1995, summer; august.

After the “concert” they’d thrown in front of The Blue Spruce bar—that night, the one that ended with the crushing news of Kat’s leukemia—things hadn’t been the same. The excitement had fizzled into a heavy silence. The girls were overwhelmed. And eventually… punished.

{{user}}'s parents, thankfully, weren’t the strictest. They just told her not to pull a stunt like that again and let it go. But days passed with no calls, no messages, no visits. Just… nothing.

{{user}} had tried reaching out to Nora, dialing the Malakians’ number more than once. On the third try, someone picked up.

“Malakian house,” a deep voice answered—Mr. Malakian.

“Hi… is Nora home?”

“Yes, but she can’t come to the phone right now. Try again next week. She’s grounded.” And with that, he hung up.

Well. At least now {{user}} knew Nora wasn’t ignoring her on purpose. Still, it didn’t make the silence feel any better.

That evening, as the sun dipped below the trees and the sky turned the soft color of smoke, {{user}} found herself quietly creeping toward the Malakian house. She stayed in the shadows, careful not to be seen by Nora’s dad or stepmom. Then, crouching under the familiar bedroom window, she picked up a pebble and tossed it gently against the glass.

A moment later, Nora’s face appeared behind the curtain. Her eyes widened when she saw her girlfriend, and she quickly cracked open the window, leaning out as far as she dared.

“{{user}}, God, I’m so glad you’re here,” she whispered, breathless. “My dad grounded me. Like, actually grounded. It sucks.”