"You know, every day until now it's felt like we're the only place that sells coffee in the entire city," Nikki says. "And now? Empty. Freakin' ghost town in here."

I smile, leaning against the counter with my chin in my palm. "Shouldn't you be happy it's slow? It gives you more time to hit the books."

I tap on the math textbook in front of her. She narrows her eyes at me, causing me to remove my finger from the page and place my hands in front of me, clasped together as I look outside of the empty cafe.

Jessie walks out of the kitchen, sighing as he takes the stool next to Nikki.

"Did you get lonely in there?" She teases, tousling his hair. He swats her hand away with a laugh. "You actually came at the perfect time. I was just about to tell you that I think one of us should get to go home early today. We're not doing anything."

"You can go," Jessie replies. "I'm gonna stay. This is nice. Relaxing."

Nikki looks outside, studying the gloomy grey sky. I have to agree with Jessie. It's nice being here, having to only make a few coffees every hour. I probably should've brought my school supplies. It's a great time to get some work done. Not that I have much, but I do have to catch up on some reading I missed when Devin and I skipped classes a few days ago.

I pull my phone out of my pocket once I feel a few text message vibrations. Devin and Aaron have a sent some messages in the group chat, and I have a couple of separate ones from Devin, which is weird.

Just as I'm about to open them, Nikki calls out for me to start warming up a pot of coffee. With a quick okay, I pocket my phone and get straight to it.

"Just a cup of black coffee." Jessie peeks over the wall before quickly returning to his stool.

I nod, pouring the hot liquid into a cup, placing a black plastic top on it. Slipping the sleeve on, I bring it to the front.

"Fun fact. You're the first person to walk in here in the last hour," I say as I walk to the front with the coffee in my hand. I look up as I hold the cup out.

I stop in my tracks as I meet eyes with the customer, who's dressed in a pair of light wash jeans, a white t-shirt and a navy blue jacket on top. His hair is a light brown, kind of a messy look that still looks neat.

The cup falls from my hand, landing with a quiet thud on the ground. The black liquid spills all over the ground, splattering on my Converse.

His hazel eyes travel to my name tag, back to my face. Involuntary tears well up in my eyes. He hardly remembers my face.

I guess I can't blame him.

"Estella," he says in a low voice.

I wipe my sweaty palms on my black jeans before turning to Jessie and Nikki, who both wear the same look of confusion on their faces. Taking a deep breath, I turn back to him.

"Nate." I swallow. "Hi."

Jessie nudges Nikki. "We're gonna hang in the back for a little while."

She nods in agreement. The both of them stand up from their stools, each giving me a supportive pat on the shoulder as they make their way to the back.

I blink out of my trance. It seems like neither of us knows what to say. I know I sure don't. Seeing my brother, who I haven't seen in almost seven years has made my mind entirely blank.

My eyes fall to the ground. "Your coffee. I'm sorry about that— let me just—" My breathing becomes shallow. "I can... I can get you another. I'll be right back."

"It's okay." He stops me before I can run away to hide in the back and send one of my co-workers to bring him another cup.

"Are you sure?" I ask him.

He nods. "I'm sure."

"Okay."

He blinks rapidly. "Do you think— could we talk?"

I wipe my palms on my jeans again. The only thing they're good for is producing sweat, apparently.

"Yeah— yeah, sure."

He nods as I make my way to a table. My legs feel like jelly as I walk, so I take the nearest one and sit before he notices that I'm completely disoriented by his arrival.

I sit with my hands clasped in front of me. But instead of getting to look outside of this empty cafe, I'm reuniting with my twenty-one-year-old brother who absolutely hated my guts when I was a kid.

"Why... why are you here?" I ask him. I try to mantain eye contact with him, but every time I look into his eyes, I see the brother who left without a goodbye. The brother who barely ever talked to his little sister, who didn't care to have a relationship with her.

He swallows. "On a break from school. I, uh, I'm going to UVA now. A junior."

I nod. "That's... good."

I wish I had a cup of coffee to fiddle with. There's nothing to do but keep my hands clasped together while I switch my gaze from the empty table to his face.

"I went to the house earlier," he says. I look up. "Wanted to see how you were doing... but this random girl answered the door and there was a mini-van parked out front. I figured you guys must've moved."

I shake my head. "No, we still live there."

"You do?"

I clear my throat. "Yeah... Mom is dating a guy named Matthew. His daughter, Ansley, she's the one who opened the door for you." I frown, recalling the knock I heard from the front door earlier. "I was there, when you knocked. But I thought it was Mom so I stayed in my room and let someone else open the door."

He nods along. "So... this guy, he lives with you?"

I bite the inside of my cheek. "Mhm. Him and his three kids." I nod my head. "Mom's new family."

He looks away, clasping his hands together the same way I am. Nate has no idea what to say. I'm not even sure he knew why he came here.

"So why visit now?"

The question comes harsher than I had intended it to. But my curiosity got the best of me. He's been in Virginia for years, and has only now decided to pay his mom and little sister a visit. 

"Listen, Estella, I know we have a lot to talk about..." He says. "I missed watching you grow up. It was shitty of me to do that. I know. Trust me, I've been thinking about coming down here ever since I left."

"But you didn't," I reply.

He only thought about it.

My phone keeps buzzing in my pocket. I pull it out and unlock it, seeing a few calls I missed from Devin and Aaron. I open the group chat, reading over the texts.

My heart drops as I read the messages. I shake my head, reading it over and over to make sure I'm not making it up. But it's there. And it's real.

Asher's been arrested.

"Is everything okay?" Nate asks.

I don't respond. I read over the messages, again and again until they're just scrambled up letters that don't make any sense.

My heart beats out of my chest. Asher's been arrested. I was just with him only hours ago. And now he's in jail.

"I have to go."

I stand from my chair, heading out the door of the bakery. Footsteps trail behind me as I walk through the parking lot aimlessly. No car, no money on me to pay for an Uber.

"Estella, do you need me to take you somewhere?"

I turn around, realizing that this might be my only option. "Police department."

He furrows his eyebrows. "Why would you have to go to the police department?"

I sigh in frustration. "I—I just do. Can you take me there or not?"

He jogs over to the driver's side of his new-looking Honda Civic. I climb into the passenger's seat, shutting the door before strapping on my seatbelt.

The car ride feels like hours even though I'm sure Nate's going as fast as he can. I stare out the window, ready to hop out of his car as soon as we're in the parking lot of the department.

"You can go," I say as he slows in the lot. I unbuckle my seatbelt. "Thank you for the ride."

Before he says anything, I open the door and head to the front where I spot Devin and Aaron sitting at a bench. It's only when I'm halfway there that I regret not getting any of Nate's contact information.

"What happened?" I ask them.

Devin shrugs. "He didn't say."

"You talked to him?"

She nods. "Fuck, he's so lucky he's rich or they'd keep him overnight."

I cross my arms. "Are his parents here?"

"Nope," Aaron chimes in. "And I do not wanna be here when they do get here."

I'm about to say something when the door swings open. Asher walks out, wearing a red Nike hoodie and a pair of black sweatpants.

"I see we got the whole crew," he says with a smile as he walks up to us. "Thank you guys for coming."

Devin chuckles humorlessly. "Right. Of course. This is all a big joke, isn't it?"

He furrows his eyebrows. "No, Devin. I was actually arrested. Cops pulled me over and handcuffed me and everything."

I narrow my eyes, astonished at how calm he is about this. I'm not sure what I was expecting him to be like when he got out, but it wasn't like this.

"I was worried about you. We were all worried about you." Devin gestures to the three of us, shaking her head. "And you don't even care, do you?"

He meets my eyes for only a moment, licking his lips before he turns back to Devin, throwing his arms up in the air. "What do you want me to say? Thank you for worrying about me? Is that what you want?"

"Bro, that's not what she—"

"Fuck you, Asher." She interrupts Aaron.

He scratches the back of his neck and stares at her, seemingly expecting more.

And there he is. The Asher that I met at the beginning of the year. The one who loved provoking Devin and almost looked like he lacked any emotion whenever he argued with her.

"What, that's it?" He asks. "Fuck you, Asher? You're not gonna tell me how stupid I am? How reckless I can be? You're not gonna tell me how I'm ruining my life a little more each day? How I don't care about anything or anyone?" He taps his chest with his palms. "Come on, Devin! I'm right here, and I'm all ears. Tell me everything you've thought about me for the past few years! I wanna fucking know. I wanna know what you really think of me."

"Asher." I stare at him, shaking my head.

He looks at me, his eyes having this crystal-like effect to them. He turns back to Devin, waiting for her to let it all out. Then he looks at Aaron.

"And you?" He asks. "I know you have shit to say."

Aaron stares at him, but says nothing.

"I'm done." Devin's voice is filled with defeat as she looks at Asher. She shakes her head. "I don't have it in me anymore, Asher. I— I won't keep doing this with you."

When he doesn't respond, she continues. "I have no idea how I was friends with someone as selfish as you for so long."

He nods, his eyes building up with tears. He never lets them fall. "Me neither."

And here I am. The same girl who could never speak up at times like these. The one who was too afraid to say anything or to involve herself in any way.

No one says speaks. I watch Asher as he looks at the three of us. He stuffs his hands inside of the pockets of his sweatpants. "All right. I'll see you guys around, then."

He turns and walks away from us. Part of me begs my feet to move, follow after him and talk to him about this. I can ask him what happened, why he did what he just did.

But the other part wants to stay still and let him go. That part can't comprehend what just happened. He dismissed me, too. Not only Devin and Aaron.

"Do you need a ride home?" Devin asks me.

I look at her, licking my dry lips. "That's it? We're just gonna let him leave?"

I rub my hand along my arm as I watch Asher get further and further from where I stand.

"I'm done fighting with him," she says. "I'm tired of being mad, Estella."

"And I'm done being in between," Aaron adds, the first thing he's said in minutes. "I'm going home."

And just like that, he walks away, never turning his head to check on his best friend. Devin looks at me expectantly, impatient as she waits for my response.

"No." I shake my head. "I'm gonna go check on him."

Before she can reply, I leave her alone in front of the building and make my way to Asher. I run after him, slowing down once I'm a few feet behind him. I grab onto one of his sleeves, pulling on it so he turns.

I'm faced with red, watery eyes when he looks at me. Tears stream down his cheeks. He doesn't wipe them away. He almost looks surprised. Surprised that I didn't let him walk away, that I didn't let him leave on his own.

"I don't need a lecture. I really don't, 'Stella—"

"Are you okay?" I ask.

His eyes never leave mine. He stares at me for what feels like an eternity, his eyes softening. He lets out a deep breath. He looks so unlike himself. From the moment I met Asher, he's always been on defense, never letting his guard down around anyone. But right now, he's dropped that shield. Right now, he's defeated, and the most vulnerable I've ever seen him.

Instead of responding, he pulls me by the waistline of my pants and wraps his arms around me in a tight hug. He buries his face in my neck, his grip never loosening on my body. I sigh, bringing my right hand to his head and running my fingers through his soft waves.

"No," he whispers into my neck.