They didn't ask right away. Khrisana sat curled up on Amara's velvet couch, her knees tucked to her chest, eyes still distant. Jayden sat beside her without speaking, and Amara hovered near the kitchen arch, fidgeting with the hem of her oversized T-shirt. Eventually, Amara stepped closer, her voice gentle. "Are you okay?" she asked. Khrisana looked down. "No." Jayden leaned in, his voice low. "You don't have to say anything. But... if someone did something—" "He did," Khrisana whispered. Her hands clenched. "My grandfather." Silence swallowed the room. Jayden's jaw tensed. Amara's eyes widened, but she didn't flinch away. "He didn't... he didn't get to... all the way," Khrisana said shakily. "But it was enough. He touched me. In ways he shouldn't have." Her voice cracked on the last word, and Jayden gently reached over, placing a hand over hers. She didn't pull away. Amara knelt in front of her. "Is he... still around?"
Khrisana nodded slowly. "Yeah. Still comes around. Acts like nothing happened." Amara's eyes darkened. "I'm so sorry." "You go to therapy?" Jayden asked carefully. Khrisana nodded again. "For a while now. Sometimes it helps. Sometimes I hate it. But I keep going." Jayden gave her hand a small squeeze. "That's brave." No one said anything else. They didn't need to. The truth was out. That was enough. Later that night, the three of them lay sprawled across Amara's massive bed. The mood had lightened just a little — not erased, just softened. Amara had pulled out snacks from her kitchen — cookies, chips, a ridiculous amount of gummy bears. Jayden had found an old playlist on Amara's speaker and started a goofy dance battle in the room just to make Khrisana laugh. And she did. Not loud, not carefree — but real. They played Uno. Jayden cursed every time he got a +4. Amara cheated twice. Khrisana caught her both times and rolled her eyes. At one point, Jayden cracked a joke about his own family drama. "You think your family's bad — mine thinks therapy is just 'talking to the devil.'"
Khrisana chuckled, and Amara threw a pillow at him. "Shut up. Let the girl heal in peace." By midnight, the gummy bears were half gone, and they were watching a movie not really paying attention, just existing in the same safe space. Jayden had knocked out first, snoring with his face half-buried in a pillow. Amara turned to Khrisana. "You want the bed or the couch?" Khrisana blinked. "Can I stay here? Just tonight?" "Of course," Amara said softly. "You're safe here." The next morning, the sun filtered through the lace curtains. Khrisana woke to the smell of breakfast. She stretched slowly, her body stiff but her chest... lighter. She wandered to the kitchen to find Amara's mom humming and flipping pancakes. "Good morning, baby girl. You want syrup or fruit?" "Uh... syrup?" Amara's dad set down two plates on the table and grinned. "Eat up. You girls need energy." Jayden was already munching on eggs, still half-asleep but nodding at Khrisana when she sat down.
It was simple. It wasn't magic. But it felt... better. Like maybe she could breathe again. Maybe she wasn't alone.