𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐝𝐲 ⟿ s. harrington

𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐲 𝐟𝐢𝐯𝐞

AN OLD FRIEND

☀︎

IT WAS AN EXHAUSTING NIGHT AFTER THE BASKETBALL GAME BUT ROBIN BUCKLEY WAS FULL OF ENERGY. She nearly found herself bouncing off the walls just from being in the Henderson's house. She didn't quit as she went on about how amazing the game had been. Basketball wasn't really her thing but with everything added to a final buzzer shot, it made it her new thing.

Robin went into detail about how her chest swelled, desperate for a breath of air as Alex led her back to her room. Despite being at the very game, hearing Robin retell it was refreshing. She described everything too far in detail and unintentionally made jokes throughout. The only hassle had been that Alex had to carry the food they picked up all while having a hand on Robin's back just to keep her walking.

Bursting through the door, Robin had looked around with a large smile. She expected to feel right back at home being in Alex's room. Their many sleepovers made it feel as if she left a part of herself in the room as well. But as she spun around, her smile started to fade just before she came to a complete stop.

Alex took a seat on her bed, pulling out their food, unaware of Robin's unusual silence. Robin's face was stuck in wonder as she couldn't help but look around the fairly empty room. Against a wall were cardboard boxes that weren't so easy to ignore. She always felt comfortable in Alex's room, so making a beeline towards those boxes, she opened the top one.

Reaching in, she yanked out books and journals, clutching them to her chest as she made a pile in her hands. Turning towards Alex, she looked at her in confusion. "What is this?"

Finally, Alex looked up to Robin. "I'm just cleaning out my room. Starting over."

Dropping the pile down to the floor, Robin yanked out another box and rifled through clothes. Finding a hoodie, she frowned and held it up to herself. "No, Henderson, this is your favorite. You wear it all the time."

Getting up from the bed, Alex took the hoodie back and tossed it into the box. "That's Steve's. If you want it, you can have it. Or you can give it back to him." She bent down and picked up her books and journals as she frowned to herself. "Maybe he can give it to Brenda." Tossing her belongings back into the box, she brought herself back to her bed.

On her knees, Robin looked back at her in disbelief and hurt. For a small moment, she thought things were able to go back to normal, but it was much more than just seeing Alex smile. She changed her life and turned it around, not just shutting out people, but all the memories she made along the way. As if she was protecting herself.

Slowly, she got up from her knees as her eyes traveled the room. Her interest in her food had been in the back of her mind as she searched for any sign that some part of Alex had wanted to be happy again. Running her fingertips against a now bare wall, she wondered how Alex could throw away all the pictures that once filled it. Dropping her hand, she felt a new sense of excitement fill her as she began opening her drawers. If there was one thing about Alex that never changed was her love for all of her photos. It wasn't something she would so easily toss out to move on from, but it was something Robin had to search for.