(Matthew's Point of View)
I couldn't get any air.
The walls felt like they were closing in on me, and it wasn't because of the danger outside. It wasn't the game, the people, or the mess I had gotten myself into. She was the one. It was Esther.
She sat across from me with her arms crossed over her chest and her face was hard to read. I could see that she was angry, but it wasn't just anger. It was pain, disappointment, and something deeper that I couldn't reach.
We had been through a lot together. Or at least I thought we had. But at this moment, it felt like all the progress we'd made was hanging by a thread and ready to break.
I opened my mouth to say something to close the gap between us, but nothing came out. The quiet was too loud and too deafening.
"Matthew," she said finally,
