The house felt empty again.
Too empty.
Andrea spent most of the afternoon cleaning with her sister. Empty bottles disappeared into trash bags, cups were stacked in the sink, and the sticky floor was finally washed.
By the time they finished, the house looked normal again.
Like the party had never happened.
But Andrea knew better.
Something had changed.
She couldn't explain it.
The rumors were still there.
Matthew was still complicated.
Samuel was still… Samuel.
But the party had done something strange.
For once, Andrea didn't feel invisible.
People had shown up.
They had laughed in her house.
They had celebrated her.
Even if things were messy and chaotic, it still meant something.
And for the first time in a long time—
Andrea felt seen.
Later that evening, Andrea left the house alone.
Her headphones rested over her ears, music filling the quiet spaces of her thoughts.
The city streets were calm now. A few cars passed slowly, and the air was cool enough to make her breathe deeper.
Usually when Andrea walked alone like this, her thoughts became heavy.
Dark.
But today felt different.
She caught herself smiling.
Actually smiling.
It surprised her.
Andrea looked down at the pavement, shaking her head slightly.
"Okay… what is happening to me?"
She kept walking.
The music in her headphones grew louder as she turned a corner.
Then someone suddenly grabbed her arm.
Andrea jumped.
"What the—"
She pulled one headphone off.
Two familiar faces were standing in front of her.
Teresa.
And Diana.
Teresa gasped dramatically.
"There she is!"
Andrea blinked.
"What are you doing here?"
Diana crossed her arms with a grin.
"We've been trying to reach you all day."
Andrea pulled her phone from her pocket.
Several unread messages.
"Oh."
Teresa squinted at her face.
"Why are you smiling?"
Andrea froze slightly.
"Am I?"
"Yes!" Teresa said loudly. "You look suspiciously happy."
Diana narrowed her eyes playfully.
"Suspiciously."
Andrea laughed nervously.
"Okay… maybe something happened."
Teresa grabbed her arm immediately.
"I knew it."
"What happened?" Diana asked quickly.
Andrea hesitated for a moment.
Then she sighed.
"Okay… you're not going to believe this."
The three girls started walking together down the street.
Andrea took a breath.
"My sister threw me a surprise birthday party."
Teresa's jaw dropped.
"What?!"
Diana's eyes widened.
"You never have birthday parties."
"I know," Andrea said.
"That's crazy," Teresa said. "Who was there?"
Andrea hesitated slightly.
"People from my class."
Diana leaned closer.
"Who exactly?"
Andrea scratched the back of her neck.
"…Tom."
Teresa nodded.
"Okay."
"…Matthew."
Teresa's eyes widened.
"WHAT?"
"…and Samuel."
Teresa stopped walking completely.
"Hold on."
Diana laughed in disbelief.
"All three of them?"
Andrea nodded slowly.
Teresa stared at her.
"Your birthday party had Matthew, Samuel, AND Tom in the same house?"
Andrea nodded again.
Teresa grabbed her shoulders.
"You need to start from the beginning."
Andrea laughed helplessly.
"Okay, okay."
So she told them.
About the party.
About the tension.
About Matthew.
About Samuel.
About everything.
By the time she finished, Teresa was staring at her like she had just watched a movie.
"You kissed Matthew."
Andrea looked at the ground.
"…Yeah."
Diana covered her mouth in shock.
"And Samuel?" she asked carefully.
Andrea hesitated again.
Teresa's eyes widened.
"ANDREA."
Andrea groaned.
"Don't make it sound like that."
Teresa grabbed her arm again.
"That is exactly how it sounds!"
Diana laughed loudly.
"This is insane."
Teresa looked genuinely thrilled.
"This is the best drama I've ever heard."
Andrea shook her head.
"You're both terrible."
Diana smiled.
"No, we're supportive."
Teresa nodded quickly.
"Extremely supportive."
Andrea laughed.
For once, it didn't feel heavy talking about everything.
It felt… freeing.
Teresa squeezed her arm.
"You know what this means, right?"
Andrea raised an eyebrow.
"What?"
Teresa grinned.
"You're finally living."
Andrea looked ahead at the street lights glowing in the evening.
For a moment, she thought about everything.
The party.
The kiss.
Samuel.
Matthew.
The chaos.
The scars.
Then she smiled again.
Maybe Teresa was right.
Maybe something had changed.