How To Break A Rock

23\\ why

Speech Guide

Ree: Italics

Brent: Bold

Kara: underlined.

Noah: Bold and italics.

Other randoms: italics and underlined.

text, 3:02pm

where are you???

hello? you didn't come for class

did you leave early?

yeah. emergency at home.

oh, is everything alright?

good as always.

you don't seem normal.

whatever.

what's wrong?

i can come over after school?

there's no need to. just leave me alone.

✔Read

the western home, 5:43pm

REE

She knocked on the door, taking light breaths. It opened, viewing a similar woman she's come to know for a while now. "Hi, Ellen. Can I come in?"

The average height mother with a bubbly personality smiled politely at her. "Of course. Are you here to see Brent?"

"Yeah, is he here?" She replied, eager to see the guy who's always been there for her.

Ellen glanced at the stairs nervously. "Yes, he came home a few hours ago actually. He didn't look in the best mood."

"Do you know what may have happened to him?" She asked, concerned. Ree knew he had his moments but never like this.

Ellen frowned for a bit before going back to her cheerful face. "No, I don't but maybe you can go find out."

"I just hope he talks to me."

Ellen squeezed her shoulders lightly with a hopeful grin. "Trust me honey, he will. I'll be making some cookies if you want some."

"Thanks, I'll be back in a minute." She smiled at her, heading up the stairs.

"It's definitely going to take more than a minute." Ree heard her say.

brent's room, 5:44pm

Ree opened his door slightly, closing it behind her softly. Brent sat on his desk chair, facing his laptop with folded arms. His brown hair was messed up compared to his earlier look.

"I thought I told you to leave me alone." His emotionless voice startled her. She sat at the edge of his bed as she stared at him.

"That's not enough to push me away." She defended. He was there when she cried, when she threw tantrums and fell sick. There was no way in hell she would leave him hanging.

"You're wasting your time. Go away." Ree was still determined on finding out. But he would never take her seriously. She needed to add pressure.

"Look at me," He didn't make a move. "Look at me right now!" He noticed the crack in her voice. He turned to face her with a hard look on his face.

"You're going to tell me what in the hell is wrong with you."

"Why should I? It's not like you ever did. You keep lying to me, maybe I should do the same with you." He couldn't keep his words in anymore. His anger was too far gone.

"I never lied to you-" He interrupted, wanting to tell her everything he needed answers to.

"That bruise on your face when I came over? You didn't lie about that? You said you were dizzy when it was clear that someone hit you." She opened her mouth to speak but he didn't care as he went on.

"When I ask about your family, you either change the topic or zone out and your moods falls."

"I don't have the most normal family in the world, okay?! I live alone!" The anger in him dissipated. Brent stared at her shock.

"They left me at 15, leaving lots of money in the account and disappeared. My grandma is all I know now, I visit her every holiday. And that bruise?"

"I saw my brother at the park, watching me from a distance. I confronted him and he tried to get me to back off. He hit me accidentally, I didn't give him a chance to apologize." A final tear slipped down her cheek.

He suddenly felt horrible for getting angry so easily. "Parker.."

"Why do you even care?" The conversation had already got her hostile.

"Because I do."

She made him look at her. So there were no secrets. "Why?"

"Because I'm in love with you, Parker," She stared at him in shock. She never expected this and definitely didn't know how to handle it.

"I'm in love with you." He repeated for her to believe it. He didn't think she was going to love him back.

"Uh, I-"

"Of course. You have to go, something I expected. I'll walk you to the door." She stood up, hurt.

He opened the door for her as she slowly slipped out of the room. She turned to look at him. "See you around, Ree."

With those words, he slowly killed her.