When Good Things End - A Novel Series

⋆˖⁺‧₊☽◯ 7 ◯☾₊‧⁺˖⋆

"Morning beautiful," Laurent said as I woke up. I pushed his face away from me and curled closer to Irene. I still want to sleep a little longer.

"You're disgusting," Crete groaned.

I stretched out and punched him lightly, "Not you. I'm talking about that buffoon, punch him instead. Leo, how are you feeling?" Crete asked.

"I'm feeling better," Leo replied, rolling his shoulders and standing up. He looked much better too—no longer sickly but still very dirty. I wonder what I look like right now. I looked at Irene, and she smiled at me. I guess I don't look completely trashed.

"Okay," I yawned. "Let's get going."

Going home. Finally.

I extinguished what's left of the fire while Laurent gave out breakfast. Crete took the backpack after we ate, and I didn't complain. The walk through the forest path felt so much shorter as we joked the whole way to the houses.

"So this is what it looks like." Crete slowed as we got to the hill overlooking the neighborhood. I tried to imagine what he was seeing. The houses look wrecked from the earthquake, but they were damaged even before that. The roads had random abandoned cars, and the pavement has a big enough crack that it could be seen from here.

I hated coming back here every evening from the orphanage. I wished I had just lived there, but now. I guess it's not to bad.

"I think I see Alice." Leo pointed out.

We made our way down to the road. It's Alice we saw, and here she is now. Two trash bags in hand and muttering to herself in a panic.

"Where are the guys?" Crete asked and she startled back. Biting her lip, she looked down at the floor as we went inside the house.

Ripped-open couch cushions. Cabinet doors broken in half, water spilled everywhere, and mud used for the writing on the walls. Curse words. Great.

"It's my fault," Alice stammered as I took in the shocking scene. "I got mad at you and voiced my opinion. They agreed with me, and I kept trash-talking about you. Then Ells started getting angry at you and broke the cabinet. They wrecked the place, and I kept riling them up," she admitted. I'm surprised she's not trying to lie about this. She's usually so defensive it's strange seeing her apologize. And to me of all people.

"So, where are those rats now?" Crete asked, cracking his knuckles.

"An hour ago, a man came over. Said something about a village? After the boys did this, they wanted to go with him to some camp or something," Alice explained. "They didn't even think about waiting for you guys. Anna, I'm so sorry," she pleaded.

I shrugged and walked out of that house. "Hold up, please. I said I'm sorry," Alice said, coming after me. She teared up when I smiled at her.

"Even though it hurts to admit it, I kind of knew there was a chance something like this would happen. Even if we were once friends, I can tell when someone changed," I pointed to the house across the street. "That's my house." Alice looked shocked, and Laurent looked at me with what felt like admiration.

"When my neighbor moved out, she gave me her house since there was no one else left in this neighborhood." I would never live in that cursed place, but this is my place. Home. I took off my shoes and finally went inside my house. Holding the door open for the others.

"You're amazing," Laurent said as he took his boots off and walked in. Yeah right. I smiled.

Alice wince as she drew blood from gnawing her lip. She was testing my reaction, and from what I could tell, she can't tell how I feel. I let her torment herself for a while longer. Staring her down as I held the door until she finally stopped pacing.