breaking point ; mileven.

eight.

ezra walked into el's room, noticing how she was reading on her bed and so he didn't call out and only stood by the doorframe.

"i know you're there," el said without turning around, "you know you can't sneak something past me,"

he only smiled then sat down on her bed.

"hi twin two," he laid down on her lap and smiled up at her to make her put her book down.

she placed down her book on her nightstand and he leaned up to push up the glasses she hardly wore with a finger.

"oi," she mumbled and tucked away a curl.

"you look different today," he couldn't help but notice and stared at her intensely.

"well i don't have makeup on today," she pointed out, "i'm in a sweater.."

he only let out a small giggle, "you look pretty, little sis."

she smiled and leaned down to kiss his forehead, "thank you, brother." she then squeezed his face together with her two palms and rubbed his cheeks with a laugh.

"twin two!" he shouted playfully, "stop!"

she laughed and leaned back on her headboard. "want to watch a movie with me? or do you have to study?" she asked him.

"i can watch," he told her, "i just wanted to spend time with you." she nodded in response and stood up to grab her laptop from her desk.

he watched as stood up and then the scars on her thigh caught his eye. the scars that form a tic tac toe shape.

el turned and caught his stare then sat down on the bed. "what's wrong?" she asked him even though she knew exactly what was wrong.

"you.. why do you do that? on yourself?" he asked in a quiet tone and she opened up her laptop and forced a small smile.

"i like it,"

"no, no you don't. you can't—"

"i like to play. even though no one plays with me," she cut him off in a gentle tone and that made him stop and register her sentence.

even though no one plays with me.

did they not when she was younger? did no one play?

he needed to ask the others about this later on tonight. as of right now, he just wanted to spend time with his sister.

the one that was always left out.

*

"i was studying," eli grumbled as they gathered in emerson's room.

"since when did you study, little bro?" elliot shot at him which made eli mock him and sit down on the large bed.

"what the fuck is wrong?" elijah asked and span on emerson's chair.

"wee!" elijah laughed but ezra kicked him off, "will you focus?"

"will you just tell us what is going on?" emilio asked, "i still need to go tell el goodnight."

"you know how that random doctor said el replaced her childhood memories with happier and newer ones?" ezra asked in a rhetorical tone, "did any of you happen to not play tic tac toe with her."

"why tic tac toe?" emerson asked with his arms crossed as he leaned against the door frame of his bathroom.

"because she cuts tic tac toe on her thigh, dumb bitch!" ezra shouted at him in annoyance, "just answer the damn question!"