Falling in the Dark | ✓

35 | Broken

"Oh my god," Astrid gasps, pulling aside the plain wrapping paper to reveal my present for her. 

She puts the small box next to the present Vera gave her, holding up the crystal and cream statement necklace for us to see. The transparent crystals catch the pale afternoon light filtering into the room through the square window, and I smile as the three girls sitting around me examine the necklace with wide, appreciative eyes.

"Carmen, I love this," Astrid grins, fastening the clasp behind her neck. She reaches past Karah, sitting cross-legged between us, to throw her arms around my shoulders. "Thank you!"

Resting on the fabric of her ash-gray t-shirt, the necklace looks just as I had envisioned. Eye-catching but not too conspicuous, it suits Astrid's offbeat sense of style perfectly.

"It looks great on you," I nod as she beams in response.

I reach behind me on my crowded bed for the only unopened present. I hold the rectangular box out to Karah's awaiting hand with a smile. She squeals in anticipation, tossing her carelessly done braid behind her shoulder before unfurling the festive red ribbon, her dark eyes alight with anticipation. I watch her face hopefully and closely as she opens the box and pulls out the scarf. Long, rich and silken, the off-white winter scarf is patterned with intricate vines and large six-petalled flowers that are the exact same shade of deep purple as the streaks in Karah's hair.

"Wow, this is so soft," she says, smiling in satisfaction as she winds the fabric around her neck. Vera and Astrid reach out to touch the scarf, nodding and murmuring approvals. Karah pulls her hair out from under the scarf and says, "Thank you! I'm never taking this off."

I laugh, throwing my arm over her shoulder as I smile at her and Astrid. "Thank you both for the concert tickets. I hope you liked our presents, it's the least—"

"Are you kidding?"

"I love this!"

The two girls rush to assure me with big, infectious smiles. I turn to Vera and find her grinning, but there's something off about the curve of her lips. Her tawny eyes — aside from being bloodshot — are distant and preoccupied. She catches me staring and inhales deeply as though she's steeling herself, and jumps off the bed so suddenly that I wince in surprise.

"Your turn, Car," she says cheerily, but the edge in her voice fails to slip my notice.

"What do you mean, my turn?" I whip around to look at her as she rummages in one of the overcrowded drawers of the closet, filling the room with sounds of makeup tubes and bottles rattling against each other.

Astrid, Karah and I continue to watch Vera in mild confusion as she shuts the closet doors and returns to my bed. She has one arm folded behind her back, her features still filled with the same distractedness as she moves to sit in front of me.

"Your turn," she says again, brandishing a small rectangular box wrapped inexpertly in smooth green decorative paper.

"But," I say, laughing perplexedly, "we're exchanging presents at home, remember?"

"Yeah . . . about that . . . fuck." Vera sighs in annoyance, her voice taking a strange, high-pitched quality that causes Astrid and Karah to exchange alarmed glances.

"What's going on?" Astrid asks, and I glance at her gratefully, finding myself unable to speak through the uncomfortable lump that has suddenly formed in my throat.

Before climbing off the bed, Vera grabs my arm and forces the present into my unwilling palm.

"I'm just going to come right out and say it," she says, looking only at me as she paces in front of the desk in quick, jittery steps. "I'm staying here for Christmas. I'm not coming to your place."