Maya called while I was in the bathroom, wiping Alex's splash attack off my face.

"Elaine." Her voice was flat, almost hollow—so unlike the Maya I used to know. Back then, every sentence she spoke felt like it was bursting with fireworks, sharp and full of life.

Now? That spark was gone.

I didn’t know all the details of what had happened, but her suicide attempt had left a mark. She wasn’t the same person anymore, and it broke my heart to ...