Nora stood in the shower, scrubbing hard. The water was hot, and her skin turned pink, but that lavender soap? It still smelled like Caleb. Like his lies. She climbed out, grabbed a towel, and skipped the mirror. No way she was looking at her red, puffy eyes right now.
In her room, the clock glared: 3:15 a.m. Sleep? Nope. Not happening. Her brain was too loud, stuck on one thing: Why did he cheat? She flopped onto her bed and yanked the blanket over her head. "Shut up, brain," she grumbled, but it didn't listen.
Her mind wandered to her dad. He'd died of cancer a year and a half ago, and Nora had turned into a mess. She'd snapped at her mom, ignored her sister, Ellie, and even shoved Caleb away for a bit. "We miss him too," her mom had said once, crying. Nora didn't care. She was too busy feeling sorry for herself.
But Caleb?? He stucked around. He'd show up with chips and soda, sit quietly while she stared at the wall, and hug her when she finally broke down. He made her feel okay again. Well, mostly. Some days, she'd still ditch plans or hide in her room. Did that make him lonely? Did I mess us up? Her stomach twisted, and she hugged herself tighter, chewing her lip.
Her phone buzzed loudly multiple times. Texts from Maya and Lila popped up: "Nora, you good?" "Call us, we're freaking out!" She groaned, muted the thing, and typed back: "I'm okay. Just need space. Talk soon." Then she sent an email to her boss: "Taking two weeks off. Family stuff. Sorry it's last-minute." Send. Done. That wasn't totally a lie. Her heart is an emergency.
She chucked her phone onto the mattress.
Nora sat there, wrapped in her banket covered in sadness. Her eyes were all puffy, and her room stank like old pizza. She had to get out. Her gaze landed on a photo...her and Caleb at Twin Peaks, grinning like life was perfect. Well at the time, it was. Their spot. Maybe it'd help her breathe.
She pulled on a hoodie and sneakers, snagged her keys, and crept past her mom's room. Loud snores...yes!!!! No awkward chats. She was free at least for now.
The drive to Twin Peaks was dead quiet. The city was asleep, but the sky was waking up, all pink and soft. She parked, hiked up the hill, and listened to her shoes crunch the dirt. At the top, the view slammed into her...San Francisco stretching out, the Golden Gate Bridge shining far off. It was gorgeous. It hurt so much.
Nora plunked onto the grass and pulled her knees up. Memories hit her like a wave: Caleb tripping over a rock, splashing coffee everywhere, laughing like an idiot. Caleb pointing at stars, making up dumb names like "Sparkle Pants." Caleb whispering, "You're my person, Nora. Forever." Yeah, right. Lies. Those texts she'd found, the pics, that other girl...they'd smashed it all.
"Why, Caleb?" she mumbled, her voice cracking. "What'd I do wrong?"
The wind just messed up her hair, no answers. She wiped her tears with her sleeve, annoyed she was crying again. This place was supposed to fix her, not make her a bigger wreck.
"Hey, crybaby!"
Nora spun around, nearly falling over. Ellie stood there, hands on her hips, looking like a tornado hit her. Her hoodie was inside-out, and her hair was nothing close to being brushed.
"How'd you know I was here?" Nora asked, sniffing.
"Mom said you were losing it, and I figured you'd run here to sulk," Ellie said. She dropped down next to Nora, kicking up some dirt. "You're so predictable."
"I'm not sulking," Nora lied, totally sulking. "I'm… figuring stuff out.
"Ellie snorted. "Sure, figuring out how to star in a soap opera. What's up, Nora? Talk to me."
Nora sighed and tugged at the grass. "Caleb cheated. I found out the day he died. I'm so mad, Ellie, but I miss him so bad it's killing me. He helped me when Dad died, and then he went aheadand broke me even more. I'm a mess and it's pissing me off. He left me with questions without answers El. It really hurts."
Ellie's grin faded. She moved closer and nudged Nora's shoulder. "That's brutal. Like, next-level awful. But you don't have to deal with all that alone. When Dad died, you shut us out, and I let you. I wasn't supposed to. My bad. I'm here now, though."
Nora's eyes got watery again. "I was so awful to you and Mom back then. I was so caught up in me, I forgot you were sad too."
"Yeah, you were a total grump," Ellie said, smirking. "But we survived. And we'll survive this. You're stuck with me, even if you snot all over my hoodie."
Nora laughed, wiping her nose. "You're awful."
"Love you too," Ellie said. She hopped up and held out her hand. "Let's go. You need coffee and a shower. You smell like a sad pizza box."
Nora grabbed her hand and let Ellie yank her up. The sun was higher now, the city glowing. The hurt was still there, big and heavy, but Ellie's goofy self made it a little lighter. That was something.