HEART OF GLASS!━━OUTERBANKS

nineteen!

With one more moment of courage, she takes a deep breath and joins the conversation. A conversation that runs through her mind a dozen times over the last year, but no surprise, it comes off harsher than Adalaine's usual soft demeanor. "You- you broke my heart, Sarah. Don't you get that? I needed you so badly and you dropped me like I hadn't held your hair back when you puked after drinking too much. It was like we hadn't been friends for years, going on vacations and sneaking out together,"

"Addy-" The blonde Kook says, her mouth parted slightly in surprise.

"I loved you, Sarah. And it's stupid- I-I should've known that you'd never think of me the same way... and I was starting to accept that too. But then you ditched us, and it wasn't even the fact that it was a stupid birthday party," Adalaine says, hiccuping slightly as the tears roll down her cheeks. "It was that, when I was falling apart and your brother was helping me destroy myself, you didn't stop either of us,"

"I swear I didn't know-"

"You were at that party," Kiara mumbles. "Adalaine texted me all this shit and I knew something was wrong. And then I went and I saw her leaning against Rafe, completely out of it. You were there Sarah, but you didn't bat an eye,"

"I needed you then and dozens of times since then." The brunette admits, her hand shakes slightly at the memories of her past. "But I accepted that you left and wanted nothing to do with me or Kie. But now you're here and I don't know what to do,"

"I had no idea Addy, I'm- i'm so sorry,"

"Yeah," Adalaine speaks softly yet bitterly. "Me too,"

"Why- why didn't you tell me?" Sarah asks quietly, her gaze trained at the ground instead of the girl sitting vulnerable with her heart wide open.

"Sarah-" the curly-haired girl begins to protest, not wanting Adalaine to hurt herself with her own words.

"It's okay Kiwi," she says softly. "I didn't say anything because would that have even changed anything? Be honest with yourself Sarah,"

"But your mom," Sarah begins, thinking back to the dinner the week prior. Along the other few conversations she and Adalaine had about Amelie. Frankly, guilt was coarsing through her veins and she felt so stupid for not reading more into it. "Has it always been that bad?"

"I didn't say anything because you needed my mom. Yeah we talked shit about her, but at the end of the day, she was a mother-figure for you- more than Rose ever will or could be. I couldn't do that to you. She tore me down so deeply yet did everything to lift you up, and I didn't want to ruin whatever you had,"

Sarah's expression falls, guilt now churning in her stomach as she looks away in shock. She had no inkling to how Addy had felt, for she thought that Amelie's compliments were harmless - but that was only the case when she was the one receiving the positive words while Adalaine had to bear the brunt of the backhanded comparisons.

Looking at Adalaine, she had no idea of what the girl had been going through, and all of Amelie's compliments for the past years ran through her head at the sight of Adalaide's eyes glazing over. Suddenly, all the positive notes that had fed Sarah's confidence had disappeared, and she was analyzing every single compliment to realize that while Amelie built the blonde Kook up, she had been tearing her own daughter down.

But what could she do now?

Apologize?

Would that even be enough? And now, Sarah Cameron had tears falling down her face, as every small comment and critique from Amelie's mouth to Aadalaine seemed to burn, ache, and find a home in Sarah's chest.