Broken homes

Judge Abigail

The shared apartment was unusually quiet for a Saturday morning. Eric was lounging on the couch, flipping through channels with no real interest, while Jack sat at the kitchen counter, scrolling through his notes for a class project.

Abigail, however, was pacing the living room, clearly agitated. Her arms were crossed, and her brow furrowed as if she were in deep thought—or trying to keep herself from exploding.

Eric glanced up from the TV and raised an eyebrow. "Okay, Abby, you're going to wear a hole in the carpet. What's going on?"

Abigail stopped pacing and shot him a glare. "Nothing. Don't worry about it."

Jack smirked from the counter. "That's her polite way of saying she's about to blow up on someone."

Abigail rolled her eyes and threw herself onto the armchair. "I'm just sick of everyone acting like their problems are the end of the world. I swear, if I have to hear one more thing about Lily and Shawn's drama, I'm going to scream."

Eric leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "Wow, you're not even defending Lily today. That's new."

Abigail hesitated, chewing on her bottom lip. "It's not that I don't care about her. I do. She's my sister. But honestly, she's been acting... different lately. And not in a good way."

Jack nodded. "Yeah, I've noticed. She's got this whole 'untouchable queen' vibe going on now, like she doesn't care about anyone."

Abigail sighed. "Exactly. It's like she's trying to push everyone away. And Shawn's not helping by being... well, Shawn."

Eric shrugged. "They're both a mess, honestly. But you know what? This sounds like the perfect opportunity for you to step in and play big sister. You're good at that, Abby. Tough love and all that."

Abigail shot him a look. "I don't need your advice, Eric."

Eric grinned. "Sure you don't. But I'm giving it anyway."

Jack chuckled, but then his expression grew more serious. "In all seriousness, though, are you okay? You've been tense all week."

Abigail hesitated again, her walls slipping just a little. "It's... it's nothing. Just a lot on my mind. Family stuff."

Eric and Jack exchanged a glance but didn't press further.

"Okay," Eric said, leaning back on the couch. "But if you ever need to talk, you know we're here, right? No judgment."

Abigail gave him a small, grateful smile. "Thanks, Eric. I mean it."

The moment was interrupted by the sound of Shawn's key in the door. He stumbled in, looking disheveled and clearly in a bad mood.

"Great," Abigail muttered under her breath. "Here comes more drama."

Jack stood up, frowning. "Shawn, you okay?"

Shawn just shrugged and headed straight for the fridge. "Fine. Just don't ask me about Lily."

Eric groaned. "Oh, come on! Can we go one day without talking about her?"

Abigail shot Eric a warning look, but Shawn ignored him, pulling out a bottle of soda and slamming the fridge shut.

"Whatever," Shawn muttered. "I've got enough people judging me already."

Abigail stood, crossing her arms. "No one's judging you, Shawn. But maybe if you stopped feeling sorry for yourself and actually did something about your problems, people would take you seriously."

Shawn glared at her. "You don't know what you're talking about, Abby."

"Don't I?" Abigail shot back. "I know you're just as messed up as Lily, and instead of dealing with it, you're both dragging everyone else down with you!"