Shadows of Love: Healed

12. Hazel

Hazel's pov

We were busy packing Sarah's belongings for her trip to Germany. It's a bright and lovely day, but sadly, I won't be there to see her off.

I've got a list of errands—buying clothes and stuff for my new apartment. I need to talk to her now since she seems quite sad. Germany is her favorite yet most hated place.

I don’t understand her brother; he kind of sucks. I don't like people like him. Poor Sarah, instead of being happy, she looks twice as upset. If I were there this evening, I'd have talked to her brother about it.

“Sarah, are you okay?” I asked, noticing how pale she looked.

“Hmm.”

Man, this sucks. Poor thing. If I tell my brother, he’d just say, ‘You’ve already got enough on your plate. Why worry about others?’ Char wouldn’t say it outright but would hint at the same thing.

Ash chimed in, “Your brother’s gonna be with you, right? Why are you still worried?”

True. She shouldn’t be this worked up. According to her, her brother is supposed to be a very kind and protective guy, blah blah.

"Yes, that’s the problem,” Sarah sighed. “When my brother’s around, Atlas tries to convince him he’s some kind of saint, always looking out for me."

"How silly. Atlas is your brother's friend, so he knows him better than you do. Your brother won’t buy it until you do," I said, sitting next to her on the bed. "I have faith."

While we were talking, Char was busy on the phone with her family. I could tell she was on edge, like she always gets when her parents call.

They barely care for her, except her dad. No one knows who she’s talking to, of course, except me.

“You guys get ready, I have to head out now,” I said, glancing at the clock.

“That’s too quick,” Char finally spoke up after ending her call. We didn’t press her; it would only upset her more.

“Yes, Ms. Charlotte, finally decided to talk,” Sarah said. “Time doesn’t wait for us. You’ve been sitting there for the past hour since that call.”

“Yeah,” Ashley sighed.

“Carrie, you’ve been upset the whole time, sighing away,” Sarah added. “It’s fine if you don’t want to share who called or why, but your friends are trying to be happy for a bit.” Sarah calls Char ‘Carrie’—we all do.

“You’re going to Germany, but what about you?” Char asked, pointing at me with a weak tone.

“I just have to buy a few things for my apartment and stay there today. I’ll be back tomorrow,” I told her.

“Fine, everyone, get ready,” Ash nudged me with her elbow, signaling me to cheer them up.

“When Sar gets back, let’s go shopping and hang out all day. We can even have a sleepover at my new place,” I said with a big grin.

“Really?” Char perked up, her excitement contagious. Getting her in the spirit was always easy for me.

I said yes, flipping my hair dramatically. Ash and Sar secretly clapped behind me.