CRYSTAL POV
"I messed up," I whispered into my arms, barely audible.
Aliyah shifted slightly. "Hey… everyone messes up."
"No," I shook my head harder, tears soaking into my sleeves. "Not like this."
They went quiet again. Not because they didn't care. But because they didn't understand. And I couldn't make them.
Serena's lifted her hands up to my hair, gently smoothing it back from my face in a slow, comforting motion.
"It feels bigger than it is right now," she said softly. "It always does in the moment. But whatever it is… we'll figure it out."
I let out a weak, broken laugh that didn't sound like me at all.
"You don't understand," I whispered.
Aliyah tilted her head slightly. "Then help us understand."
I froze.
My heart pounded harder. My grip tightene
