stoical - l.h.

twenty-one

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It takes a bit of convincing on Emerson's part before I let her in. She's a stranger. There isn't any reason why I should let her into this house, which isn't even mine. It takes her explaining that she just wants to talk to me for a few minutes, and her promising she's just coming in because of the freezing cold outside for me to let her walk in.

Her eyes immediately land on Leia, who had been hiding behind the door, and she furrows her brow. "Huh. I didn't know Calum had a sister."

I'm offended until I realize that I'm seriously not Calum's sister. Both Leia and I ignore her comment and I just shut the door, cold air abruptly shut out. I wonder if I'm supposed to lead her inside, to the living room or something. Maybe that would be nice, but then again, I don't have the right to be inviting people inside in the first place. I'm about to tell her to start talking where she is when Leia intervenes.

"Why don't we go sit in the kitchen?" she suggests. Without waiting to see if we're following, she leads us to the kitchen.

The three of us grab seats around the kitchen table extremely awkwardly. Am I supposed to initiate this? I wasn't the one who came barging into her house to 'speak' with her. I decide I'll wait, hear her out, before I say a word. I can't even imagine what's about to come out of her mouth.

Before any conversation is initiated, Emerson gives a look to Leia, as if to tell her to go away. This just makes me furrow my brow in confusion. If she's about to tell Leia to go away, I will certainly ask her to leave. There isn't anything that Emerson could want to talk to me about that Leia can't hear. I'm sure of it.

"Should she, um—"

"I'm staying," Leia says. Like she knows I'd be uncomfortable without her there, which I realize I would be. I offer a nod to reinforce Leia's words.

Emerson nods as well, hesitance preventing her from saying anything more. She clears her throat, evidently full of discomfort. I wonder if she's ever been here before, if she knows Calum well. I can't say I've ever heard of Calum talking about her much before.

"What is this about?" Leia asks. She seems genuinely curious.

Emerson seems offended that the little kid would talk to her like that. She scoffs a bit before turning her attention to me fully. Like Leia isn't even there. "I'm here to talk to you about Luke."

I swallow thickly. I can't tell if I'm surprised or not. "Okay."

The girl before me cocks her head to the side and narrows her eyes, like she's analyzing me. "You're going to get this boy hurt. Or killed."

"Excuse me?" My eyes widened, I move as far away from Emerson as possible. What the hell is she talking about?

"I don't know exactly what went on," she elaborates, "but Luke is a wreck and when he's a wreck he gets hurt. I'm here to let you know."

I look at Leia. It's clear she's confused, but it would be weird if she wasn't since she doesn't know anything about Luke and me at all. Leia returns my eye contact but gives me a look as if to tell me to continue the conversation. She can't do this part for me.

"You're...here to let me know that Luke is a wreck?" I clarify. Because Emerson's words have only made me more confused.

Emerson nods. "Yes. And I know it's shitty of me to ask you to fix it. But I figured I'd tell you a...secret, of sorts, in order to get you on board with all of this."

I sigh sharply, placing my palms on the kitchen table. "Let me just get this straight. You came here, to my house, someone you don't even know, to convince me to help 'save' the boy who's bullied me practically the whole time I've been here? And to convince me, you think telling me a secret will be enough?"