding slowly. "Okay," she said, her tone more gentle now. "Well, let's just get you to a doctor, just in case."

Sunshine hesitated, but then again, she needed to know too. She couldn't let this consume her thoughts any longer—it was driving her mad. With a reluctant nod, she agreed.

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