Her head was leaning against the window as her boyfriend sped down the road. There was an uneasy silence in the car following the intense argument that they had just had. Jared knew how to push her buttons, but she knew how to push his as well, and there was the fact that she was better at it. He did not like that, and she was well aware of that.

Lily had been dating him for just over six months, following two prior relationships, but this time, she wanted it to work. She wanted the relationship to last, to have it eventually lead to something well past college. Lily dreamed of marriage, buying a home, and having two kids with him. But now, the farther they drove, the less likely that seemed.

A few moments later they came to a full stop in front of her house. Jared still didn't say a word. He instead raised the volume of the radio a little bit, [Like a Stone] playing through the speakers. Lily liked that song, they both did, but right that moment she couldn't enjoy it. She stared at him, but his hand rested lazily on the steering wheel at the wrist and his gaze appeared to be settled on the next door kids playing on the front lawn. Lily noticed her sister was also outside.

With a sigh, she opened the passenger door before getting out. She wanted him to say something, even a quick [Bye] would have sufficed, but he remained silent. The moment she closed his door, he drove away, leaving her standing on the sidewalk in disbelief. But a moment later Lily gathered herself and marched inside, her pride getting the better of her and even going as far as ignoring Eva.

She had made for her room, having heard her mother somewhere in the kitchen but not bothering to have a word. In fact, Lily hoped to be left alone altogether, to be invisible for a few hours...or at least until she was called down for dinner. The phone in her back pocket buzzed, and she pulled it out as she was heading upstairs. It was a message from Jared, but she didn't dare open it. Lily knew her relationship was all but over, that it was hanging on by a very fine thread threatening to snap at any moment with any minimal level of tension. But to see it coming directly from him would make it real and devastate her, and Lily couldn't handle that right there and then.

She closed the door behind her, leaning on it with all of her weight—both physical and emotional. And as if her personal life wasn't enough of a mess already, Lily also had to worry about the upcoming midterm exams. Her grades were borderline, meaning she had to do better than average to raise her GPA and get into her university of choice. Lily had dropped her extracurricular and instead signed up to get tutored. There was extra work, but at the end of the day Jared was there to cheer her up, or at least he used to be.

There was a knock, of course there was. Despite being annoyed, Lily understood the fact that her sister cared, as should any sibling in a healthy family dynamic. By then she had placed her stuff down and was ready to lie down in bed for a while, but after taking her shoes off, Lily finally responded.

"Yeah, it's open."

She didn't mind sharing stuff with her sister. Despite their differences, it was nice occasionally talking to someone who had no malicious intent as far as she could tell. High school was stressful enough without the teen girl drama. Lily made herself comfortable on her bed, leaning back against the pillow. "Sorry for the show, we're having problems as you can tell." Her tone was slightly playful, making light of the situation. Lily would open up if needed but she wouldn't go into detail. They weren't bffs, after all.

"She's always worried," her reply was made with a smirk. That much was true about their mother, and if she was being honest with herself, it was annoying. Overwhelming, even. Lily casually shrugged her shoulders, momentarily thinking up a response for the question. "You know what, what do you say we take a walk?" The idea suddenly came up in her mind, and she suggested it just as fast. There was no use sticking around for the time being, moping in her room like a sad song cliche. "You pick."