I rub my arms, taking in the scent of the looming clouds.
"College wasn't really my thing either," I sigh.
"You still taking pictures?”
"Trying to," I admit. "Feeling a bit uninspired these days."
Smiling once again, I tug at the sleeve of my sweater, nervously trying to focus on something other than Zack's gaze.
"I have a question," Nathan exclaims, his eyes bloodshot. "Why the hell did you come home?"
Feeling the drop in my stomach, I shrug my shoulders, keeping my features as nonchalant as possible.
"Like I said, college really just wasn't my thing-"
"She had a psychotic break," Aiden interjects.
"Aiden, I don't think-"
"Come on, Eden. You might as well share it since the rest of your little secrets are all over town. You both should’ve seen how fucking messed up she looked when she got home. Bruises all over her, bloodshot eyes. My dad's theory is drugs, but I guess now it's less of a valid theory-"
"Aiden-"
"Or maybe it was a crippling sex addiction. You always were a prude. Maybe she met the wrong kinky fuck and-"
"Aiden," Zack yells. Nathan’s smile drops instantly as my brother's focus finally drifts back to me.
Unsure when the tears started slipping free from my eyes, I feel them roll down my cheeks. I take in a shaky breath, my jaw clenched; my nails dug into my palms. I slide off the hood of my car, gasping as I take in a breath, the looming presence of a panic attack breathing down my neck, close to the surface. I move to the back of the car and lie back against the trunk, grateful for a little space to calm down.
Listening to the sounds of Nathan and Aiden bickering, I press my head to the cool glass of my back window, hoping the panic will subside. Footsteps approach me, my hand ready to wave off my brother and his string of insincere apologies.
"I'm fine, Aiden-"
"Like I said, your brother is a dick," Zack reiterates, remorse etched into his features.
Leaning into the back of my car, he crosses his arms, watching me closely as I wipe away my tears on the sleeve of my sweater.
"I didn't mean to have that reaction," I sob, scolding myself for being so vulnerable around a groupof potheads.
Zack hoists himself onto the ledge of the trunk, grabbing my hand and urging me to slide down and sit next to him.
I allow my hand to stay in his as he cranes his head up to the rolling clouds above.
"Your brother has had to deal with your dad’s anger a lot more since you got home. I think he resents you for that."
I laugh in disbelief. "Aiden has never liked me." I shake my head, somewhat wishing it wasn’t this way between us. "He was so happy when I left for college, and miserable when I came back."
Shaking his head, Zack rolls his shoulders back.
"Your brother, as much as I love him, is an idiot in disguise who doesn’t think about anyone but himself. He’s got shit he needs to figure out," Zack admits. "But really, between you and me, why did you come home? Seems like you need to talk about it."
Closing my eyes, I bury the images trying to resurface from that night, biting my inner cheek to focus on pain rather than what happened.
"It's not worth talking about," I mutter. "Just know I had a good reason for coming home."
Zack rubs his hand along my back, but I lean away. He stops the movement but doesn’t lift his hand while he looks over my face. I settle back into the touch, letting his fingers run circles along my spine, his eyes still searching my face for something more.
"Well, whatever the reason, I'm sure it was justified," He smiles.
