Emily
I lay on the bed scrolling listlessly through my phone, I felt bored staying at home alone and it was surprising how I almost missed Lucas. It was a ridiculous notion. We barely spoke and yet, when he wasn’t here, the silence felt different. With him in the house, I could breathe a little deeper, knowing that the walls weren't just walls, they were protected. His presence did nothing and yet it did everything.
My thumb paused over a picture of a friend's new puppy when my phone vibrated, a message notification popped up at the top of my screen, displaying a name that made a cold knot of dread form in my stomach, it was Jack.
My heart began to throb against my ribs. I hesitated, my finger hovering over the banner. Every instinct screamed at me to delete it, to throw the phone acros
