A Gentle Collision

Chapter 9

The silence in Becky’s room was deafening. Freen sat stiffly in the chair by the desk, her hands folded tightly in her lap, her gaze fixed on the floor. Becky, still on the bed, stared at her with a mix of irritation and curiosity. She didn’t understand why she couldn’t stop thinking about what the girl had said—or why it had bothered her so much.

“What did you mean earlier?” Becky finally asked, breaking the silence.

Freen flinched at the question, her eyes darting up to meet Becky’s before quickly looking away. “It’s nothing,” she mumbled.

Becky’s frown deepened. “You said something about venom. Sounds like it’s not nothing.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Freen said quickly, her voice trembling slightly. “Please, can we just… not talk about it?”

Becky tilted her head, studying Freen more closely. The girl looked like she was about to shatter into a million pieces, and for reasons she didn’t understand, that realization made Becky feel uncomfortable. She wasn’t used to caring about anyone’s feelings.

“Fine,” Becky muttered, leaning back against the headboard. “Whatever.”

The tension in the room didn’t ease, though. Becky kept stealing glances at Freen, who seemed smaller and more fragile than anyone Becky had ever met. She hated how it made her feel—like she was responsible for not making things worse.

Freen, on the other hand, was trying desperately to keep herself together. The encounter with her father earlier had left her nerves frayed, and Becky’s sharp tone wasn’t helping. She wanted to leave, to find a quiet corner where she could cry without anyone seeing, but she didn’t want to offend Becky’s mother by disappearing.

The two girls sat in uncomfortable silence for what felt like an eternity, the muffled sounds of the party outside a stark contrast to the heavy atmosphere inside the room.

Finally, Becky sighed loudly, breaking the tension. “So, you’re new in town?” she asked, her tone half-hearted but not as cold as before.

Freen nodded, grateful for the change in subject. “Yes,” she said softly.

“Where’d you move from?”

“From the city,” Freen replied, her voice still quiet. “My father wanted a fresh start.”

Becky raised an eyebrow. “A fresh start? What, like new job, new life kind of thing?”

Freen hesitated, unsure how much to reveal. “Something like that,” she said vaguely.

Becky didn’t press further, but she could tell there was more to the story. She wasn’t sure why she cared—this girl was just another face in a sea of people Becky barely tolerated—but something about her felt… different.

“You don’t talk much, do you?” Becky said after a moment, her tone teasing but not unkind.

Freen managed a small smile. “Not really,” she admitted.

Becky smirked. “Good. I hate people who talk too much.”

The comment surprised a small laugh out of Freen, and Becky felt an odd sense of satisfaction at the sound. It wasn’t often she managed to make anyone laugh, let alone someone as quiet and reserved as Freen.

Before Becky could say anything else, there was a soft knock at the door, followed by her mother’s voice.

“Becky? Everything okay in there?”

Becky rolled her eyes. “Yeah, Mom. We’re fine.”

“Good. Just checking. Don’t forget to come down for some food later, okay?”

“Got it, Mom,” Becky called back, her tone exasperated.

As her mother’s footsteps retreated down the hall, Becky glanced at Freen. “She worries too much,” she said with a shrug.

Freen smiled faintly. “She seems nice.”

Becky snorted. “She’s a saint. Drives me crazy, though.”

Freen didn’t say anything, but her smile lingered. She couldn’t imagine what it would be like to have a mother like Becky’s—someone kind and caring, someone who made you feel safe.

The two girls fell into silence again, but it was less tense this time. Becky returned to scrolling through her phone, and Freen sat quietly, her thoughts drifting.

After a while, Becky spoke up again, her voice casual. “So, do you, like, go to school around here?”

“Yes,” Freen said, nodding. “I just started.”

“Cool,” Becky said, though she didn’t sound particularly interested. “What grade are you in?”

“Twelfth,” Freen replied.

Becky looked up, surprised. “Wait, you’re older than me?”

Freen nodded again. “Just by a year.”

“Huh,” Becky said, leaning back against the headboard. “You don’t look it.”

Freen shrugged, unsure how to respond.

The conversation stalled again, but this time the silence felt more companionable. Becky didn’t know why she was making an effort to talk to Freen—it wasn’t like her to care about anyone’s feelings, let alone a stranger’s—but something about the girl intrigued her.

Freen, for her part, was starting to feel a little more at ease. Becky’s initial rudeness had stung, but her tone had softened since then, and Freen was beginning to see glimpses of something kinder beneath the surface.

Eventually, Becky set her phone down and stretched, letting out a loud yawn. “Well, this party sucks,” she said bluntly.

Freen laughed softly, surprising both of them. “It’s not so bad,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

Becky raised an eyebrow. “You’re kidding, right? Half these people don’t even want to be here. They’re just pretending to be nice so my mom doesn’t get offended.”

Freen’s smile faded, and she looked down at her hands. “At least they’re pretending,” she said quietly.

Becky frowned, the weight of Freen’s words settling heavily between them. She didn’t know what to say, so she didn’t say anything.

The room fell into silence once more, but this time, it wasn’t uncomfortable. The two girls sat together, each lost in their own thoughts, the sounds of the party fading into the background.

Becky glanced at Freen out of the corner of her eye, her curiosity about the girl growing stronger with each passing moment. There was something about her—something fragile and guarded—that made Becky want to know more.

But for now, she decided to leave it alone. There would be time for questions later.

The muffled laughter and music from downstairs continued to drift through the air, but inside Becky’s room, the world felt quieter, smaller—a space where two very different girls were beginning to break through each other’s walls, even if they didn’t realize it yet.