Alex tells me about his old school and about how he already made some new friends (besides me) at this school. All of his friends (except me) love and play sports, and sometimes I feel bad that I can't talk about sports with him.

I look at the cat clock on the wall (yes, the Kit Cat one) and see that it's almost four o'clock.

"I should get going now," I say, standing up from my seat.

"Oh, okay," Alex replies. "Bye, then."

"You're staying here?" I ask, turning around to face him,

"Yeah," he says as he stands up. "Unless you want me to walk home with you."

I shake my head frantically, "No, it's fine, I'm just... asking."

Alex smiles and nods. "Okay. See you tomorrow."

I wave at him as I walk out of the shop and back home. It's a lonely walk, but I need some alone time now, especially after what happened at the bakery. I told Alex about my sister, even though I was about to cry. He was supportive, (obviously, because then that would be rude) but he was still a little awkward. I just wish I could take my mind off of this, but I can't since anywhere I walk in school, everyone stares at me or avoids me. It's just a constant reminder of what has happened.

I get home, and I see that my mom is sitting at the dining room table, her laptop open, with a blank expression on her face. She looks up from the screen when she sees me.

"Where were you?" she asks. "You've been out for longer than an hour after your dismissal time."

"Oh, s-sorry," I say. "I was just... um... helping Sarah with her math in the library."

My mom doesn't seem to buy it and sits up. "You hesitated."

"I swear that's all I did!" I say louder and more forceful than I anticipated.

"Okay, okay!" she shouts. After that, she sighs. "You were just really defensive. What's up with that?"

"It's nothing, really," I mumble, looking down. "I just studied with her. That's it."

"Are you sure that's it? You just studied with her?"

"I-I have to go do my homework," I say, storming up the stairs. "I don't understand why you have to make such a big deal from me hanging out with Sarah for a little bit," I say from the staircase. I didn't know my dad was home, and I almost run into him on the staircase as he was walking down. I go into my room and shut the door, dropping my backpack to the floor.

I lied to my mom, but it's not like that's not normal. Everyone lies. I'm not sure why I was so confident about the lie, though. I wouldn't usually shout at my mom like that either. I open the door and walk outside to go and apologize, but then I hear my parents talking. I stop at the top of the stairs, listening closely to their muffled conversation.

"You should give Earnest a break with all this girlfriend stuff," I hear my dad say.

"And why do you say that?" my mom asks.

"Because he's still dealing with everything that's happening with—" his voice is cut short. Then there's a long pause. "He's obviously getting annoyed by this," he says.

"It's important for him," my mom replies. "It's better now than never."

"Just give it a break for now! Hold it off for a little bit, will you? He's going through a lot right now."

"Well I think it's about time for him. Especially at a time like this."

"Are you saying that he should just forget about this?"

"I'm just saying it'll be good for him to have a partner. Someone else so they can carry on the family name. We only have one child left, and he's the only one who can take all the responsibilities after we pass away."

There's no response from my dad.

"I'm not saying that our daughter's passing isn't important. It's just... we should try to move on with our daily lives."

I hear my dad sigh. "I know. It's still hard for all of us."

There's another moment of silence until I hear someone walking up the stairs. I quickly walk back into my room and close the door. I sit in my chair and take out a book and a piece of paper, placing them on the table and taking out a pen, trying to pretend like I've been doing my work this whole time. Just in case someone comes inside my room. But no one does. I sit at my desk silently, waiting for something to happen outside my room. But nothing happens. It's like my house is totally dead. (Maybe I shouldn't say that.)

I walk outside and pass my sister's room, noticing the purple crayon on the door. I wish I could just scratch the words out. It's too bad that anytime I think about my sister I think about the rumor. I should take my mind off of it.

As I walk down the stairs into the empty dining room, the first thing that pops into my head is Alex, (what a surprise) but specifically what happened in the café.

Ah, I'm turning red again. Just from the thought that he touched my cheek. It's hard to stop thinking about it now.

My mom comes into the room as I'm sitting at the table, my face still red. Shit.

"Hi, Earnie," she says sitting across from me.

I stare down at the wooden table, trying to not show my face to my mom. "Hi," I say quietly.

"Is there something wrong?" she asks.

"N-no. I'm just thinking about... her," I say, looking up but still not making eye contact with her.

"I know." She pauses. "Why is your face all red?"

"No reason," I say. "It's just... kinda hot in here."

"I lowered the temperature to fifty-five degrees since it was hot in here," she says. "Are you sick or something?" She reaches over the table to feel my forehead.

I get up. "I have to finish my homework," I say, walking up the stairs.