Broken Arrows

19 | an uncertain future

"The Others see our hope as a weakness; as a delusion. But they're wrong. It's our hope that lets us survive. That lets us bend, but remain unbroken. It's our hope that will let us win one day. It's our hope that makes us human."

—The 5th Wave (2016)

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author's note:

✰ just wanted to let you guys that this is the second to last part of broken arrows and the last actual chapter of the book. we're reaching the end of the line, and i hope you have enjoyed the ride so far! let me know what you think & please enjoy!!

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Sachi knocked on the door to Erin's after dinner. After their sob-fest, she'd pulled away feeling so much better about everything, and the boys appeared cheerier as well. Erin was the only unknown; since she'd miscalculated her feelings about her and Elliot, Sachi didn't trust her intuition on her feelings. She needed to hear it straight from Erin herself with no one else watching.

Erin's voice was light from the other side. "Come in!"

She pushed it open gingerly, hovering in the doorway. Erin was seated on her bed, legs crossed, as she struggled to fix the makeup that had been ruined by the earlier tears. "Hey," she greeted, propping her shoulder against the doorframe. "You okay?"

"Mm?" She arched a brow as she brought the eyeliner down in a swipe that resulted in a perfect wing. Only Erin could do it so easily. Years of practice, she always claimed. "You can come in, you know. I'm not a monster. I won't bite."

Sachi laughed, but shut the door behind her and wandered closer to the bed. She perched on the edge, content with watching her finish the other eye.

"One sec," Erin muttered. She brought the eyeliner up, hovering for a moment, and with one stroke, she finished the other side. "Okay." She capped the pen and tossed it onto the pile of makeup supplies that covered the surface of her sidetable. "What's up?"

"Um..." Now that she was here, the words were harder to say. She could barely grasp at her coherent thoughts to string her sentences together. Her fingers tapped against her knee, and she sighed. "I wanted to talk to you. Alone."

"Okay...?" Erin cocked her head to the side, her curls bouncing. "Continue."

"I wanted to make sure you were okay," Sachi said. "Really okay. Are you okay? Like, with everything going on? Everything?"

A small laugh escaped her, and she remembered how much she missed that familiar sound. "Yes, Sach. I'm totally fine with everything. It was good to get everything off my chest, y'know? And then to realize where I'd been wrong? It was refreshing. It helped. I'm fine with Hunter. Fine with Elliot. Fine with you. Fine with you and Elliot."

"You sure?" She twisted her hands in her lap. "I need you to be honest with me. Friendship is about trust. Honesty. I need to make sure you're in this for the long haul this time."

A sad look flickered in her eyes, as if she were ashamed to be causing this hesitation in the first place. "I'm sorry, Sach." She took her hand, squeezing it. "But I promise—I'm in this for real. I won't bottle up my feelings again. Well, I'll try not to. It's hard for me. But I'll try for you guys." She leaned forward. "You are my best friends. I'm not about to let you all go again."