(Elias)
I got home after leaving her room. The house was quiet. Everything was in place, as it always was. My parents weren't here. I could have gone straight to my room, but I stayed in the living room instead.
I kept thinking about Avery. The way she told me she didn’t know how to act around her family. The way she didn’t back down when I pushed her at the table. Most people would have folded. Most people would have let me take over the conversation. She didn’t. She was stubborn and sincere. That was rare.
I thought about her voice when she said it was awkward. She wasn’t just being polite. She really didn’t know what to do in that room. I could see it in her eyes. She wanted to belong, but she didn’t know how yet.
I told myself I was only helping her because she would fail without i
