STORM

-thirty-two-

May waited for her daughter to calm down, rubbing her back soothingly. It concerned her to witness her daughter break down like this. She'd rarely seen her cry in her teenage to adult years, so, she knew it was serious. Especially considering the message Storm had sent her before she came.

When Storm finally let go and wiped the remnants of the tears away, May took that as her chance to ask her youngest what had happened.

"What happened, my dear?"

Sniffling, Storm said, "I'll tell you about it later, but something with Joey."

Due to Storm asking if she could stay for a bit, May had gathered so. She didn't push her to open up and pecked her daughter on the forehead, conveying her silent understanding.

"Man, being pregnant is shit," Faye groaned as she exited her room, stopping in her tracks upon seeing her sister. "Oh, Storm. What are you doing here?"

"Something happened and she'll be staying here for however long she needs to."

"Ah, okay. Everything fine?"

"It will be," Storm assured.

Nodding, Faye said, "want to watch a movie then?"

Gratefully so, Storm agreed, needing to forget.

***

The next morning, Gabriella texted Storm if everything was all right. She told her about the whole staying-at-her-mom's ordeal and in turn, Gabriella wondered if she could come over, to which Storm replied tomorrow.

After that, Gabriella decided to contact Ziv. At first, she sent him a message. When three hours had passed and he hadn't answered, she called. Alas, he didn't respond to her calls either. She cursed herself out in her head for being a shitty friend recently. In the end, she made the hasty decision to visit him as the afternoon passed and he had yet to return her calls or texts.

On the way to his house, her mind wandered. She thought about everything that went down yesterday. About Ziv. About Joey. It was practically muscle memory that took her to Ziv's place as she barely registered that she'd arrived when his house appeared.

After parking, she strode up to his front door, trying to amp herself up. Anxiousness flooded through her as she knocked on the door, hoping he'd be at home.

His mom was the one to open the door. She signed a hello and asked where Ziv was, to which his mom replied that he was upstairs with Thalia. They briefly conversed before Gabriella excused herself to go talk to Ziv.

Taking a deep breath, she tapped her fist against his bedroom door. Upon getting a 'come in', she opened it and stepped into the familiarity of her best friend's room.

Ziv, lying flat on his bed, shot up as he noticed Gabriella standing at the entrance. His face soured and the little confidence she'd had left plummeted. She glanced around, seeing boxes placed around his room. Thalia, who was next to him, had swollen lips and smudged lipstick, making it evident that she'd interrupted something.

"What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to help you pack, and to apologize."

"So, now you want to hang out?"

She gave him a pleading look. "Ziv, please. You know I love you. It's just been a hectic summer. I won't push you aside for Storm."

Thalia furrowed her eyebrows, appearing as if puzzle bits were falling into place in her mind. Gabriella had forgotten that she didn't know and awkwardly scratched her neck. Thalia gaped as the realization hit her.