A goodbye never said (by EliIsCool555)

Chapter 13

Aaliyah's POV:

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She just stares at me. I watch her face go through about three different emotions in as many seconds—confusion, shock, and something else I can't quite name. Her hand is still on the doorknob, and I almost wonder if she'll slam the door in my face. But I wait, hands clenched tight, hoping she won't.

"I'm sorry," I whisper, though I don't know if she heard me. "I can explain." She just looks at me, and I'm about to turn around when I hear her voice.

"Of course, come in," she says, trying to smile. "We've got a lot to talk about."

As we step inside, I see her friends all staring, their expressions a mix of confusion and concern. Melissa's the first to break the silence. "Aaliyah," she says, her voice a bit unsteady, "is here to talk to me."

The room remains quiet, everyone looking between us, and then Celine finally offers a soft smile, nodding encouragingly at Melissa. "Go ahead," she says. "We're here if you need us."

Melissa nods, and without another word, she leads me out of the living room. We walk in silence to the kitchen, where we sit across from each other at the table. I can feel the weight of everything unsaid hanging between us, and for a moment, I can't find the right words.

Finally, Melissa speaks. "So," she says after a pause, "what actually happened that day?"

I take a deep breath, my hands clasped tightly together on the table, and I begin. I tell her about my dad—how he struggled with alcohol, how it turned him into someone unrecognizable, someone who hurt us. I tell her how my mom would hide us, pushing us under the bed or shoving us into closets when he was in one of his moods, doing everything she could to keep us safe. I tell her that he found us, that we had to move, and that my mom forced me to lie to protect her and me and my siblings.

The more I talk, the more I can see Melissa's expression shift, her surprise and hurt clearly visible. I can see how much it pained her to realize she'd never known any of this—that I hadn't been able to share even the tiniest bit of this part of my life with her.

"So... your father was—"

"An alcoholic?" I finish, nodding. "Yeah. You could basically say that."

She lets the word settle between us, her mouth slightly open. "Oh," she says quietly, taking a shaky breath. "Aaliyah, I'm so sorry. I... I didn't know."

I can feel tears welling up, but I force myself to keep going. "It's okay," I say, my voice trembling. "Really. I'm sorry for not telling you... I just... I thought it would make things worse."

For a moment, there's nothing but the sound of the clock ticking in the background, each tick louder than the last. I see that Melissa is crying now, tears slipping down her cheeks as she takes everything in.

"It's not your fault," I add, my own tears finally spilling over. "I should've found a way to tell you. I should've let you know somehow."

She reaches across the table, her hand resting on top of mine. We sit there, not needing to say anything for a while, letting the shared silence do the talking for us. Finally, Melissa speaks, her voice a little steadier.

"I don't even know what to say," she whispers. "I mean... I was so angry. I thought you just left. I didn't know it was... all of this."

"I know," I reply. "And you had every right to be angry. But I missed you so much. Every single day, I thought about you, but I thought it was safer this way. For you, and for my family."

Melissa lets out a small, shaky laugh, brushing a tear away. "I don't think safer means happier," she says, squeezing my hand. "But... I'm glad you're here now. I just... I don't want you to disappear again."

I shake my head. "I'm not going anywhere, I promise. I just wanted to make things right. I know it'll take time, but... I want to be here for you. Like I should've been before."

She nods, her expression softening. "Yeah, I think... we can work on it," she says, a glimmer of a smile appearing.

For the first time in what feels like forever, I let myself believe that maybe, just maybe, things can be okay again.

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Author's note:

Hi y'all! thank you for reading my story so far, I'm sorry I couldn't update this week but i was on a trip with my school. Love you,  Bye!