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"What do you miss most about him?" Noah asked quietly, stroking his twin's hair.
"His smile," Stella said quietly, remembering how seeing that smile used to make her feel.
"Yeah?" Noah asked softly.
"He had the kind of smile that could light up a room. Just seeing it could change my outlook on anything. That smile was the one thing I could count on to make me happy when everything felt like it was falling apart," Stella said gently, her body filling with the warmth that smile used to bring her.
"It's funny," Noah sighed.
"What is?" Stella asked quickly, turning around to look at her brother.
"He used to say the same thing about you," Noah shrugged, smiling at his broken sister.
"But now that smile's gone and everything's falling apart again," Stella said quietly, her voice breaking with every word.
"You're gonna be fine, Stel," Noah promised softly, kissing the top of his sister's head.
"Come on. We gotta go to school," Noah urged.
"I'm not going," Stella argued.
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"I'm not going," Jeff protested, chuckling to himself as he drove her home, his fingers tapping on her thigh along to the radio.
"But babe. It's a family reunion. I have to prove that you're hotter than my cousin's boyfriend," Stella teased.
"Well in that case--" Jeff scoffed.
"Yay!" Stella squealed, leaning over the center console to kiss him on the cheek. He smiled into the kiss, still laughing.
"How's tutoring going?" Stella asked.
"I've got a C in history," Jeff shrugged, trying to play off how excited he actually was.
"Babe! That's amazing! I'm so proud of you," Stella exclaimed excitedly. Jeff smiled proudly.
