Ambrosia threw her barely eaten lunch in the garbage and walked nonchalantly out of the cafeteria. She would run out, but she didn’t want to draw any unwanted attention to herself. As soon as she was out though, she shot into a sprint, running into the closest bathroom and into the farthest stall. Rose sat down with a loud thud. Before she knew it, tears were streaming down her cheeks.

Ambrosia had known her for years, but to see how quickly Josephine had turned on her wounded her self-esteem further. After all the pain she had been through, Josephine was the one person Ambrosia felt she could grow close to, but yet again, she was wrong.

Time after time again, Ambrosia grew comfortable with someone so much so she could casually call them a friend, and every time, they managed to break Rose down further. Why do they always turn out the same? she wondered.

Ambrosia wished for her mom to be with her, for her to calm Rose down and stroke her hair until she could finally breathe easily again. Everything she had bottled in would silently be expressed through the many tears she was sure would come. If only they were still close.

Nowadays, Ambrosia hardly saw her mom, who only ever worked. Her mom was a morning person, so it was best if she worked as a nurse throughout the day. Before Ambrosia woke up until long after she fell asleep, her mom was working. It was times like these though Rose wished her mom was a night owl like herself and worked night shifts. That way, they could be together always, and she could tell her mom stories like of today. Those were only wishes on a shooting star though. Deep down, Ambrosia knew they would never be the same.

Ever since she could remember, it had been only Callum and her. It didn’t use to be like this, but times got harder for the family. The only way to survive was if their mom took up extra shifts. Even then, Ambrosia was close to her mom, who always made time for Rose, no matter how hard it was on her.

It wasn’t until high school Ambrosia started to feel as though the two were growing apart, when Rose realized she was becoming an adult. Though Ambrosia hadn’t understood it at first, her mother presumed Rose could handle herself on her own. Her mom took up more shifts, and their talk sessions occurred less and less until one day, they disappeared altogether. Soon, Ambrosia was alone with only Callum to talk to, left to feel abandoned all over again.

While she could tell Callum most things, there were certain subjects a girl couldn’t tell a boy, or her brother for that matter. There were some topics a girl wished to share with her mother: a new crush on a certain boy, meeting new friends, certain fights with so-called best friends, etc. All the things a girl should be able to share with her mom.

Ambrosia wished she could get back to the way she used to be with her mother. No matter how much she wanted to fix this though, there was no way she could do it alone.

Suddenly, the noise of the door opening resounded throughout the bathroom. Ambrosia silently pulled her knees to her chest, hoping to become invisible. Please just leave. I wish to be alone.