Hearts of trouble (under development)

Changing season

The quiet of Shawn's living room was almost soothing as he sat with Abigail, the weight of her revelations still heavy in the air. The two of them were wrapped in the kind of comfortable silence that only true friends shared, yet Shawn knew there was more to be said, more of his own story to share.

He took a deep breath and shifted in his seat, his fingers curling around the mug of coffee he had left on the table. The warmth of it seemed to ground him, but the thoughts swirling in his mind felt far from settled. He wasn't sure how much Abigail had processed yet, but he felt like he needed to be honest with her-not just about what she was going through, but about the changes in his own life, too.

"Abigail," he began softly, his voice quiet and steady. "There's something I've been thinking about, too, and I think you need to know."

Abigail looked up at him, her eyes still red from the emotions that had spilled out earlier, but there was a flicker of curiosity in her expression. She nodded, urging him to continue.

"My dad-well, Chet-he wants me to move in with Jack," Shawn confessed, his voice carrying a hint of uncertainty. "He says it'll be better for me. That it'll be easier, especially now that he's... well, gone. I don't know if I'm ready for that, but it's what he thinks is best. Jack's in college now, and he's offering me a place to stay."

Abigail processed the words, her brow furrowing slightly. "What do you think about that?"

Shawn paused, looking down at the mug in his hands as he thought. "I don't know. Part of me wants to go, maybe start fresh. Jack's always been like a big brother to me, and I know he's got a lot to offer me. But... there's a part of me that's not ready to leave this place, you know? There's a lot of history here. I'm torn."

Abigail nodded, understanding more than he expected. She had spent her life moving between different realities-between the lies of her mother and the truth of who she was-and the thought of change, even when it was for the better, still felt like a storm on the horizon.

"I get that," she said quietly. "But sometimes, I think change is the only way forward. It might be tough, but maybe you need to embrace it."

Shawn looked at her, his eyes softening. He didn't expect her to have all the answers, but somehow her perspective made him feel a little less alone in what seemed like a series of impossible choices.

Before he could say anything else, Abigail shifted in her seat, and there was a brief moment of hesitation in her eyes. "And Lily..." she started slowly, not sure how to approach the subject, but knowing it needed to be said. "What's going on with her?"

Shawn's smile faded, and his gaze turned distant as he thought about Lily. She had changed so much in the past year, and Shawn couldn't help but feel like he was losing the girl he once knew-at least in some ways.

"Lily..." Shawn let out a sigh, his voice soft and filled with a hint of sadness. "She's not the same girl anymore. I don't know if she ever really was, or if it's just that I've started to see who she really is. She used to be this sweet, funny girl, always there for everyone-always smiling, always helping. But now... it's like she's changed with the seasons. One day, she's warm and caring, and the next, she's distant, cold, almost unrecognizable. It's like she's shut everyone out."

Abigail listened intently, her eyes widening as she took in Shawn's words. She had seen glimpses of the change in Lily, but hearing Shawn's perspective-someone who had known her since childhood-made it hit harder than she anticipated.

"You think she's doing it on purpose?" Abigail asked, her voice quiet, almost like a whisper.

Shawn shook his head, his brow furrowing as he thought about it. "I don't know. It's like she's pushing everyone away, and I don't know why. I keep trying to get through to her, but it's like she's closed off. And the worst part? It's like she doesn't care anymore. I think she's trying to protect herself, but in doing so, she's isolating everyone around her. It's hard to watch, especially when you know what she's capable of. She used to be the one who cared about everyone, the one who could make you smile no matter how bad the day was."

Abigail looked down, processing everything Shawn had said. She could see it now-the girl who had once been so kind, so full of life, was now someone different, someone hard to understand. She thought back to the times she'd seen Lily, the way she had acted so distant, almost as though the Lily she knew had disappeared behind a mask.

"You think it's because of our mom?" Abigail asked cautiously. "Maybe everything with Karen and my "dad"

Shawn nodded slowly, his eyes darkening as he thought about it. "I think that's a part of it. But there's more. It's like Lily's been through so much that she doesn't know how to let anyone in anymore. She's been through the ringer with her family, and now, it's like she's protecting herself from getting hurt again. It's not just her mom and my dad-it's everything. The world feels like it's falling apart, and she's trying to hold it together, even if it means pushing everyone away."

Abigail could see the weight of it in Shawn's eyes, the frustration of watching someone you care about change in ways you don't understand. It was the kind of hurt that ran deep, and she wondered if there was anything anyone could do to reach her, to bring her back from the person she had become.

"I don't know what to do with her anymore," Shawn admitted, his voice barely above a whisper. "It's like I'm losing her, and I don't even know how to stop it. I've tried everything, but she won't let me in."

Abigail reached out, placing a hand on Shawn's arm, offering the kind of comfort that only someone who truly understood could give. She didn't have answers for him, but she knew one thing was certain: Lily, Shawn, and their circle of friends had all been through too much to let each other go without a fight.

"She'll come around," Abigail said softly, though her words were more of a hope than a certainty. "Sometimes people change, but that doesn't mean they're gone. Maybe she just needs some time to figure things out, just like you do."

Shawn looked at her, the sadness in his eyes mixed with a flicker of hope. "Maybe you're right."

The two of them sat in silence for a moment, the weight of their conversation hanging between them, but there was a sense of understanding, a connection that neither of them had felt before. For all the changes in their lives, the people they cared about, and the struggles they faced, they still had each other.

And that, at least, was something that would never change.