Her parents dropped her off at her aunt"s house. They didn"t go inside anymore since they had a flight to catch.Alex kissed them both on their cheeks and bid goodbye.
As she walked through the gate, she noticed the living room light was on. Her aunt must be home—this time, for real.
Sure enough, she was sitting on the sofa with her feet up and was watching her favorite show.
Alex placed her purse on the coffee table and sat next to her aunt, sinking into the sofa.
"So, how did it go?" her aunt asked.
"It went... well. We didn"t have an argument which is always a good thing"
"Oh, yeah?" a half-smile formed on Lilly"s lips. She turned her head towards Alex, "You didn"t put up a fight when your mom told you to make friends?"
"She told you, didn"t she?" Alex groaned.
Her aunt chuckled, "She asked me to keep an eye out on your progress"
"Wonderful"
Lilly ignored the TV, giving Alex her full attention, "Do you want to do it?"
Alex stayed quiet. Her eyes were on the screen but her mind was elsewhere. It"s been a while since she had friends. She didn"t want to admit it but maybe... she already forgot how to make them. When she spoke, her voice was soft, "You know I prefer to be alone"
"It"s not that bad" Lilly answered in a soothing tone, "I think you just got used to being on your own. That"s why you avoid people"
"I"m not even denying that" Alex slid forward, her hips hanging over the sofa. The back of her head rested against the headrest, pressing it as if to ma.s.sage a growing headache.
"See? If you give it chance, maybe you"d like it"
"I already have you guys" Alex slid lower until her bottom hit the carpet, "That"s more than enough"
Lilly sighed. Her niece really was stubborn. She was sure it came from her father. When they were small, Ethan wouldn"t even have friends if she didn"t drag him everywhere she wanted to go.
She sat down on the carpet, shoulder to shoulder with Alex, and b.u.mped her side, "Hey, we"re not always around. It would be better if there"s someone in school who you could depend on—especially if something were to happen to you"
"I guess" Alex mumbled. Lilly could tell she wasn"t listening that much. Sure, Alex can hear her but her mind was set. She became too comfortable being alone. It"ll be hard to convince her and see where they were coming from.