"Willow, please go to the principal's office. She had requested you." Miss Patsy said. It was only third period. The day was going by slow for Willow. She didn't get much sleep last night. She, sometimes, had trouble sleeping, which resulting in her sleeping for a few hours until she had to wake up for school.

Getting up, she was on the way to the principal's office. She was so tired that she didn't pay attention to her surroundings. This resulted in her crashing into a body. However, the person wrapped their arms around her waist before she fell. Before even looking up, she already knew who it was by their scent. She could recognize that smell from anywhere.

Everett Smith.

She has never really given Everett the time of day ever since that incident that occurred last year. She made it her duty to avoid him at all costs.

She looked up nonetheless. Everett's eyes soften. He looked tired. He missed Willow a lot. He could barely even sleep knowing that she wasn't his anymore. He was longing for her. Longing to hear her soft, beautiful voice. To hold her even. He would never admit it, but Willow made a huge impact on his life. He really did miss her, but he was stubborn. He didn't forget what he saw a year ago. Her kissing Noah. He was so angry that he decided to get with the one girl he knew was desperate enough to get with him if he asked. Marissa Winters. Just as he suspected, she latched herself onto him when he asked her out. Marissa was clingy. Not to mention, also very annoying. She didn't make him happy. He hated being with her. He hated hearing her voice. Her voice was high-pitched and scratchy. It made him want to pull his ears out. He wouldn't be surprised if he lost his hearing by the end of the month. Some part of Everett did wish he had come to Willow to let her explain herself, but he couldn't change the past.

Willow felt her checks redden from embarrassment. She knew she was bound to bump into him sooner or later. She quickly apologized and left. She had a feeling that Everett would try to make small conversation, and she was correct.

As soon as she walked away, Everett called her name, hoping to chat with her. However, Willow picked up her pace and ran to the principal's office when she heard him running towards her. She really didn't want to talk to him. Yes, she did forgive him. She wasn't one to hold a grudge, but she really didn't want him in her life. Having him come back would only cause drama. Drama that Willow didn't want nor need.

"Miss West, do you know why you're in here?" Mrs. Judith, the school's principal, asked.

"No, why am I here?" Willow was confused, she always stayed out of trouble and got good grades. She was never called to the principal's before. To say she was nervous would be an understatement.

"I wanted to talk to you. To check up on you. Ask how you are. Are you okay?" Mrs. Judith had noticed how restless Willow looked some days. She looked exhausted and stressed out. She quickly grew worried of the girl. She wanted to make sure she was okay.

"I'm doing okay Mrs. Judith. Why are you asking?" Willow knew she cared, but she wasn't used to opening up to people. She wasn't lying when she said she was doing okay. She just couldn't sleep at night. It had been that way since her mother's passing. Over the years, it tended to get worse. Right now, Willow was running on two hours of sleep.

"I'm just making sure Willow. You know I care about your well-being. Have you been sleeping at all? You look tired. Maybe you should take some days off of school to rest." Mrs. Judith didn't fail to recognize the eye bags under Willow's eyes. She knew Willow worked hard to get good grades, but she was concerned about her mental health. She didn't want Willow to not get enough sleep and tire herself out.

"No I'm okay. I just have trouble sleeping sometimes. It's nothing to worry about. I'll sleep after I get home." Willow said. She didn't want her to worry. She hated worrying people.

"Is something wrong? You know you can always talk to me, you know that right Willow? I'm here to listen."

Willow didn't know what to say. She did have a tough time getting some shut eye, so usually she would spend her restless nights studying and reviewing school work. None of the sleeping pills she took helped her. She knew how much her grades and school meant to her mother. She never finished high school, let alone go to college. So her children graduating school was a huge deal for her. Willow knew her mother would be proud of her grades. She was in top of her classes and she made sure it stayed that way. She knew her mother would be worried about her not sleeping, but nothing worked. No matter what she did or try, she would always be wide awake at night.

"Yes I know, thank you.. May I go back to class now?"

The principal dismissed Willow after talking to her some more about the situation and how important it was that she needed to sleep. She knew about Willow's mother passing away. Actually, a lot of people knew. Her mother was kind to everyone, which meant she was well-liked and adored. So when news broke out that she passed away, everyone was devastated. They even sent their regards to the West siblings, as well as money to help them get back on their feet. The principal was worried about Willow. She could only imagine how bad losing their mother pained them. If the whole town was heartbroken, the West siblings probably took it ten times worse, after all, it was their mother.

School was pretty boring for Willow. She was incredibly drained. She wanted nothing more than to cuddle in her bed and fall asleep forever.

As she arrived home, she was surprised to see Oliver. He was always busy. They barely had time together. Nonetheless she was happy to see him. Oliver was all she had, and Violet and Isaac. Willow was happy to have a good sibling relationship with her brother. She knew many siblings weren't close, so she was grateful for being able to get along with hers. Willow and Oliver were very close. They told each other everything. He even knew about Everett and what he did. At first he was angry. He was so close to beating him to a pulp, to the point where he wouldn't be able to walk for days, maybe even weeks, but Willow calmed him down and reassured that she was okay. She hated violence.

"Hey Willy Wonka." This was a name Oliver had given her ever since she was a baby. He always thought her name sounded funny, and it reminded him of Willy Wonka. The nickname stuck around, so he called her this every chance he got. Willow didn't really care too much about the nickname, she kind of liked it because her mother would also call her the same thing sometimes.

"Hey Oli, what are you doing home?"

"I thought maybe we could spend some time together. I cleared my schedule for the whole day, and I already finished my classes earlier. So we are free to hang out for the rest of the night."

Oliver was worried about his sister. He knew she had trouble sleeping at night. He knew that nothing worked. There was no tea, medicine, or even pill that could help Willow fall asleep. Plus he felt bad for not being able to hang out with Willow. Whenever he had free time, he would use his time to hang out with his girlfriend, Diane. He missed hanging out with his sister, so he decided to make time for her.

"Really? Can we have a movie night? Maybe you can cook something. Oh! Or we could bake something together!" Willow was excited. She had missed hanging out with her brother. She wasn't sure what she wanted to do. She loved her brother's cooking. It was always her cooking around the house because Oliver would always be busy and come home late.

"Yes, we can do whatever you want. Go get your homework done, I'll cook. We can bake after we eat dinner." Oliver watched in amusement. He loved when his sister got excited. He loved seeing his sister happy. He will always have a soft spot for Willow, everyone knew this too.

By the time Willow got her homework done, Oliver was already finished with dinner. They talked and ate. After they ate, they decided to bake brownies. They both missed their sibling bonding time. They haven't bonded like this in a while. Oliver was glad to be able to spend time with his sister.

The rest of the evening, they watched a couple of movies and ate brownies. They were happy. Even though they did miss their mother, they were truly happy for being able to get along. They both grieved together. They never shut one another out, which was the main reason to why they never fought and were so close. They had a great bond and they were happy.

Maybe even a little too happy.

After all, life isn't all sunshine and rainbows without a storm. They failed to notice that their lives were only going to be headed down a difficult path. They didn't notice that they were being watched from afar. Sooner or later, the unknown person would come out and their lives would go downhill from now.

: )