"Elias, I swear, if you don't stop jerking your knee I'm going to drive this car off the side of the road."

"Sorry!" Elias crossed his legs. The passenger seat was so spacious that he had plenty of room to stretch them out. "I'm just … nervous."

"So you should be," Sally said, her eyes fixed on the road ahead. "I can't believe that you didn't tell me about this."

I felt a stab of guilt as I remembered the look on her face yesterday when Elias told her the truth about his break-up with Megan. A dozen emotions seemed to pass through her - shock, anger, hurt ...

"I've already said that I'm sorry, Sal - "

"It doesn't matter. What does matter is what you're planning on saying to Megan."

"I just - I don't know, I want to tell her that I'm sorry. I want to tell her that … whatever she decides, I want to be right there with her. I'll stand up for her, for our family. Something like that."

"Articulate as ever," Sally said, a lightness entering her voice. "Though you do realise that I might not be able to convince her to talk to you, right? I might not be able to get her to listen to me."

"Well, that doesn't sound like the Sally Alicia Acorn that I know and love."

Sally didn't answer him but I could see her smile reflected in the mirror. I nibbled at my hangnail in the backseat. I'd barely said anything the entire time. I'd been surprised when Elias insisted that I come with them. It was funny, even though Sally was in my grade and I spent a lot of time with Elias, I'd never really seen them interact before.

Sally pulled up at the repair-shop on the outskirts of town. It was a detached concrete block in the middle of a stretch of patchy brown grass. The building itself seemed a little run-down, but it had a fresh coat of red paint and the glass on the windows sparkled in the sun. A green-hedgehog in a black jacket was tinkering with a quad-bike that was missing its front wheels. Megan was nearby, her dark hair pulled back in a bandana. She was dressed simply in a pair of jeans and an grease-stained hoodie and we watched her crouch down underneath the suspended bike and reach back to fiddle with some part.

"Should she be doing that?" Elias asked, his forehead creased. "In her condition?"

"Megan's fine," Sally said, unbuckling her seatbelt. "Just wait here for me. Don't turn off my playlist."

"Excuse me, princess." Elias muttered.

"Love you too," Sally slammed the door behind her and strode purposefully towards the building. She must have called out to Megan because she stuck her head out from beneath the bike and stared warily. She said something to the green-hedgehog who nodded and continued to work while she walked over to Sally. Sally said something else to her and Megan's eyes flickered to the car. I looked at Elias and my chest gave as I saw his stricken expression. Megan rubbed the front of her stomach protectively and gestured at Sally to come inside. Elias and I sat in the car in silence. His leg was jerking up and down again, his eyes fixed on the building in front of us. My eyes wandered around the car, taking in the smooth leather seats, the fancy Yankee Candle air freshener, and the complicated-looking speaker system that was hooked up to Sally's iPhone;

"Why do I do this to myself every time?

I know the way it ends before it's even begun

I am the only one at the finish line"

I cleared my throat self-consciously. Elias flinched, as though he'd forgotten that I was here.

"So, you've decided what you're going to do?"

He hesitated. "Honestly? I'm still not sure … I just know that a life without Megan, without our baby, is going to make me miserable. I know that I'm young, but I want to be a part of my kid's life. I don't want to be some - some deadbeat! I just can't make any real decision until I've talked to Megan, you know? See what she wants. I mean, what if Sally's right and she won't - ?"

"She will," I promised. "She wants what's best for this baby too. She's gotta be willing to hear you out."

He scratched the side of his face, frowning. "I was thinking … I can still apply to college. I'll get a job for tuition - I might get a place with Manic or else just travel up and down every day since Mobius isn't that far. If Megan wants me to stay with her."

"What do you want to study?"

"There's the rub," he chuckled. "My parents wanted me to do something practical. But, well, I've always liked English. I'm also thinking of art school … but I'd need to apply next year to put together a portfolio and everything."

"That's an idea,"

"Yeah I mean, I could get a job, and I'd be with Megan and Sally, but can I seriously stand another year stuck in this small town?

"It's not so bad," I felt a pang at the prospect of college. That was still a few years ahead of me, but … "Sometimes I think that I never want to go back."

"To the city?"

"Yeah. I like it here." I shrugged, unwilling to elaborate."Anyway, you'll figure it out," I said, reaching over to squeeze his hand. "And - you have Sally on your side, right?"

He laughed at that. "Yeah. That's certainly something."

We sat there for another few minutes, listening to more of Sally's music. The plaintive vocals of the piano-playing women singing about lost or unrequited love and loneliness made me want to curl up under my bedsheets. Every lyrics felt weirdly like a call-out:

"I hear my heart breaking tonight

Do you hear it too?

It's like a summer shower

With every drop of rain singing:

"I love you, I love you, I love you

I love you, I love you, I love you

I love you, I love you, I love you!"

What did Sonic think of all of these songs? They seemed to be more up his street than my own playlists, which mainly comprised of Top 40 artists - Sam Smith, Doja Cat, Taylor Swift, a little Lorde and Halsey - with the occasional song I heard on a fandom edit or saw referenced in a fanfic thrown in for good measure. It figured that Sally was able to be one of the prettiest and most popular girls in the school and also have a taste in music that was far less basic than mine, the former shy/unpopular kid.

She and Sonic probably sat together in this car after track, bonding over their superior taste in music. Maybe they even made out while listening to music together. Maybe they made out to this very playlist.

I shrivelled up a little more. I had to force myself not to think about Sonic as I watched saw Sally walk out of the shop building and back towards the car. Her hair had come loose in the wind and she brushed a few strands of it back when she opened the door, her wrist doing the same little flick that her brother did when he did it. Did Sonic notice the way that she did it? Did he find it endearing?

Stop it, stop it stop it -

"Well?" Elias choked the question out.

"You have ten minutes," Sally said. "Is that enough time?"

"We'll see," he said grimly, though his relief was palpable.

"I had to barter her up from five," Sally explained. "She's … pretty angry with you. Not that I blame her. But I told her that it wouldn't be fair to make a decision about the baby without hearing what the father has to say."

"You're amazing, Sal - thank you."

"Don't keep her waiting," Sally warned, slipping back into the front seat. Elias scrambled out of the car, frantically pulling on his shirt and smoothing his tousled hair. He glanced back at me, his eyes wide with fear. I smiled in what I hoped was a reassuring manner. Megan appeared in the doorway and he almost jogged the last few steps towards her.

"I guess we'll wait here then," Sally said without turning to look at me. "Is there anything you'd like to listen to? There's a podcast I like, and I haven't listened to it's new episode yet, but - "

"Oh uh no - I'm fine." I stammered, flustered at having even been asked. "Whatever you want!"

Sally scrolled through her Spotify and put on the episode, promising me that it was interesting. A man and a woman talked about a criminal case that was apparently widely misunderstood, but I'd never heard of it. I let their smooth voices wash over me as I tapped in and out of apps on my phone. I didn't have internet or a decent signal, which gave me some relief - at least I couldn't agonise over why Sonic hadn't messaged me in weeks, or if I should message him. In a few fits of bravery I'd tagged him in some memes on Instagram. He'd liked the comments, but had neither replied nor reciprocated.

Sally seemed to have momentarily tuned out of the podcast and was sending a text to someone - to Sonic? I swallowed hard, trying to ignore the screaming monster in my chest crying no no no -

"How do you think it will go?" I asked suddenly, desperate for her to put down her phone, to abandon whatever message she was sending toSonic. I knew that I was being unreasonable - she was his girlfriend - but I just couldn't be here in the car with her while it happened. It was bad enough knowing that they must do this all the time, without me having to be an invisible third wheel to their conversation.

"With Megan? I'm not sure." She hadn't put the phone down.

"What about his plans? What do you think?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "I don't really know what they are. He didn't think to dignify me with an explanation."

There was a coldness to her tone that surprised me. I paused as I tried to think of what to say. Sally didn't wait for my awkward attempts, and leaned across the passenger seat, checking the glove compartment and cursing.

"Did Elias leave his cigarettes here?"

"I don't know. I didn't know you smoked." I added lamely. Did I sound too accusatory? Judgemental? Or was I being paranoid because I had a crush on her boyfriend and was worried that if I sounded like I was criticising her, she'd find out. That is, if she didn't know already - everyone said it was obvious, after all. Maybe Sonic knew as well, and the two of them laughed about it -

"I don't. Not really. Not in ages." she sighed as she flopped backwards into her seat. "It's just been a weird day, and I thought that since you and Elias are so cozy all of a sudden you might know where he put his cigarettes."

Her words cut me like they were made of glass. Her voice had a sharp, disdainful edge to it that sounded so unnatural coming from Sally, who always spoke so pleasantly and politely, with a smile on her face and a warm glow in her eyes. I couldn't see her face now, and I tried to imagine the kind of expression that was there, but it escaped me. I swallowed. Of course, Elias hadn't had a chance to tell Sally about the Sadie Hawkins dance. That it was all a big misunderstanding.

"Sally I - " I had a lump in my throat that wouldn't dissolve. "I need to apologise. I'm really sorry. What you um, what you saw at the dance between me and Elias. I know how it must have looked, with him being so vulnerable and everything, and I know that you two are really close - I mean, I guess it's pretty obvious now that there was never really anything going on … we were drunk and um, emotional, it was completely spur of the moment - and well yeah, nothing happened. I don't like him like that. He was just helping me with something, as a friend and - "

"Amy, I don't care, okay? You guys are your own people, neither of you were dating anyone."

"Well you seemed really annoyed with me at the dance, the way you kept bringing it up - and just now, what you said about us being close and cozy - "

"That was just - "

"Sally, I feel like I've done something wrong." I said, cutting her off mid-sentence. I waited a beat to see if she'd continue but she didn't. I took a shaky breath as I thought about what to say next. "I feel like … I've done something to hurt you. And that's kind of a shitty feeling, to be honest. I know that we're not like, close or anything. But you're dating one of my friends, I'm close to your brother, I don't - I don't want things to be weird. So - so can we be honest about this?"

Sally didn't speak for a long time. She didn't even turn around or do anything to acknowledged what I'd said. The podcast continued to hum in the background and every breath I took was shallower and shallower. What was I doing? What had I just said? It felt like there was a hot brick on my chest. I was struggling to breathe but all I could do was sit and weigh the embarrassment of running out of the car against staying there with Sally Acorn.

The male podcast host laughed loudly at something his co-host said, and Sally turned off her car's speakers. It was like she'd sliced the sound off with a knife, the silence seemed to bleed through. I was suddenly very afraid.

"You have a sister, right Amy?"

"Y-yeah."

"Are you close?"

"Pretty close but - she's much younger than me. It's not like … we didn't grow up together."

Sally nodded. "It's not like me and Elias."

"No," I agreed. "It isn't." Where was she going with this?

Sally examined her nails half-heartedly, slowly gathering her thoughts. "It was hard for us when we were kids. Moving here and everything. Our father wanted to add a new hotel to his kingdom, and mother thought that a small-town atmosphere might be good for us. We used to live in Mobius, you know. I was born there."

"I didn't know that."

"The hotel was probably a good thing for the local economy. It brought jobs to the area at least, I guess. Of course, a lot of the people the hotel employed were the parents of the kids that became our classmates, which made making friends difficult for both of us, with our accents and our 'fancy city ways'. We were asked to birthday parties, but only out of courtesy. And of course, we weren't encouraged to bring anyone around to the house, because our parents were always at this or that function and the au pair had to mind us and make sure we did our homework and ate a proper meal made from organic vegetables," she sighed. "I realise how this sounds. Poor little rich girl and all that. But you don't have that perspective as a kid, you know? You just know that the other girls don't talk to you, your parents are never home, and that your big brother is really the only person that you can talk to about anything. He's the only one who really gets it.

But he gets to go to middle school a whole two years before you, in a different town, and he changes. He gets into emo music and gels his hair. He gets a sense of humour. He learns to laugh at himself, to laugh at other people, gets the confidence to pay for pizza at a party or talk to a girl. He gets into art and doesn't come down for dinner because he's reading Neil Gaiman books. He grows up and gets all of these new friends - Manic, Ash, Espio Megan - and he's suddenly never at home. You're left playing board games with your au pair all evening, and the whole time anxiety is gnawing at your stomach because you know that when your parents get home there's going to be a huge fight and your mother will cry and you're going to have to get up and go to school and sit in a classroom full of kids who don't want to play with you in case you get their parents in trouble."

"That … that sounds really hard." I said.

"It is," Sally said, clearly relieved. I wondered if she'd ever said this to anyone before. "It was really hard. Because I love Elias, I love him so much but being his little sister … it's exhausting. I have to constantly make excuses and cover for him when he sneaks out, or when he sneaks Megan in. He makes fun of me for being the 'golden child', but really it's just that our parents were three times as strict as me as they were with him because of how he acted. Things got a little easier in middle school, I made friends with Nicole, but at home … things were even worse. Elias went to high school and started dating Megan and was home even less frequently. Then … " she swallowed forcefully. "My parents sent my au-pair away because she got pregnant."

"Wait, they what?"

"They thought she was a bad example and, after all, we have to keep up appearances." the scorn with which she said it let me know that these weren't her words, but words that had been repeated to her throughout the years. "They must have felt guilty though, because they let me throw a graduation party when we finished middle school. I invited the whole grade. We had sheet cake and pizza and a real DJ and everyone was so happy." she sounded suddenly wistful. I thought about how delighted she was on the night of her Halloween party, flushed pink with pride and pleasure as she served drinks to a room full of her laughing peers … I imagined ten year old Sally, alone in a crowded classroom, desperate to make friends but feeling like she was being propelled a million miles away from everyone, including the person she was closest too.

What struck me the most about her whole confession was how calm she sounded throughout all of it. She didn't shriek or wail, but tried to keep a measured tone throughout. She sat up perfectly straight, her arms folded neatly on her lap, her chin lifted, as she'd undoubtedly been reminded to do all her life. I knew what it was like to have to hide your emotions. There was so much I'd wanted to say to my mother but couldn't because she was grieving, then pregnant, then in hospital while my grandparents looked after me. I'd made myself small instead. But in my case, the pressure had been internal. I'd wanted to make things as easy as possible for my struggling family. I suddenly looked at Sally and saw that everything - her perfectly styled hair, her tidy manicure, the never-wavering politeness, the stack of AP textbooks that she carried around everywhere - was a result of the immense pressure that had been put on her ever since she was a kid. She was Sally Acorn. That meant something to the world she'd been born into.

"You do throw a great party," I smiled. I had the sudden temptation to go and squeeze her hand, the way I'd done for Elias, but caught myself in time. "I'm glad that things have gotten better for you, Sally. You deserve it."

She stiffened at my words. "I wish that you wouldn't say that."

"But - but it's true!" I protested. "You've always been so nice to me, and - "

She shook her head, and for the first time since we'd gotten into the car after school, she turned to look at me. The words died in my throat when I saw that her eyes were not only glassy with tears, but burning with anger.

"I wish that you wouldn't say that," she repeated softly. "I wish that you didn't have to be so nice to people all the time."

"But - why?"

"Because …" she choked. "It would make it so so much easier for me to hate you."

I didn't know what to say. I stared blankly at her as I tried to process things. She shook her head, frustrated. "You know, when I first saw you in Home Ec I was determined to be nice to you. Because I'd been the new girl, I knew what it was like. It's a small-town where almost everyone has known each other since they were babies, it can be hard for a newcomer. So I had it all planned out in my head … but it turns out that you didn't need me, right? Because there you were laughing and baking apple pie with Maria on your very first day. Sitting at her lunch-table every day, in the middle of a huge group of people who made the effort to make you feel included. All those selfies Rouge kept posting of you all at sleepovers. Elias - my own brother - tells you everything! He leaves me stuck at home with our parents to do whatever it is he does, and when he's there …" a single tear trickled down her cheek, and she sniffed loudly as she wiped it away.

"I'm sorry," I whispered. I wasn't sorry for making friends, for falling into my life in Station Square so easily … but I'd spent enough years on the outside to feel Sally's pain. "But - things are better now, right? You're so popular, you're smart, you're pretty - everyone really likes you!"

"People are jealous of me," she corrected. "Which I get, you know? I'm not oblivious when it comes to how privileged I am. But … it hasn't made it easy to make friends - real friends. People who actually like me for me, and not just what I can give them. I'm pretty sure that Hershey only hangs out with me because she's best friends with Fiona, and she's going out with Nicole. They like that I pay for our manicures and that they get to be on my Instagram story."

"That's awful."

"The worst part is that I don't think that I care," Sally shrugged. "Not as much as I should. It's better than being alone."

"Still, you deserve better friends. But - what about Nicole?"

Sally's expression faltered slightly and softened, though she seemed to catch herself and draw her arms around herself protectively. "Nicole's … special," she said carefully. "But - well, she's had less time for me since she started going out with Fiona."

"That happens when people start dating," I said sympathetically. It struck me as ironic that I was saying this to the girl who was going out with Sonic, making him do the same thing that Nicole was doing with Fiona. I pushed the thought to one side and swallowed the lump in my throat as I said the last thing that I ever wanted to say to Sally. "But … you're dating Sonic now. Maybe you could hang around with us more, you know? With him? He - he really likes you, Sally."

Silence. She was looking away from me again. I could see her shoulders shaking, see her clench her fists and hear her struggling to control her breathing as she undoubtedly tried to blink back her tears.

"He likes you more." she whispered.

"W-what?" I was sure that I'd misheard her.

"Didn't you know?"

"You're wrong," I said quickly. "You're - you're so wrong. He's your boyfriend."

She choked out a laugh. "He wouldn't have gone out with me if he hadn't been so upset."

"Upset?"

"Because he thought there was something going on between you and Elias." she sniffed. "Because I made him think it - I mean - I didn't really know. I thought - hoped - that maybe you really were interested in Elias, and that it would solve everything. Because Elias is friend's with Sonic's brother, and you're friends with Sonic, and we're in the same classes … I thought that maybe we could all stick together."

I couldn't breathe.

"But it's not going to work," she continued sadly. "Because Elias is in love with Megan. And you want to be with Sonic. And I don't think that he wants to be with me."

"That's - that's not - " My mouth was dry.

"And I can't even blame him because you're so nice. Just like him," she sniffed again. "He's the only guy - I always said that if I had to be with a guy, it would be with him. We've always gotten along. When he and Mina broke up last year I thought well, maybe something might happen. Then I joined the track team and - it's just so nice to have someone treat you like a person, and not just the rich-girl."

"I waited such a long time for this, Amy. How do you think it made me feel when you came in and just sat down at his cafeteria table? That you're joined at the hip, laughing in the hallway or - or running together, one-on-one? And you're not even on the team, I only joined it because I thought it might bring us closer …" she shook her head. "And it didn't even matter."

"But - but it does," I said. My voice sounded like it was coming from somewhere else, miles away from here, as I fell down a tunnel. My chest felt like it was about to burst. There were a million emotions surging through me, threatening to wipe me out, and my brain couldn't process them quickly enough. This was just all too weird. it was too much. Sally was wrong, she had to be, because otherwise all of my feelings had to be reciprocated - and that was too terrifying to consider because how could I ever do anything but disappoint him?

I focused on the facts. I clung to them, because they were the only thing sparing myself from the fall.

"He's your boyfriend Sally," I said softly. "That's - I mean - I can't -"

I never got to say what I couldn't do or expect. Sally shushed me suddenly and wiped her tears away. Elias and Megan were approaching the car together, hand in hand.

"I guess that a lot can happen in ten minutes," Sally laughed, her voice still thick from crying. She offered me a too-bright smile, her eyes shining unnaturally. I understood immediately - it was time for her to go back to her role as the supportive sister.

Megan rapped on the window with her knuckles. "Do you guys want to come inside for a bit?"

"Sure," Sally nodded. "Amy, do you have to be home to mind your sister?"

"She's got her gymnastics club today," I said. I smiled nervously at Megan who cocked her head to one side when she saw me.

"I met you outside the school, right?"

"Yeah," I said, shyly. Elias threw his arm around her shoulder and kissed her on the cheek, his eyes bright and his features looser and more relaxed than I'd seen them in a while. Some small part of me felt happy for him, but I felt too disconnected from everything to really truly feel it. The fact that I knew what Sally had done and the fact that she was looking guiltily at me made matters worse.

There was a back-room inside with a kettle and some biscuits. Elias made the tea while he told Sally what exactly he was planning. They were going to keep it quiet for a few weeks, while Elias figured out his college applications and what he wanted to do next year, but he was going to tell their parents the truth before the end of the month. Megan had enough savings to get her through the time-off she'd need with the baby, and unlike the Acorns her parents were thrilled at the news.

"Do you know what it's going to be?"

Megan smiled. "I think it's going to be a girl. Just based on vibes."

"I'm going to be the best aunt ever, Megan. Leave our parents to me," Sally said, her eyes lingering on Megan's currently still-flat stomach.

"Sal, I can't ask you to put yourself on the line for me - " Elias said frowning.

"That's what family's for," Sally said firmly. "That includes you guys now."

Elias didn't look convinced, but he ruffled her hair as he set a cup of tea down in front of her. "Amy, are you sure that you don't want any?"

"I'm fine," I said. "Actually - could I use the bathroom?"

Megan pointed me towards a room that was barely the size of a shoe cupboard. I sat down on the porcelain toilet lid and buried my head in my hands. The last two weeks had been an emotional rollercoaster. I could feel myself shutting down, turning to stone in the face of it all. A coping mechanism that had gotten me through a lot of sleepless nights. Seeing Sally slip so effortlessly back into her role drew a curtain over the confessions she'd made in the car. How did I process this? How did we go on from here?

Don't think, don't think, don't think.

My phone buzzed suddenly in my pockets. I'd nearly forgotten about it, and when I looked down at the screen a jolt of shock ran through me, shattering the stone. I had dozens of unread messages from the girls, and seven missed calls from my mom - seven? I remembered the bad phone-service. The calls hadn't gone through.

Mom: Where are you? Call me asap. Your friends are looking for you.

My friends?

I was about to call her back and ask for an explanation when my phone rang again. A picture of Blaze filled the screen - a sure sign that something was wrong. Blaze barely even texted back. She'd never called me before.

"Hello?"

"Amy," She was trying to sound calm but I could hear the tremor in her voice. "Where are you?"

"I'm just - "

"Can you get to the hospital in Knothole? It's - " she stopped suddenly. I heard her swallow and when she spoke again, the illusion of calm was gone and she just sounded scared. "It's Maria."

Next time: More drama

I am sorry for making things pretty heavy recently! I had lots of ideas for very wholesome filler chapters, but they generally amount to "everyone hangs out and has fun and sonic and amy awkwardly kind of flirt" which isn't totally necessary for storytelling and, honestly, I am a little too bitter about not being able to meet up with people to want to sit and write about these fictional characters having a great time ( though I am sure that some may find that theraputic ). I have to see how it goes really, but I think that we might honestly be looking at five more chapters? I don't know if that includes the epilogue yet and honestly, I tend to ramble a lot (the last chapter was essentially Elias and Amy having one conversation and it was 5000 words ...) so that could become a few more if I have to split things in half! But we are generally approaching the end, I think. Maybe I'll write some short asides etc, little one-off stories focusing on some of the other couples. I did it before when I wrote the original story and it was very fun! I'll be sad to let these guys go, so I guess I just want to hold on to them for as long as possible!

Thank you all for your reviews! I always mean to respond to the anonymous ones in the author notes section but I always forget. I promise that I will give you guys a shout-out next time! In other news, it's my twenty-first birthday on Tuesday, so reviews are verry very veryyyyy much appreciated!

This chapter gave me a tremendous amount of grief because while I have spent a lot of time thinking about Sally Acorn, I have not really written much about her yet! Sally, girl, let it out. You're going to be a great aunt. And poor poor Amy. Being sixteen is really difficult.

Songs mentioned are "Fireworks" by First Aid Kit, and "Pink In The Night" by Mitski. I have always thought as "Fireworks" as Sally's song, just something about its entire atmosphere really makes me think about her. I'm a big Mitski fan right now, so I also had to include her in there - and she will undoubtedly feature again!

My love to you all, I hope that you are all staying safe and healthy xxx