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𝗜t was almost seven when the sun finally dipped low enough for her room to feel like night. the golden light through her curtains had faded, leaving behind that quiet kind of dusk where nothing feels real. frankie lay on her stomach, her legs crossed behind her, the yearbook stretched open in front of her on the bed. her fingers trailed across the glossy page, pausing now and then to smile at a goofy club photo, at zay pulling a stupid face, at farkle mid-monologue with a juice box in hand.
she flipped slowly, page after page, like she was trying to memorize everything. the chaos of middle school in full color. couples clinging to each other like the world might end. best friends throwing up peace signs. eighth graders who already looked too old. she stared at their section the longest. the eighth grade class.
she was really going to high school soon.
her smile faltered.
it wasn't nerves. not entirely. it was more like... something tugging at her. something missing.
her hand moved again, more careful now, until it landed on a page she hadn't fully braced for.
"in loving memory of daniel walker."
her breath caught before she meant it to.
she sat up slowly, legs folding beneath her, fingers trembling as they touched the corner of the page.
pictures of danny smiling, always smiling. with his camera. with her. with ethan, from years ago. one from halloween, dressed like a ghostbuster, his arm slung over frankie's shoulders.
one of them at topanga's, whipped cream on both their noses. a few of just him, the kind the school had taken, smiling shy and too big for his sweater.
her eyes filled before she could blink them away.
"we love you. we miss you. we remember you."
the caption was simple. but the ache it left in her chest wasn't.
she let out a breath and leaned forward, resting her head on the open book, the smell of paper and ink and something sweet from her perfume mixing with old memories.
she missed him. she always would.
but the missing had changed. it wasn't loud like it used to be. it was softer now. like the part of her that belonged to him still lived inside her, and she carried him forward quietly. gently.
and still, sometimes... it hurt. like right now.
...
across the hall, laughter echoed faintly. elle's door was cracked open. ethan was over. he had been for hours.
