forward / slash ✭ matt sturniolo

SIXTEEN

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IRL and insta
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Leanna swirled her cup full of Sprite, watching the contents inside move. She's flattered that Nick cared enough to throw her a birthday party, but currently she's sitting on the boys' couch bored as fuck. Lea feels like an outsider at her own party, her friends are socializing in the living room and all she can do is watch. Chris is talking to Elmer when he glances over at the couch. Lea is staring rather intently at the bottom of her red solo cup. He can tell that Leanna is uncomfortable, she's somewhat hunched over and one of her arms is crossed over her chest. Too distracted to contribute to the conversation at hand, Chris excuses himself to check on her. He's standing in front of her now, but she's still captivated by her drink.

Chris clears his throat and points to the seat next to Leanna, "Is it cool if I sit?"

"Yeah, of course," Lea answers, moving down to make space for the boy. Chris sits down carefully next to the blonde. There's a moment of silence before Chris speaks again.

"You're not having fun?" Chris already knows the answer. Lea's been sitting by herself for most of the party. He'd hate to have her exclude herself from her own party because of whatever is going on with Matt. Currently, they're on the opposite sides of the room with Matt talking to Nick.

"No, I am."

"You're a terrible liar Lea," Chris chuckles to himself while leaning back on the couch. Lea turns her head to Chris and guffaws. She brings the cup to her lips and finishes off her Sprite.

"I don't want you to be sitting here all by yourself at your birthday party," Chris gestures to the partygoers, "These people came because they love you. They're gonna miss you when you leave for New York. Although I know I'm great company, you should spend your last day with your friends, not alone on the couch."

Leanna knows he's right, she has been throwing herself a pity party. She's been too caught up in her feelings with Matt to appreciate the effort Nick has put in to host.

"Yeah, you're right. I'll go talk to some people." Lea gets up and sets down her empty cup on the table beside the couch. She sees Lilith across the room and waves at her, knowing that her cousin will want to catch up.

"Thank you, by the way. You give pretty good pep talks."

Chris laughs, his smile bright, "No problem, Lea."

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

"I'm gonna miss you so much," Lilith says. She and Leanna are sitting on the stairs of the triplets' house. Leanna rotates her body towards Lilith and she can see her cousin's teary eyes. It breaks Lea's heart that she'll be away from Lilith for four months.

Leanna knocks her knees against Lilith's, "Hey, I'll be back before you even know it." Lilith smiles softly at her cousin, wiping the tears that have fallen. Lea rests her head on Lilith's shoulder, taking in the moment with one of her favorite people. In all honesty, Leanna is terrified of leaving Somerville. She's grateful that her aunt in New York is willing to take her in for the four months, but all her friends are in Massachusetts. The fear of being forgotten is immense. She fears her absence will cause no significant impact on the triplets. More specifically Matt, but that's not something she's ready to think about. Lea sighs deeply, she's realizing now that she's thirsty and is also craving some of the chips left in the kitchen.