𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐢𝐫𝐥 • steven conklin

𝐬𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧

eden got back to the house panting with a tear-stained face.

she opened the door and closed it hardly behind her before storming upstairs.

she saw that the door to the guest room, where jace had been staying, was closed.

then, she saw that steven's room was empty.

he wasn't outside or downstairs which only meant one thing...

shayla

of course he went to see shayla.

eden shook her head and cried harder.

she walked down the hallway and stopped at laurel.

"eden, sweetie, are you okay?" laurel questioned.

"is—is my mom sleeping?" eden asked.

"yes. why, is everything okay?" laurel furrowed her eyebrows.

eden shook her head. "no."

she then started crying again.

laurel took her reading glasses off and closed her book.

"oh, hon, come here."

eden shuffled into the room and plopped down on her bed, resting her head in laurel's lap.

"now what happened?" laurel asked.

"jace and steven got into a fight." eden replied.

"with each other? jace nor steven mentioned anything about that when each of them came home." laurel said.

"because you're a mom. they're not gonna tell you that stuff." eden responded.

laurel sighed. "so you're upset because they got into a fight? why did they get into a fight."

"because of me." eden answered. "but...i'm upset because i'm scared to lose jace because i don't love him like i should because...because i love steven and he doesn't love me."

eden started crying again and laurel sighed.

"oh honey, of course steven loves you—."

"no."

eden sat up.

"he doesn't. if he loved me he would be with me."

laurel shook her head. "but sweetie, it doesn't always work like that. just because you love someone doesn't mean you're going to be with them."

eden swallowed and nodded. "i know. but for a moment, just a moment, i thought..."

"my son is definitely bright, but he's also an idiot. i know how contradictory that sounds, but i think you get my point. i don't think he knows what he wants and i don't think you do either. trust me, i was your age once. i know how these things work."

eden sniffed. "what do you think i should do, laur?"

"communication is key, right? i think you just need to talk to each of them." laurel answered.

eden laid back down.

"thank you, laurel."

"of course, eden."

she closed her eyes and fell asleep next to her second mother.

🌊

eden woke up the next morning feeling like shit.

she got up and looked in laurel's mirror.

there were bruises on her wrist from here jace was holding her and her mascara was smeared.