false confidence. [original]

FC: 69

Even if they try their best to hold back their tears, they couldn't. Alex and Nick hugged their sisters.

" We have to go." Alex said. They all looked at the grave one last time before going home.
.........
Chloe sat down on her and Elio's bed." Chloe?" Cassie knocked on the door entering Elio's room.

Chloe wiped her tears as she looked at Cassie." You know you don't have to wipe your tears and act ok after everything... I understand." Cassie said.

Chloe looked down and sighed.
" Can I come in?" Cassie asked and Chloe looked at her, with a small smile.

" Of course." Chloe said patting the bed gesturing Cassie to sit beside her.

" If you need anything I'm always here... I know it's hard for you that you're going through this... Especially carrying a child and going to raise it without meeting his real dad." Cassie said.

" I can understand how you felt when your parents died... You were so young... I don't know how much pain and trauma it caused." Chloe said.

" I was afraid that will forever be in my mind even though I tried to forget about it... But having Grandpa... And then Elise... They helped me a lot." Cassie said.

" Losing a parent was already hard... But losing both of them is another thing." Chloe said.

" Yeah, but you lost someone you love. Someone you want to spend your entire life together... That's a whole other level." Cassie said.

" I'm sorry you have to go through this." Cassie said." We both lost someone close to us." Chloe said wiping her tears.

" Yeah... I'm worried about Elise." Cassie said turning to Chloe." You care so much about Elise." Chloe said.

" She took care of me and I owe her a lot." Cassie said." But I heard the story is different." Chloe said.

" We all knew Elise was brave and you could say perfect... But it wasn't always like that... I've seen the side of her that no one else did... Not even her own siblings." Cassie said that intrigued Chloe.

" Trust me... I've seen it..." Chloe said." Maybe the start of it was what you've seen... But not the rest of it." Cassie said.

Chloe started crying again." I wished I did something before it happened." Chloe said.

Cassie looked at her confused, but she didn't want to say anything else.
Instead, she hugged Chloe.

Chloe hugged her tightly. They stayed like it for a minute until they heard a knock on the door.

" Hey." Alex said." Cassie, Elise wants to see you." Alex said then he looked at Chloe.

" I'll talk to you later." Cassie said before exiting the room. Chloe looked at Alex.

" How are you guys doing?" Chloe asked." In denial. Angry. Bargaining. Depressed. Numb." Alex said.

" Basically 5 stages of grief as people." Alex said." Shouldn't be the last Acceptance?" Chloe asked.

" Harpers don't believe in acceptance when it comes to grieving... They believe in numbness... It causes so much pain that you have to live and get used to it." Alex said.

" Your parents are here... They're picking you up." Alex said." Wait, what?" Chloe asked confused following Alex downstairs.

Chloe met her parents talking to Erik and Enzo with the rest of the Harpers.

" With all respect Senior Enzo. But I feel like Chloe isn't safe around the Harpers anymore. Especially about what happened to Elio." Howard said.