𝐥𝐚𝐛𝐲𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐡, 𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐀𝐍𝐆𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐒

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐄

𝐥𝐚𝐛𝐲𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐡, 𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐀𝐍𝐆𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐒

𝐒𝐂𝐀𝐑𝐋𝐄𝐓𝐓𝐄 𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐓𝐎𝐍
NOVEMBER 1ST, 1984

Scarlette sat on her bed, the soft glow of her bedside lamp casting long shadows on the walls. She stared at the ceiling, her mind swirling with everything that had happened today. After comforting Henry following the fight, she thought she'd feel better, but instead, a heaviness lingered. She had never seen Henry so vulnerable, and the way he looked at her—like he needed her in a way no one else had—stuck with her.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the muffled sound of the phone ringing downstairs. A second later, her mother's voice pierced the quiet, calling up the stairs, "Scarlette! Phone for you!"

Groaning softly, Scarlette rolled off her bed and padded to the top of the stairs. "Who is it?" she called down, already suspecting.

"It's that Henry boy!" her mom replied, her tone carrying a hint of disapproval.

Scarlette's heart skipped a beat as she quickly made her way down the stairs, grabbing the phone from her mom's hand. "Got it, thanks!" She rushed back into the hallway, pressing the receiver to her ear.

"Hey, Scarlette," Henry's voice came through, quieter than usual, but there was a familiar edge to it.

"Hey," she replied softly, sitting on the bottom step. "You okay?"

There was a pause on the other end. "Yeah... I mean, I guess. I just... I wanted to see if you wanted to come over. My parents are going out, and I thought maybe we could hang out. You know, since we didn't get to talk much after the whole... thing."

Scarlette hesitated, twirling the phone cord around her finger. She could hear the uncertainty in his voice, as if he was still reeling from the fight earlier. "Sure," she said finally, a small smile tugging at her lips. "I'll come over. What time?"

"Whenever you're ready," Henry said, sounding relieved. "Just... don't bring up the fight, okay? I don't want to think about it right now."

"Deal," she agreed, her voice softening. "See you soon."

After hanging up, Scarlette leaned back against the staircase, exhaling slowly. There was something about Henry's call that left her feeling... different. She didn't know why, but she felt like tonight would change things between them.

Scarlette told her parents she'd be heading to a friend's house and, unsurprisingly, they barely acknowledged her, sending her on her way. She grabbed her bike and started off toward Henry's house, the cool evening air brushing through her hair as she pedaled. The ride was a good fifteen minutes, just long enough to let her mind drift away from the mess of the day—the fight with Mike, everything. But now, all she could think about was Henry.