Flames in the Family Tree

Part 6- Lily's POV

Not even a minute after I ran to the bathroom, Lucy showed up. At the sinks, she gave me and my few tears a concerned look in the mirror. There were no words until I finally brought myself to say, "thanks for standing up for me. No one in my life has ever stood up for me before like that."
          Lucy placed a comforting hand on my shoulder. "No worries, hun. Our parents got into his head so deep that he couldn't escape it. It's his problem to get them outta there."
          I hesitated as we walked outside the bathroom, still processing the last few minutes and days. Then I nodded in agreement. "I'm sorry this lunch isn't going well."
          "It's not your fault, Lil," said Drew's voice from behind us. I looked over and saw him there with the same concerned look as Lucy's. "Do you need a hug?"
          I smiled at him. "Yes." We then went in for the hug, which lasted a few seconds, then it was Lucy's turn. After the sad hug party ended, we headed back to our table together to see that Darien had demolished his plate. He sat there with no words, alone, as if he was thinking. "Hey," I said blankly.
          "Hey," Darien replied without looking at us as we sat down. A few seconds of hesitation, then he finally turned his head to me. "I'm sorry."
          "You're sorry?"
          "For causing a scene."
          "That's not what needs apologizing for, D."
          "I know, I know," he breathed in and out, "What I said was rude."
          "Do you mean it?"
          He nodded sadly. "Yes."
          "So, you thought about it while we were gone?"
          "Yes."
          "And?"
          "I saw how it hurt you and them. I was just so shocked about everything," he looked at Lucy and Drew, "that I couldn't bring myself to believe you guys."
          I nodded my head, still wiping the few tears left off my face while finally taking a few bites of food. "I understand. Just think before you speak next time."
          "I know, I know."
          "I can assure you it was real," jumped in Lucy, "because I was there when it happened. I wouldn't lie about that."
          "Me neither," Drew agreed. "They may have gotten into your head, Darien. But it's never too late to get them out. You can do this."
          Darien was unfazed, probably accepting the reality that he knew deep down the whole time was reality. "Yeah, I can. I remember the times when mom would yell at me for not spending time with them even though they know I'm so, so busy with schoolwork and so, so tired from serving. I had no time for anything besides work, school, and sleep. But they begged me time and time again to still spend time with them. I skipped sleep to get my much-needed time with friends because with our parents, they drained even more of my energy so that I didn't want to spend time with them. It's no wonder, right?"
          "Yeah, right," I replied in agreement. "How did it feel for you to admit that?"
          Darien thought for a minute. In fact, all four of us did while eating our food in silence. The silence, however, spoke volumes of realization. It was the reflective silence that allowed us to question everything we knew. Finally, Darien broke the silence. "It was refreshing."
          "That's how it feels for me to talk about everything that mom and dad have done to me. All those years I ranted about them on the Internet and in my diary? That's how I got it out. It's even more refreshing to talk about it in person with people who have gone through the same things," I explained, slightly smiling again.
          Darien sighed a very deep sigh of realization. "Yeah, I get it. I thought through it all. But I guess it was too late."
          Drew turned to Darien with a concerned smile. "It's never too late to turn your life around, D." I noticed Lucy give Drew a proud yet sympathetic smile, putting her hand on her heart. It was as if she had heard or said those words before.
          Our lunch continued with a more comfortable silence, then it turned to more light-hearted talk of getting to know one another. We got to know each other's ins and outs, what made each other laugh, and what made each other smile.