"Ash?"
Alia's called out, followed by her tiny steps and dramatic sighs.
"There you are. You could've waited for me, you know. I had to walk all the way here," she pouted.
I turned as she walked into the room, holding her sketchbook like a shield.
I cracked a smile and waved her in. "How did you even get here?"
"I hitched a ride with Nurse Jane," she said, hopping on the nearest chair. "She gave me a lollipop and told me not to touch anything expensive. Which, rude, but okay."
She looked at Mom and went quiet.
She tiptoed toward Mom's bed, then stopped a few feet away. "Is she… still sleeping?"
"Yeah," I said quietly. "But we can talk to her now. Doctor said it helps."
Alia's eyes went glassy, like she was about to cry, but instead, she climbed onto the chair beside the bed and carefully placed her sketchbook on Mom's stomach.
"Mom, you missed the new chapter," Alia whispered. "It has unicorns and dragons and... Ash without muscles."
I sat beside her. "She's gonna love that."
"Do you think Mommy dreams?" she asked me.
I looked at her. "Maybe."
She started drawing. "Then I'll draw her dreams till she wakes up."
It was innocent. Sweet. Utterly devastating.
And somehow, it gave me more peace than anything else had in days.
I stood and paced toward the window, letting the sunlight cut across my face as I took a breath.
There was a soft cough from behind the curtain beside us. Then a head poked out. An older woman, maybe late fifties, her grey curls tied in a bun.
"You must be her son," she said, nodding at Mom.
I stood quickly. "Uh…yeah. Ash. This is my sister, Alia."
Alia waved. "Hi. I'm the Empress of Snacks and Justice."
The woman smiled. "I'm Mrs. Jennings. My husband's in the middle bed." She pointed to the man sleeping behind her. "He snores like a lawnmower, so feel free to tease him when he wakes."
Alia leaned in. "Can I draw a mustache on him if he sleeps too long?"
Mrs. Jennings laughed. "Only if it's a fancy one."
A teen boy popped his head in next…probably her grandson. Tall, acne-splotched, probably thirteen and holding a half-eaten bag of chips.
"You guys new here?" he asked, stuffing another chip in his mouth.
I nodded. "Just moved in."
"Well, welcome to the heartbreak suite," he said, smirking. "We've got vending machines, ghost stories, and my grandma's killer ginger tea."
Alia clapped. "I like this place already."
She spent the next fifteen minutes winning everyone over. She drew on tissues. She told our entire life story…edited for maximum drama, and tried to teach Mrs. Jennings how to take selfies with cat ears filters. She even asked if she could braid the teen boy's eyebrows cos it was pretty long.
When she leaned her head on Mom's arm and whispered, "Wake up soon, okay? I miss your pancakes," I had to bite the inside of my cheek to keep myself from breaking.
She was trying so hard to be brave.
For me. For Mom.
And then, just as I was about to pull out my phone to check the time..
Ding.
An email.
From school.
I opened it slowly, my heart was already pounding.
Subject: URGENT: Attendance Required
Sender: Administration Office
Time: 6:42 PM
Dear Ash Rivera,
You are required to report to the principal's office first thing tomorrow morning 10am for an urgent and mandatory academic meeting. Absence will not be tolerated. This meeting concerns disciplinary standing matters.
I stared at the screen, and tightened my jaw.
Because of course. Of course something else had to go wrong.
I locked my phone and shoved it back into my pocket.
Tomorrow, was already waiting for me. I sighed.
The Next Morning
I dropped Alia off at her school first.
She'd insisted on carrying her own lunchbox today. Said she was "a strong independent woman who don't need no brother," then tripped over her shoelaces and made me pinky-promise I'd pick her up on time.
I watched her disappear into the school gate, ponytail swinging, hoodie sleeves flapping like wings.
God, I loved that kid.
But now… it was time to face mine.
My stomach had been twisting since we left the hospital, and now that I was standing outside the gates of Blackwood High, it felt like someone had tied my insides into a pretzel and lit it on fire.
I took a breath. Then another.
"You're fine," I muttered to myself. "You survived a police cell. A hospital. Alia's cooking. You can do this."
But the second I walked through those glass doors, I knew I'd lied to myself.
The air shifted.
Everything felt…louder. The squeak of shoes. The slamming of lockers. The whispering.
God, the whispering.
The whispers didn't even bother to be quiet.
"Is that him?"
"That's the guy who pushed Liam."
"No way they let him back in."