“Just that—that not everyone’s like you, Emerson,” Mal said, increasingly desperate. “Not everyone has this endless well of—of resources. Of energy and ink and money and people to hold on to all the Things we have. Some of us have to carry our own things, Emerson. And some of our arms are tired. Like, some of us are really close todropping all of it.”
“Are our parents fighting?” they registered Parker whispering in the background.
“Shhh,” Nylan hushed her.
“Mal.” Emerson’s face contorted. “I don’t want to slow down, I get—last time I—” She shook her head minutely, knowing Mal knew what she meant. “We have ateam—”
“We can’t always rely on everyone else, Emerson,” Mal said, cutting off whatever she had to say about the rest of the staff. Mal realized their voice was raised—to and then slightly beyond its normal volume. They pushed back their chair and stood. “Some of us have to do shitall on our own. We don’t all live in big fancy houses on Mainstrasse, with money and medicine and—I don’t know—people who give a shit.”
“Mal, I know—” Emerson started.
“You don’t,” Mal said. “You don’tget it, Emerson. I can’t do both. I can’t make compromises on my priorities. And Idon’twant totalk about it.”
“We’ll figure it out,” Emerson pleaded, her voice small. “We can—”
“I can’t, actually,” they said tiredly. “I have to go to my sister’s soccer game.”
It wasn’t a lie, but it wasn’t the reason Mal wanted to leave so badly. They grabbed their backpack, slung it over theirshoulder. When they turned to the room, they saw the rest of the staff staring back at them. Mal’s skin felt hot and cold at once.
“I’ll text you later,” they said, and they knew it wasn’t enough. They could tell Emerson was hurt, they could see it on her face, and they had a horrible, heartbreaking realization that it was all their fault. But they couldn’t stop, either. “Just—not right now.”
“Sure,” said Emerson.
And with that, Mal left, throwing their cardboard cup in the trash on the way out.
Friday, 7:40PM
heyyyyy text me when you can!!!!! (:
i’m covering for sam for the rest of the night, they have a Thing™, but I will answer my texts for you!!!!
Friday, 8:02PM
this shift is so long knowing you’re not in the lab!!!
also nylan says she loves you!!! and parker says hi!!!!
Friday, 8:30PM
just spilled an entire container of coldbrew in the cellar, whoops!!
Friday, 9:00PM
FREE AT LAST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
sam owes me one omg
what a NIGHT
text me if you’re still up!!
but hope you’re not because you are worth rest!!!
but also i hope you are because i miss you (:
i’’ll send you some funny tiktoks just in case
Friday, 9:42PM
