Zip It, Lock It

Triumph Hurts, Apparently

The next morning, Jewel gave in and texted Philomena.

Hey, Philomena! I just wanted to thank you for yesterday. No one would've stood up for me, but you did, and that means a lot to me.

Jewel hugged her knees to her chest and smiled down at her phone, waiting for a reply.

Her phone dinged and she scrambled to answer the message.

Can't talk right now. Talk to you later.

Jewel frowned slightly, Philomena wasn't being dodgy. If she couldn't text, she couldn't text.

Deciding to wait until Philomena could talk, she picked a book up from the stack on her desk.

"Might as well," she breathed.

Popping the book open, she sat down on her bed and allowed herself to get lost in a world of time travel and fantastical creatures.

---

Philomena crawled out from under the warm air of her blanket. She greedily sucked in the cool air of her home and held back another bout of tears. Her parents had fought through the night, resulting in her crying to the point of her eyes burning.

Hearing the door squeak slightly, Philomena wiped her tears and pretended that she was still asleep.

"Phil?" Her father said softly.

Not willing to give up the act, Philomena stayed still.

Sighing quietly, he kissed her forehead gingerly and walked out of the room, closing the door behind him. As he closed the door, Philomena could've sworn she heard him say, "I'm sorry."

"N-not today," Philomena croaked, taking a deep breath and wiping away her tears. She stood up and walked to the bathroom, "I will not cry today."

She splashed her face with water and put on a smile with a set of clean clothes. She picked up her phone and texted Jewel back.

Sorry about that. Want to hang out later at the mall?

Waiting patiently for her to reply, Philomena walked confidently into the kitchen for a bowl of cereal to start her day for the second time.

After finishing off the milk, Philomena heard her phone ding and read Jewel's response.

Mmm, maybe not the mall. The chances of Amanda being there are dangerously high. How does the park sound?

Philomena smiled inwardly and told her to be at the park by noon to hang out.

---

Jewel smiled as she walked into the park. Philomena was seated at a picnic table wearing a pair of designer sunglasses with shorts and a loose fitting tank top. As usual, she looked like a Hollywood star.

Noticing Jewel, Philomena smiled and waved her over to the table.

Jewel quickly dashed over, grinning broadly. "Hi, Philomena!"

"Good afternoon, Jewel," Philomena smiled in an almost smirk-like manner.

"Boy, the weather sure is nice, huh?" Jewel smiled, kicking her legs back and forth like a small child.

Philomena nodded, behind her sunglasses, her gaze seemed distant and unfocused.

"Philomena?" Jewel scooted forward slightly, "Are you alright?"

Philomena hesitated before responding, "I... I'm fine."

"Philomena? Are you sure? I mean, I can tell when things are up and-"

"I said I'm fine," Philomena growled slightly.

Jewel recoiled at Philomena's tone, scooting away from her so they were arms length apart.

Philomena's eyebrows took on a worried quality, "Jewel... I'm sorry."

"It's fine," Jewel whispered.

"It's just that... Things really aren't okay," Philomena's shoulders sagged and she bit back a sob.

Jewel wrapped her arm around Philomena and whispered, "Do you want to talk about it?"

Philomena hesitated before nodding slightly, "But... Let's go somewhere a little more private."

---

"So this is your parent's place? Pretty sweet," Philomena nodded in approval at the sight of Jewel's home.

"Well... It's actually my aunt's. My parents... They... They aren't here anymore," Jewel said with a wince.

Letting that sink in, Philomena nodded, "Sorry."

"It's fine. You get used to it, I guess."

"Get used to what?"

"Well... Getting used to hearing people ask about them and just not having them around in general, I guess."

Philomena nodded and got quiet as Jewel led her into her living room.

Jewel looked into Philomena's eyes, waiting for her to say what she was wanting to say.

Philomena swallowed before starting, "My parents don't exactly have the best relationship out there. But it's not that they're 'forgetting how to get along,' it's because my mom is growing distant. Things were great between them until recently, I guess.

"Last time my dad left on business, the washing machine broke, so we called a mechanic. He was a nice enough guy, I suppose. But to my mom... He was more than that. She saw Fredrick as this hot, 'I want you now' sort of guy. So she got him. My mom has gotten dodgy because of this. He visits when my dad is away at work. They... It isn't a friendship. It's more than that.

Philomena hadn't realized she was crying until she felt a tear slide into her palm.

"I'm sorry," Jewel said, looking down at her own hands.

"It's fine, I'm just getting used-" Philomena sighed.

"No! It most certainly is not fine, Philomena!" Jewel snapped, staring into her friend's eyes.

"Jewel, I said-"

"You are not going to adapt to this way of living, Philomena. I won't allow it! We'll... We'll find a way to put a stop to this. I... I promise. I swear on our friendship, Philomena. I swear on our friendship," Jewel put a hand to her forehead, "Let me just get some medicine for this headache. Getting all triumphant hurts, apparently."