Dawn Hollow

XXXII

"So then, you're afraid of the fighting that comes with asking Ella for help?" Noah clarified, to which Erica agreed.

"It's stupid, I know."

"No, Erica, not at all! It's perfectly reasonable. But you have to understand that being away from someone you love for such a long time, weirdly, makes a relationship stronger."

"He's kinda right," Joseph couldn't help but concur. "I remember when I went to some kind of summer camp as a child. It was my first one since moving here, and I really wanted to go, but Noah was still homesick and decided to stay at the new house. When I got back, Moeder told me that Noah asked when I was coming home all week. And ever since then, we've kind of always stuck together because it's bizarre to imagine our lives without the other."

"Isn't that just a twin thing, though?" Erica wondered.

"Not really, it's just a human thing. People miss people. And time heals basically all wounds." Erica sighed, knowing he was right. Her boyfriend put a hand to her back and rubbed it gently, "Just don't be afraid, okay? She's your sister, your own flesh and blood. Not even that doctor's freaky experiments can change that."

"Thanks, you guys," She ended with a laugh. Erica pushed her fist out to the boys, who bumped her fist back. Though they weren't flesh and blood, they were family too.

"Ayo! There you are, Erica. I've been looking for you all damn day!" A voice scoffed from behind the group, their faces dropping at the sound.

"Zayn, you fucking asshole, not right now, okay?" Joseph growled.

"Chill it, bitch! I'm talking to your girl over here!" He pumped his hand out, "Anyway. Erica, I wanted to sincerely come to you myself and say that I am so, deeply and humbly sorry for your loss of Minor Marshall."

"Wha-? Are you serious?" She reacted, "His best friends since second grade are right behind me! Don't you think they deserve that a bit more than I do?"

"What? Oh yeah, you guys, sorry about him too." He waved the twin brothers off like mere dirt on his clothes. "But, that's not the main reason I'm here. I thought, if you wanted to help you cope with the loss of Minor Marshall, you'd be my guest of honor at my house party tonight!" The three stared at his partially hungover stare.

"You're kidding me, right?" Joseph grumbled with a fiery black-out rage, "You're inviting my girlfriend to your party as some sort of sick condolence for our friend dying?"

"Yeah! Ya know, to sort of take your mind off it all, right?"

"You're a sick asshole! How in the world-? How in the farthest reaches of your mind is that an acceptable thing to do? I mean, really? Do you have no heart? Is your brain just so small that the concept of someone else's mortality doesn't matter? Do you even care? Do you even know what that means? You're disgusting! I can't believe you'd do th-!"

"I'll go to your party," Erica stepped up with a finger to the lips of-now silenced-Joseph, "But I'll only go if those two can come with." The twins were taken aback, shocked like lightning with the words waterfalling from her mouth.

"I mean, yeah, sure, they can come, I guess. As long as it means your attendance," Zayn shrugged.

"My attendance is confirmed then." The writer called his hands together, excitedly rushing off with a flushed face and fluttering heart. The three watched him run before the twins whipped their heads around to Erica, confusion scribbled all over their faces.

"Are you feeling okay?" Noah questioned wildly.

"I feel fine; why?"

"Oh gosh, I don't know; you just accepted the invite to a party hosted by the guy you've hated for years! I mean, he invites you to every one of his parties, so why this one?"