Splintered
The sun cast a warm, golden light over the soccer field. JJ’s legs ached, exhaustion weighing her down, but the thought of a hot shower and food kept her moving. As she made her way through the parking lot, she caught sight of a familiar figure in the distance.
Emily.
She was pacing beside her car, shoulders tense, fists clenched at her sides. One hand gripped her phone so tightly that JJ half-expected it to crack under the pressure. Even from where she stood, JJ could see it—Emily was upset. The usual confidence, the guarded expression she always wore, was nowhere to be found. JJ didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but Emily’s voice carried through the cool air, sharp and cutting.
"I’m sorry for wanting my mother at my birthday." The words were bitter, but beneath the edge, there was something else—something fragile.
JJ hesitated. She knew Emily’s mom was an ambassador, always away, but Emily never talked about it much. She always made it seem like it didn’t matter. But now, listening in, JJ could tell this wasn’t just about a birthday. It was about something much bigger.
"I’m not asking you to cancel anything, I’m asking you to be here—to make some time for me."
JJ saw Emily’s free hand curl into a fist. Her jaw tightened, brows furrowed in frustration.
"You sent me out here, to the middle of nowhere. The least you could do is be here for this."
Her voice wavered on the last word, but she held herself together. JJ could see her cheeks flushing, eyes glassy, and for the first time, she realized—Emily wasn’t just frustrated. She was hurt.
"No, I always understand, and right now I don't want to understand!" Her voice softened just a little, almost pleading. "You promised you'd be here."
Emily let out a breath, shaking her head. "You said you sent me here so I’d ‘stop acting out,’ but let’s be honest—you sent me here to get me out of the way, didn’t you?"
JJ’s chest ached at the quiet anger in her voice.
"You know what? Don’t come. I don’t want you here."
The finality in Emily’s tone was sharp enough to cut. She ended the call, tossing her phone into the passenger seat with more force than necessary. For a second, she just stood there, one hand braced against the car, the other rubbing at her temples. JJ could see her chest rising and falling unevenly as if she was struggling to breathe.
JJ had been standing there too long. She should walk away. Pretend she didn’t hear.
But before she could move, Emily turned—and their eyes met.
Emily blinked, her expression shifting just enough to show the briefest flicker of embarrassment before she covered it up. "Oh. You’re here."
JJ hesitated. “I—”
Emily forced a smirk. "What’s the matter, Jenny? Never argued with your mom before?" Her voice was almost playful, but the crack in it betrayed her.
JJ swallowed. "Are you okay?"
Emily let out a sharp, fake laugh, throwing her hands up. "No, yeah, I’m just peachy. Really, never been better!" She wiped at her eyes quickly, as if she could erase the evidence of everything JJ had just witnessed.
JJ hesitated before asking, "It’s your birthday?"
Emily exhaled, leaning back against her car. "Yeah. On Sunday." A pause. "But, uh, I guess you heard—I’m not doing anything for it."
"I’m sorry." JJ, for once, felt something for Emily that wasn’t annoyance or frustration.
Emily shot her a small smile, though it didn’t reach her eyes. "It's fine, it's nothing new." But her voice lacked conviction, like she was trying to convince herself.
JJ’s mind whirred, and before she could stop herself, she blurted, "Eighteen is big, Em. I'm sure if we tell Penelope and the others, we could do something!"
She didn’t know why, but she had a sudden urge to help Emily, to do anything to bring her back to her usual snarky self. She was surprising herself—this was Emily. She wasn’t supposed to care. But the last few weeks had changed something.
Emily sighed and shot JJ another weak smile. "It’s fine. I’m not really in the mood to celebrate anyway."
"But—"
"JJ."
JJ froze. Emily never called her that.
That alone was enough to stop her argument in its tracks. She wanted to help, but she had to respect Emily’s wishes. "Alright. Well… happy birthday, Emily."
"Thanks."
JJ gave her a small smile and turned to leave, but before she could get too far—
"JJ."
She turned so quickly she nearly stumbled. "Yeah?"
Emily hesitated. "Can we keep this between us? I don’t need anyone’s pity, and I’d prefer if the rest of them didn’t know about my birthday."
JJ nodded. "Yeah. No problem."
Emily gave her a small nod before getting into her car. As she drove off, JJ stood there for a moment, watching the taillights disappear into the dark.
On the walk home, JJ let her thoughts wander.
She realized she really knew nothing about Emily’s home life. Actually, she knew nothing about her at all. They talked every day, sat at the same lunch table, had the same friends—but they spent so much time bickering that they had never really known each other.
She thought back to Emily’s mother. She had always known Emily’s mom was an ambassador, but she had never considered what that meant for Emily. She hadn’t realized how much it hurt.
Was what Emily said true? Did her mom really send her here just to get her out of the way? And what did she mean by ‘acting out’?
And, more than anything—why did JJ care so much?
By the time she got home, she took a long, hot shower, ate dinner, and called Will. He told her all about his day, how football training was going, how he couldn't wait to see her—but JJ’s mind kept drifting.
Back to Emily.
Back to the way her voice had cracked.
Back to the way she had called her JJ.
Meanwhile, Emily drove through the darkened streets, her grip tight on the steering wheel.
The moment she was alone, she finally let the tears fall.
Not just because her mother had ditched her again, not just because she had spent another birthday unwanted—but because she had let JJ see her like that.
JJ, of all people.
She had spent months keeping her guard up, making sure no one saw the cracks beneath the surface. But now JJ knew.
Her grip tightened as frustration burned in her chest—not just at her mom, but at herself.
She couldn’t afford to let someone like JJ see her weakness.
And yet… a small part of her didn’t hate that she had