Chapter 10

Chapter 2:

Three days passed.

Three long days.

Three awkward days.

Three days of Nevaeh trying very hard not to think about the diner.

Unfortunately…

Her brain refused to cooperate.

The problem wasn’t that Daniela had hurt her feelings.

Okay.

Maybe that was part of it.

The bigger problem was that some of what she’d said wasn’t entirely wrong.

And Nevaeh hated that.

On Thursday afternoon, she was sitting on the floor of her apartment folding laundry.

A task she normally enjoyed.

Today?

Not so much.

A knock sounded at the door.

She already knew who it was.

“Come in.”

The door opened.

Amanni stepped inside carrying iced coffees.

“Hi.”

“Hi.”

Amanni immediately narrowed her eyes.

“You look terrible.”

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

Nevaeh rolled her eyes.

A few minutes later they were sitting on the couch.

Talking about random things.

Work.

Movies.

Kai being annoying.

Normal topics.

Until—

“So.”

Nevaeh groaned immediately.

“No.”

Amanni smiled.

“Yes.”

“No.”

“Yes.”

“No.”

“Yes.”

Nevaeh threw a pillow at her.

Amanni caught it.

Unfortunately.

“You know we’re talking about it eventually.”

“No we’re not.”

“We are.”

“We aren’t.”

“We are.”

Nevaeh sighed.

Loudly.

Dramatically.

“Fine.”

Amanni waited.

Patiently.

Dangerously.

“Fine what?”

“Fine.”

“Very descriptive.”

“I know.”

Silence stretched between them.

Then Amanni asked quietly:

“Are you still mad?”

Nevaeh stared at her coffee.

The answer should’ve been easy.

Yes.

No.

Something.

Instead—

“I don’t know.”

That surprised even her.

Amanni nodded.

Because she’d already guessed.

“You know…”

“Oh no.”

“What?”

“Whenever you start a sentence like that, I hate it.”

Amanni laughed.

“You don’t hate it.”

“I do.”

“You really don’t.”

“Get to the point.”

Amanni’s expression softened.

Just slightly.

“Daniela wasn’t completely wrong.”

The room went silent.

Nevaeh immediately looked offended.

“Wow.”

“I’m serious.”

“You’re taking her side?”

“I’m not taking sides.”

“Sounds like it.”

Amanni shook her head.

“Nevaeh.”

“No.”

“Nevaeh.”

“No.”

“Listen.”

Reluctantly.

Very reluctantly.

Nevaeh did.

“You’ve had a bad week.”

“No kidding.”

“I know.”

Amanni leaned back.

“But you’ve also been pushing everyone away.”

Nevaeh looked away.

Immediately.

A bad sign.

Amanni noticed.

Of course she did.

“You snapped at Kai.”

“He deserved it.”

“Did he?”

“…”

“Exactly.”

Nevaeh groaned and dropped her head back against the couch.

This conversation was awful.

The worst.

She hated it.

Which usually meant Amanni was making a good point.

Unfortunately.

After a moment, Amanni spoke again.

“You know what I think?”

“No.”

“I think you were already upset before you got to the diner.”

Nevaeh didn’t answer.

Because she was.

“And I think Daniela became the easiest target.”

Ouch.

That one landed.

Hard.

For several seconds neither spoke.

Then Nevaeh asked quietly:

“You think I owe her an apology?”

Amanni shrugged.

“I think you owe yourself some honesty first.”

That answer annoyed Nevaeh more than if Amanni had just said yes.

Because deep down…

She knew exactly what her best friend meant.

And she wasn’t sure she liked it.

A few days later.

Kai’s house.

Movie night.

Everyone’s there.

The atmosphere is normal.

Except for one thing.

Daniela and Nevaeh.

Before, they argued.

Teased each other.

Competed.

Talked.

Now?

Nothing.

Absolutely nothing.

“Hey.”

Daniela’s voice was careful.

Nevaeh looked up.

“Hey.”

“…”

“…”

And that was it.

Mateo watched from across the room.

Then looked at James.

James looked at Mateo.

Both immediately looked away.

Because OH MY GOD.

This was worse.

Way worse.

At one point James made a joke.

Everyone laughed.

Even Nevaeh.

Even Daniela.

Then they accidentally looked at each other.

And both immediately looked away.

Later, Kai whispered:

“Make it stop.”

To nobody in particular.

Because somehow…

The fighting had been easier.

The fighting had been familiar.

This?

This weird distance?

This awkward politeness?

Nobody knew what to do with it.

Least of all Daniela and Nevaeh.

Movie night should’ve been easy.

It usually was.

Kai’s living room.

Too many people.

Too much food.

James stealing snacks.

Nolan getting threatened by Mia.

Normal.

Comfortable.

Familiar.

Instead, everyone felt like they were sitting in the middle of a hostage negotiation.

Because Daniela and Nevaeh weren’t fighting.

They weren’t talking either.

Which somehow felt worse.

Much worse.

Halfway through the movie, James reached for popcorn.

Missed.

The bowl tipped.

Popcorn exploded everywhere.

Silence.

Then—

“JAMES.”

The shout came from both Daniela and Nevaeh.

At the exact same time.

The entire room froze.

James froze.

The popcorn froze.

Time itself froze.

Then everybody slowly turned.

Looking between the two girls.

Daniela stared at Nevaeh.

Nevaeh stared at Daniela.

And for the briefest second—

It felt normal.

Like before.

Like they were about to argue over who got to insult James first.

Then both immediately looked away.

And the moment vanished.

“Oh my God,” Kai whispered.

“What?” Mateo whispered back.

“I hate this.”

The movie continued.

Nobody paid attention.

Not really.

James eventually cleaned up his mess.

After being threatened by Mia.

Repeatedly.

An hour later, people started moving around.

Getting drinks.

Stretching.

Talking.

The movie becoming background noise.

Daniela headed toward the kitchen.

Unfortunately—

Nevaeh had the exact same idea.

They reached the fridge at the same time.

Of course they did.

Because apparently the universe enjoyed suffering.

Both stopped.

Both stared.

Then—

“You go.”

Daniela spoke first.

Nevaeh immediately replied.

“No, you.”

Silence.

“You were here first.”

“No I wasn’t.”

“You were.”

“You literally got here at the same time.”

“Okay.”

“Okay.”

There it was again.

That stupid word.

The one that somehow annoyed both of them now.

For a second neither moved.

Then Daniela sighed dramatically.

“I’m getting water.”

“Congratulations.”

Daniela looked at her.

Nevaeh looked back.

And there it was.

For the first time since the diner.

A spark.

Not a good one.

But a spark.

Daniela grabbed a bottle.

“Why are you being weird?”

The words escaped before she could stop them.

Nevaeh laughed.

Actually laughed.

But there was no amusement in it.

“Me?”

“Yes.”

“Oh, that’s rich.”

Daniela immediately felt her irritation return.

Not enough for another fight.

Just enough.

The dangerous amount.

Before either could say anything else—

Kai appeared.

Perfect timing.

Terrible timing.

Depending on who you asked.

“Oh good.”

“No.”

“Oh good.”

“Kai.”

“Talk.”

“No.”

“Please.”

“No.”

Kai looked between them.

Then looked toward the ceiling.

As if begging for help.

None arrived.

“You two are exhausting.”

“Then leave.”

That came from Nevaeh.

Immediately.

Without thinking.

Kai blinked.

“See?”

He pointed.

“That.”

“What?”

“That.”

Nevaeh rolled her eyes.

And walked away.

Daniela watched her disappear into the backyard.

The irritation returned.

But so did something else.

Something worse.

Because for a second—

Just a second—

She’d almost forgotten why they were upset.

She’d almost slipped back into their usual rhythm.

The teasing.

The eye rolls.

The back-and-forth.

And now it was gone again.

Outside, Nevaeh leaned against the railing.

The cool night air brushing against her skin.

She could still hear everyone inside laughing.

Talking.

Living.

Normal.

She hated how weird everything felt.

She hated how one stupid argument had somehow changed everything.

And most of all—

She hated that she missed talking to Daniela.

Even if most of their conversations had technically been arguments.

Inside, Daniela sat back down on the couch.

Ammani immediately noticed.

Because Ammani noticed everything.

“You’re staring.”

Daniela nearly choked on her drink.

“What?”

“Outside.”

“I’m not.”

“You are.”

“I’m literally not.”

Mia raised an eyebrow next to Ammani

A very Mia eyebrow.

The kind that said:

Sure.

Daniela looked away.

Immediately.

Outside.

Nevaeh looked through the window.

And accidentally caught Daniela looking out.

For half a second.

Maybe less.

Then both immediately looked away.

Again.

And somehow…

That felt worse than fighting ever had.

Because at least when they were fighting, they were still talking.

The movie was still playing.

Nobody was watching it.

At this point it was basically background noise.

Kai was scrolling through his phone.

Mateo was half asleep.

James was somehow eating for the third time that night.

Mia looked one inconvenience away from committing a crime.

Normal.

Everything looked normal.

Except it wasn’t.

Not really.

Because every few minutes Daniela’s eyes drifted toward the backyard.

Toward the glass door.

Toward Nevaeh.

Outside, Nevaeh leaned against the railing.

The cool night air felt nice.

Better than sitting inside.

Better than pretending everything was fine.

She stared out into the darkness.

Thinking.

Unfortunately.

Amanni’s words refused to leave her alone.

“I think Daniela became the easiest target.”

Nevaeh hated how accurate that sounded.

Because the more she thought about it—

The more she realized Daniela hadn’t actually done anything that night.

Not really.

The story.

The joke.

The conversation.

None of it deserved the reaction she’d given.

She’d just been tired.

Overwhelmed.

Angry at everything.

And Daniela happened to be there.

Nevaeh groaned softly.

This was stupid.

The entire thing was stupid.

The fight.

The awkwardness.

All of it.

Maybe she should just talk to her.

Not a huge apology.

Nothing dramatic.

Just—

I was having a bad day.

That was manageable.

Right?

Right.

Inside, Daniela was losing a battle against her own thoughts.

The problem was that every time she looked outside—

Nevaeh was still there.

Alone.

Thinking.

And somehow that made Daniela feel worse.

Not better.

Worse.

Because now she kept replaying the apartment.

The exhaustion.

The hurt.

The way Nevaeh had looked when she’d said:

“Nobody notices anyway.”

Daniela sighed.

Loudly.

“What now?” Mia asked.

“What?”

“You sighed.”

“I didn’t.”

“You absolutely did.”

Daniela rolled her eyes.

Mia looked toward the backyard.

Then back at Daniela.

Then raised one eyebrow.

A very Mia eyebrow.

Daniela immediately stood.

“No.”

Mia smirked.

“I didn’t say anything.”

“Exactly.”

Before she could lose her nerve—

Daniela headed toward the back door.

Maybe they didn’t need to apologize.

Maybe they could just talk.

Maybe they could stop whatever this weird thing was.

Because honestly?

She was tired of it.

At that exact moment—

Nevaeh pushed herself off the railing.

Took a deep breath.

And headed inside.

They missed each other by less than thirty seconds.

Daniela stepped outside.

The patio was empty.

She blinked.

Looked left.

Nothing.

Looked right.

Nothing.

“…What?”

For some reason, disappointment settled in her stomach.

Sharp.

Unexpected.

Had Nevaeh gone home?

Without saying goodbye?

Daniela immediately hated how much that thought bothered her.

After another moment, she headed back inside.

And stopped.

Because there was Nevaeh.

Across the room.

Standing beside James.

James was talking animatedly.

Using his hands.

Making absolutely no sense.

As usual.

And—

Nevaeh laughed.

Just a little.

But she laughed.

Daniela froze.

Because suddenly all the courage she’d spent the last ten minutes gathering disappeared.

Instantly.

From where she stood—

Nevaeh looked fine.

Completely fine.

Like she wasn’t upset anymore.

Like she wasn’t thinking about the fight.

Like she wasn’t replaying every stupid word.

Meanwhile Daniela had spent days thinking about it.

Days.

The realization stung.

More than she’d expected.

Oh.

She doesn’t care.

The thought arrived before Daniela could stop it.

And once it was there—

It refused to leave.

Of course she didn’t care.

Why would she?

Maybe Daniela had been the only one making this into a big deal.

Maybe she was the only one who felt weird.

Suddenly walking over there seemed ridiculous.

Embarrassing, even.

So Daniela looked away.

Turned around.

And headed back toward the couch.

Across the room—

Nevaeh happened to glance up.

And saw Daniela.

For a second her heart jumped.

Oh.

She’s coming over.

Finally.

Then Daniela looked away.

Turned.

And sat down.

Without saying a word.

Nevaeh’s smile faded immediately.

The little bit of hope she’d been carrying all night disappeared.

Just like that.

Oh.

She doesn’t want to talk to me.

Of course.

Why would she?

After everything Nevaeh had said?

She looked down at the floor.

Trying to ignore the uncomfortable feeling in her chest.

James was still talking.

Something about losing fifty dollars to a claw machine.

Nevaeh wasn’t listening anymore.

Across the room, Daniela wasn’t listening either.

And somehow—

Despite being surrounded by their friends—

Both of them felt completely alone.

Neither knew they had almost fixed it.

Neither knew they’d both tried.

Neither knew they’d missed each other by less than a minute.

And that was the worst part.

Because if either of them had waited thirty seconds longer—

Things might have been different.

Instead—

The distance between them stayed exactly where it was.

Uncomfortable.

Unfinished.

And growing harder to ignore.

Eventually people started leaving.

One by one.

Mateo left first.

Then Mia and Nolan.

James got kicked out after attempting to take an entire unopened bag of chips.

Kai called him a thief.

James called it borrowing.

Nobody believed him.

The living room slowly emptied.

Until only a few people remained.

Cleaning up.

Throwing away cups.

Gathering blankets.

The usual.

Nevaeh was helping Kai collect plates.

Mostly because if she didn’t, he’d somehow leave them there for three weeks.

“That’s not where that goes.”

Kai looked down.

Then at the plate in his hand.

Then at the cabinet.

Then back at Nevaeh.

“It literally is.”

“It literally isn’t.”

“It literally is.”

“It literally isn’t.”

From across the room, Daniela looked up.

Without thinking.

Without meaning to.

She rolled her eyes.

Hard.

The exact same way she always did whenever Kai and Nevaeh started arguing about something stupid.

Unfortunately…

Everyone saw.

Kai pointed immediately.

“HA.”

Daniela froze.

“Oh no.”

“HA.”

“Don’t.”

“YOU DID THE THING.”

“What thing?”

“The eye roll.”

Daniela wanted the floor to open beneath her.

Immediately.

Because Kai wasn’t wrong.

That eye roll had been automatic.

Natural.

The kind you only do when something feels familiar.

Nevaeh looked up too.

Meeting Daniela’s eyes for half a second.

And for the first time all night—

The corner of Nevaeh’s mouth twitched.

Just slightly.

Not a smile.

Not even close.

But close enough.

Then she looked away.

Daniela looked away too.

And somehow…

That tiny moment felt bigger than anything they’d said all evening.

Because neither of them had forgotten.

No matter how hard they tried to act like they had.

A few minutes later everyone finally left.

The awkwardness still there.

The argument still unresolved.

The apology still unsaid.

But for the first time since the diner—

Neither of them went home feeling quite as hopeless about it.

And then…

Three days passed.

And Daniela stopped answering texts.