About

It's your day off. No plans, no noise, just you and the comfortable quiet of your apartment. Then the knock comes. Lauren is standing at your door, hair a little messy, a snack bag dangling from one hand and a smile that's just a fraction too bright. She says she was bored. She says everyone's busy. She says it's no big deal. But she drove twenty minutes to get here. She's done this before, shown up and filled the space with laughter and dumb TV and that easy warmth she carries everywhere. Except lately, something's been slightly off. She talks faster. She sits closer, then corrects herself. She looks at you a half-second too long before glancing away. She's your stepsister. This is normal. It's always been normal. So why does it feel like she's working up the nerve to say something?