Broken shades (Twilight)(Embry Call)

The Lonliness of the Left Behind

"I know that you're waiting for me like a dog
But have some patience for the part of me that's lost
There's been a hundred times
When I don't recognize
Any of you that love me
I try to memorize and identify
But it's all getting foggy"
-Mr Forgettable- David Kushner

**Chapter 4: The Loneliness of the Left Behind**

The days after Embry's departure passed in a blur for Kayla. Each morning, she hoped to see him standing by the school entrance with that familiar, easy smile. But every day, that hope faded a little more. He was gone, and it was like he had taken a piece of her with him.

She tried to fill the void with the remnants of their group—Jacob and Quil—but it wasn't the same. The three of them still hung out together, but there was an unspoken emptiness between them, a sense that something vital was missing. Without Embry, the group's dynamics were off-balance, and Kayla felt the strain of it pulling at her more each day.

Jacob and Quil tried their best to keep things normal. They cracked jokes, messed around like they always did, but Kayla could tell their hearts weren't in it. She could see the worry in their eyes, even though they never talked about it. They were all too afraid to admit that Embry might not come back, that the bond they had all shared might be broken for good.

One afternoon, the three of them sat by the cliffs, watching the waves crash against the rocks below. The sun was setting, casting an orange glow over the water, but Kayla felt no warmth. The hoodie she wore was too thick for the mild weather, but she needed it to cover the bruises that still hadn't faded, the ones that were a constant reminder of how alone she really was.

"Do you think he's okay?" Quil asked, breaking the silence that had settled between them.

Kayla didn't answer right away. She had asked herself the same question a thousand times, but she had no answers. "I don't know," she finally said, her voice hollow. "I hope so."

Jacob frowned, kicking at a loose rock on the ground. "He'll be fine," he said, but the confidence in his voice didn't reach his eyes. "Embry's tough. Whatever he's going through, he'll get through it."

Kayla wanted to believe him, but she couldn't shake the feeling that Embry's absence was more than just him dealing with "stuff." It was like he had vanished from their lives, leaving nothing but a gaping hole in his place. And that hole was getting harder and harder for her to ignore.

She spent more time alone, withdrawing into herself as the days passed. The migraines she used as an excuse for the sunglasses were getting worse, or maybe it was just the stress. The headaches pounded behind her eyes, making it hard to focus on anything, let alone school. The teachers started to notice, but Kayla brushed off their concerns, insisting that she was fine.

She wasn't fine. The truth was, she felt like she was drowning. With Embry gone and Paul barely around anymore, she had no one to turn to. Jacob and Quil were still there, but even they seemed distant, like they were slowly slipping away from her too.

One day after school, Kayla walked to the beach alone. She had texted Jacob earlier, asking if he wanted to hang out, but he hadn't responded. It was unlike him, but she tried not to think too much of it. Maybe he was busy. Maybe he just needed space, just like Embry had. But as she reached the familiar stretch of sand, the emptiness in her chest grew heavier.

She sat down on the cool sand, pulling her knees to her chest as she stared out at the ocean. The waves were calm today, a stark contrast to the turmoil raging inside her. Kayla didn't know how much longer she could keep pretending that everything was okay. The lies she told herself, the lies she told her friends—they were starting to suffocate her.