When he first put his arms around me, it was tentative, like maybe he expected I'd pull away. When I didn't, he moved in closer, his hands smoothing over my shoulders, and in my mind I saw myself retreating a million times when people tried to do this same thing: my sister or my mother, pulling back and into myself, tucking everything out of sight, where only I knew where to find it. This time, though, I gave in. I let Wes pull me against him, pressing my head against his chest, where I could feel his heart beating, steady and true.

This is what daughters did. They left, and came home later with lives of their own.

Some things you don't have to tell. Some things, between sisters, are understood.

Life is full of screwups. You're supposed to fail sometimes. It's a required part of the human existance.

The way I see it," she continued, "is that some things are just meant to be the way they are.

But as i lay there, it only seemes like silence filling my ears. And the thing was, it was so freaking loud.

I just stood there, looking at her. My head was spinning, my mouth dry, and all I could think about was that I wanted to go someplace safe, someplace I could be alone and okay, and that this was impossible. My old life had changed and my new one was still in progress, altering by the second. There was nothing, nothing to depend on. And why was I surprised?