-

My mind went blank for a few moments as it unsuccessfully processed the voices it had just heard. Things slowed down and moved further and further away from me. I'm pretty sure there was someone saying my name, but I couldn't quite pinpoint it. The voice got closer and closer until it was right in front of me.

"Avery!" Sophia yelled as she took my shoulders in her hands and began to shake me. My focus shifted back to her, and I blinked my eyes a few times in response.

"Your phone!" she reminded me, picking it up from her floor. Seeing it reminded me why I was dazed just now and I squealed, when the late onset excitement ran through me.

I snatched the phone from Sophia's hand and pressed it tightly to my ear.

"Mom?! Dad?!" I cried ecstatically, basically bouncing in my spot.

"Hello dear! I was scared something had happened. You weren't responding for a minute." my mother fretted into the phone.

"I was just," I sputtered for a moment, looking for the right word. "Excited! I haven't heard your voice in a month."

She laughed airily. "Well that's the point of a remote island darling. The cell service is absolutely awful there."

I chuckled quietly, shaking my head. If my parents really wanted to, they could get cell service on their island because that's the type of money they had.

"Now where are you because we're at home?" she queried and I paled a little.

My parents know I'm bisexual and are perfectly fine with it. But if I told them I was at Sophia's house, it would lead to questions of why and teasing that I'd probably never hear the end of.

I made a few unsure noises before yelling, "I'll be home soon. Bye!"

I ended the call as soon as I ended, and fell back onto Sophia's bed with a small exhale. That was probably more suspicious than the truth, but my brain short circuits under pressure. Maybe they'll be so excited to see me that they'll forget it ever happened.

Sophia looked down at me with furrowed brows. "Is everything okay Avery?"

I turned my head to face her. "Yeah" I breathed contently, smiling dreamily into nothing. My parents are lovely people with beautiful hearts. Just being around them makes me feel better.

"But I have to get home right now," I said, sitting up from Sophia's bed. She pouted, but nodded in understanding nevertheless. I stood up from the bed collecting my things, until Sophia interrupted me.

"Before you go Avery," she started with a nervous caution. I turned to face her with a raised brow. " What do you think about me telling my parents that I'm bisexual?"

"Absolutely not," I objected without needing to think about it.

"First of all, you don't even know if you're bisexual." Sophia threw me a dirty look, and I held up my hand. "And I'm not saying you're not, but that is definitely something you should think about for more than 24 hours. Second of all, do you know if your parents are homophobic or not? You can't just put yourself into dangerous situations like that Sophia."

"First of all, I know I'm bisexual. Second of all, they're my parents Avery. They wouldn't-"

"Sophia, there have been dozens of gay kids who thought that and are now in the ground. You need to check first," I warned and then watched her shoulders sag. I wasn't trying to be mean or despairing, but Sophia was too trusting for her own good. She only pays attention to the good in people, and never even notices that a person is awful.

A key example of this would be Chris.

"Fine Avery, but I'm not waiting forever to tell them," she stated with conviction before snatching her keys from her desk.

I stepped in front of Sophia and placed my hands on her shoulders, rubbing out the tension there.

"Just promise me you'll be sure. That's all I ask," I murmured softly, staring into her eyes. Even though I would never tell her the full extent of my feelings, I still wanted her to know that I truly cared for her. "I can't have you getting hurt. You. Safe. That's important to me."

For a moment, Sophia's annoyed expression melted away and she relaxed into my hands. But just as quickly, she was rigid again and brushing past me to get to the door.

"Whatever Avery. Let's go," she called out as she bounded down the stairs. I sighed, before grabbing my backpack and following after her.

Δ

I gave Sophia a wave to show that I made it to my front door okay and she honked in response before pulling out of my driveway.

The car ride here was quiet and uneasy, but I could tell Sophia would get over it eventually. If she did, it would be for the better anyway. The further away from me she gets, the safer she is. Even if she never comes out to the school, there will still be people who treat her differently just because she's friends with me.

Shaking Sophia out of my head, I brought my attention back to trying to open the front door. After finally finding my keys in my backpack, I pushed open the door and locked it behind me. As soon as the door shut, I dropped my bag at the door and ran into the living room.

"I'm home!" I shouted, moving through the hallway.

"We're in the kitchen," my mother called back and I immediately went in that direction.

The moment I laid eyes on my mother, I ran into her arms and buried my face into the crook of her neck. She returned the gesture immediately, holding me tightly. The embrace caused a slight wince, but I barely felt it with all of the emotions running through me.

"I've missed you so very much my love," she cooed into my ear as she rocked me back and forth.

We slightly pulled away from each other and I grinned up at her. "It's so good to-"

My mother cut me off when her sweet gaze turned hostile. My expression turned confused and a frown pulled at my lips. Did I fail another test or something? Because if I did, she should really know it's nothing new.

"You're hurt. Why are you hurt? Tell me what happened," she demanded sternly and I relaxed a little. Even though my situation was awful, I took comfort in the fact my loved ones could tell something was wrong. I was never going to actually tell them the truth, but it was nice to know how well they understood me.

"Who's hurt?" A masculine voice boomed as they rounded the corner.

I squealed in excitement and pulled away from my mother to run towards it. They easily caught me and spun me around.

"Dad!" I giggled, clutching his neck. He smiled down on me, then placed a kiss on my forehead. My father may be big and buff on the outside, but he's always been a softie.

"Eric put her down! She's in pain," my mother scolded him, crossing her arms over her chest.

My father loosened his grip a little and gave me a worried look. He eventually set me down on the ground, using slow and careful precision. I rolled my eyes at them both and walked over to Zach who had joined us in the chaos.

My older brother is an excellent liar when he wants to be. And that's exactly what he's going to be in the next 10 seconds if he plans on having kids.

"I'm fine you guys. Right Zach?" I asked, in the cheeriest tone possible, nudging Zach's side. He looked down at me with a smirk that told me everything I needed to know. I guess I'm not going to be an aunt any time soon.

"She came home the other day with some pretty bad bruises and cuts. She may have even had a fractured rib, but she-"

As soon as he had finished his first few words, I was gearing up for the hard kick in his shin that I finally delivered and used to cut him off. In an instant he fell to the ground, rocking himself in a fetal position.

My mother gasped in horror, falling to my brother's side. Meanwhile my father and I were doing our best not to let our laughter escape.

"Now both of my children are hurt!" my mother exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air.

A few of my giggles escaped, not being able to hold them in any h longer. My father did his best to disguise his as coughs, but it was not done very well. My mother turned around and glared at him with her arms over her chest.

"You think this is funny?!" she asked him in a high pitched voice, causing him to blush a deep red in embarrassment. He shook his head insistently, and went to her side to console her.

It's good to be home.