[h3][color=mediumspringgreen]Alexandria[/color][/h3]

[@KillamriX88] [@Scarifar]

Alex looked visibly confused. "[b][color=mediumspringgreen]Replacement? Priorities?![/color][/b]" Her stomach twisted as she considered what Vera said. What [i]was[/i] she saying?

What was it Vera once told her? Alex thought back to a moment years ago. Parts of it felt like a faded memory, but Alex remembered the feeling of her own tears. Alex was sitting there, curled up, just wishing that Vera would go away and leave her alone. And Vera said something she'd never forget:

[i]"[color=magenta][b]You're one of the two people in the world who I want to hear from, and you won't talk to me even to smooth this over. Do you see the issue here?[/b][/color]"[/i]

Alex had nearly forgotten what the argument was about. That part didn't matter. But Vera back then was right. There was an issue here and Alex wasn't going to let it hang over the two. Alex gathered up her courage to be as forthcoming as possible, thinking through what she was going to say.

"[b][color=mediumspringgreen]The doctors said that I might have stunted my growth spurt due to my coma.[/color][/b]" Alex blurted out.

'[color=mediumspringgreen]Ah. I jumped too far ahead in what I wanted to say right into an awkward spot.[/color]' Alex had already screwed up her confident retort.

She had to keep going, before Vera cut her off or her own tears made it too hard to speak. "[b][color=mediumspringgreen]I-I mean to say... It's not been all fun. And you're not making things easy either. It's not like I didn't want to see you or Wolf...[/color][/b]" Her vision blurred from her tears. "[color=mediumspringgreen][b]I don't know what happened. I had a little bit of resentment, maybe, to wake up after a year and only be greeted by my [i]parents[/i]. No Wolf or Vera.[/b][/color]" Alex emphasized her displeasure at that. It was true. One of the first things she and Vera bonded over was their parental issues - different types, but issues all the same. "[color=mediumspringgreen][b]But maybe, I thought, it was something wrong with me. Maybe I wasn't good enough to be with you two again, since I had... Left so suddenly. I shied away from trying. Not until I had done something amazing. I had made up some fake bargain with myself to solve a problem I wasn't even sure existed.[/b][/color]"

Alex had wanted to say more, but she felt her throat tightening, and tears beginning to fall down her cheeks again. 

...And then she heard Michael's voice behind her, and her heart sank like a stone. '[color=mediumspringgreen]N-Not now! W-Why is he leaving from this exit?![/color]' Alex quickly pulled her hood up, trying to hide her tear-streaked face. '[color=mediumspringgreen]I was just trying to clear up one misunderstanding and another shows up in its place!! And how much of that did he hear?![/color]' Alex felt like she might die from embarrassment, anxiety, and sadness all at once.