In The Dark

Kayla heard a knock at her door, and her heart sank. Maybe it was Vasile. She didn't feel ready to talk to him after that argument in the corn field. Still, she said, "Yes?"

It was just her mom. Phew!

Diane stepped into the room, her expression hesitant. How was she going to put this. She sighed, shutting the door behind her.

"Hey, Kaylie. I've been talking to Nan," she admitted softly.

Kayla back stiffened at that and the serious way in which she said it.  

"She told me about your... conversation," Diane continued, her tone cautious, almost apologetic.

Kayla thought back to that conversation. It was when she and Jake had dropped by to deliver the peach cobbler. 

"Now then, who's the friend of Dorothy you brought round?" her grandma had asked with a sly smile, her eyes twinkling.

Jake's eyes widened. How the heck did she know? Was it that obvious?  His surprise quickly gave way to an awkward chuckle.

"Don't worry, lad," her grandma said, cutting through the tension with ease. "Anyone who brings puddings this delicious is a friend of mine as well." She winked at him before patting his shoulder and shuffling back to the portable stove to refill the kettle.

Jake relaxed, and so did Kayla, though she felt her face flush. She didn't even know how her grandma knew that. Maybe it was just some knack she had. She could just read people right away. 

They all sat together, sipping tea, the room filled with the soft clinking of cups and the warm smell of peaches.

For a while, Kayla stayed quiet, letting the comfort of the moment soothe her. But as she glanced at her Nan, who was smiling warmly at Jake as he recounted a funny story at community college, she felt herself go quiet and detached. Something inside her began to unravel.

It started as a tightness in her chest, then a sting in her eyes. She kept blinking away the tears, having no idea where they were coming from. Why here, why now? All at once, it felt like the weight of the past few weeks was pressing down on her, too heavy to carry anymore.

"Kayla?" Jake frowned. Where was this coming from? It was definitely not from the story he was telling about the missing salt shaker. Why did Kayla look so sad? He put a hand on her shoulder. 

Her grandma turned to her immediately, setting her cup down. "What is it, darling?"

Kayla hesitated, her throat tightening. But her grandma's kind eyes made it impossible to hold back.

"I just... I don't even know where to start," Kayla admitted, her voice breaking. "It's just... everything. I feel like everything's falling apart." She wiped a tear away, sniffing. "This is so embarrassing."

Her grandma reached out, taking Kayla's hand in her own. "No... Kayla, tell me what's wrong," she said softly.

And so Kayla did.

She told her how Brianna, her best friend since forever, had been acting so selfish and distant lately—how it felt like she didn't like her anymore. She confessed how her mom's little comments about her weight had started to eat away at her confidence, and she couldn't just brush them off anymore. 

And then, she admitted the hardest part: how she'd developed the biggest crush on Vasile and then blew it. How she'd managed to ruin everything because of her insecurities. She didn't tell her grandma about those weird suspicions she'd had about him—that part felt too ridiculous to say out loud. She only said, "I didn't trust him, and I pushed him away. And now... now I feel like a complete screw up."