Sunday. The best yet the most awful day. The last day of the weekend is always so stressful. But for now, the only thing to do is to enjoy the moment.

Emma is standing in the middle of her room, dancing, or should i say moving randomly in place, at the rhythm of the music. She even sing. 

"Wow, i didn't know i was in the same room as a celebrity." I said Ironically.

"You know what, fuck you Lucy." She coninued to smile and move hysterically around the room. 

The door opened sllightly, letting Charles head inside. 

"Hey girls, I wanted to let you know that diner is almost ready. Come join us." Then he went out, closing the door behind him. 

Emma turned down the music, on her way to the living room. But i stopped her right before. 

"I have something to tell." Emma looked at me, now curious. 

"Well then go on. I am all ears." 

I sit down, Emma does the same. At first, i wanted to tell her about what happened with Jessy the other day at the wooden hut, but i avoided it before. I take a deep breathe as Emma's eyes grow wider. 

"I met someone at Anna's party the other day and I kinda like him. But only as a friend". I already hear her squeel, that(s why I added the only as a friend.

Emma sits bolt upright, apparently surprised by my sentence.

"Wait, you waited over a week to tell me ! I feel betrayed." She pauses, looking away for a second, faking her offensiveness.

"So... What his name, what does he look like, he is our age, when did you strat feeling like this ? Wiat there is so many questions I can't find one good." She bites her lips, big rounded eyes.  Oh boy. I knew she was going to be super excited. 

"Well, his name is Jessy, he has brown hair with mesmerizing blue eyes and he is pretty cool. I don't really know his age but i think he is two or three years older." And he is a stoner that made me try drugs. But that just a detail right.

"You are totally faking it ! I want to see a picture."

Obviously she want proof.

"Lucky you, I took a picture accidentaly the second time we saw each other." 

"AccIDenTlY." She mocked me. Oh god how much I hate her sometimes. 

"Really, i was taking a picture in the park and he just appear on my camera, I swear." I raised my right hand, the left one on my heart.  "I will print it and show you how real he is." I insisted. 

"Alright, if you say so lover girl." 

The nice smell of chicken coming through the door made me drool. I jumped on my feet, heading to the living room when Emma interrupted me, taking me in her arms.

"Thank you for telling me Lu." 

Her tenderness melts my heart sometimes. 

"Come on, your brother is waiting." 

-ಬ-

Right after diner with Emma and Charles, I went out and received a text from an unknown number. 

Okay. Now I'm in a dark alley. I don't know what came over me, but I couldn't help it. There's nobody here. At least, if you don't count this dozen stray cats. The air is warm, despite the fact that it's already early December. But if I stay too long, the cold catches up with me and my teeth chatter. I venture further down this alley, but I can't see any sign of Jessy. Really, I don't even see why I haven't left yet. Besides, I can't stay too long or Pop will get angry. Lately, he's been more and more on edge. A neon sign sizzles above my head. It indicates the name of a bar that, in my opinion, isn't very frequented. But when you know Pop, this bar is always better. I finally get in, but Jessy's still not there. I text him, but I'm sure he won't reply. The bar is strangely bright and the people seem more welcoming than I expected. I walk over to the bar and order a small beer. While I'm at it, I might as well wait the right way. The first sip burns my throat, but the second goes down more easily. The bartender looks at me intently.

"What ?" I asked without looking up, sipping on my beverage. 

The red-haired man behind the bar raises an eyebrow, puzzled.

"Nothing, I was just wondering why a teenage girl comes to a place like this, so late." My voice breaks into a sneer, making the bartender's eyes widen.

"Won't your parents be worried?" My smile fades as I take another sip of my drink.

"I don't have parents." 

The bartender, ashamed, almost hides under the bar. "I'm, terribly sorry. I'm..."

"It's okay, you didn't know." I stare at him, his green eyes containing sorrow for me. But there's also pity, but I hate that feeling. Pity shouldn't exist. It makes you miserable, like you can't control what happens to you. Some of it's true, but other people's eyes amplify the guilt of not being able to control the situation.

"I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable."

I raise my head, which I'd lowered without realizing it, to see that he'd just poured me a new beer. "Thank you..." I can't finish my sentence for I don't even know his name.

"Baptiste." He holds out his hand for me to shake, but I ignore his gesture.

"I'm waiting for someone, but he's still not here."

"He's a bad friend."

I stare at him for a moment before answering

"How can you be sure it's a boy?"

"Well, only they would keep a pretty girl like you waiting. Unless..."Baptiste looks embarrassed as he wipes a glass, the tea towel over his shoulder.

"No, you're right."

A blank settles in as the bitter taste crosses my windpipe again.

"I don't really know what he means to you, but you shouldn't do what a boy asks you to do, just because he tells you to do something."

I don't know what he thinks, but I think he's trying to cheer me up. Baptiste really thinks I've just been stood up. Ha, he's pitifully innocent. He doesn't look bad to me, quite the opposite in fact. His rather long build suggests that he wants to be a good figure for lost souls. But his smile is rather pleasant, cute even, even dazzling. He's a good person, not just for his presence, but above all for his hospitality.

Just as I was about to get up, I felt a cold, heavy hand on my shoulder. I turned around abruptly but saw no one. I turn to Baptiste and give him a quick hand as I head for the exit. As I pass through the doorway, I'm pulled into a dark alley. Despite my tenacity, I can't see who my attacker is. He pulls me into a dead-end street, only to push me to my feet. And strangely enough, he didn't jostle me too hard. I look up quickly to confirm what I'm thinking, when I see him. Standing there, looking at me with small eyes.

"Jessy? What the hell is wrong with you?"

"Sorry I'm late."

"For being late, you sure are. I've been waiting for you for an hour and a half, and you know I'm not allowed to be out too late."

"Yes, but you were getting on so well with the bartender, I didn't want to disturb you." I stand up, avoiding the hand Jessy had raised to help me, to finally face him.

"That's no excuse. And besides, why did you make me come all the way here in the first place?"

"If you didn't want to come, you could have gone home long ago. But you stayed." Jessy stares at me for a long time, a sly smile never leaving her lips.

"In the end, I think you're curious about what I'm going to offer you. "

I can't deny it, but that's still no reason to leave me stranded in a place I don't know, when I'm going to get argued over by Pope. I don't even know what kind of punishment he's going to give me... At least I hope he hasn't made me move for nothing. My dusty pants have a hole in the knee now, so I'll have to mend them. 

Jessy reaches into her bag and pulls out a clear pouch. I don't even have to ask what it is, I've already seen it at Anna's party.

"If you want, I can pass you half."

"Really... why are you doing this? "He looks at me with a look I've never seen on his face before.

"I mean, surely there's a favor I need. But I don't know if you'll accept. After all, you're afraid of your foster brother so you're not likely to do what I'm about to ask..."

"Stop beating around the bush and tell me what you want in the end. "He's really getting on my nerves, making me stand out here in the cold when it's already dark. If he came here just to waste my time, I'd be better off not coming at all.

"Well, I need you to accompany me to a family dinner."

"A family dinner? Me?"

"Yes, you."

"But why do you want me to go with you, when you could have asked anyone."

"You're not just anyone, you're my only friend."

It was then that I realized I'd never seen him accompanied before. He has no one to rely on. Like a parentless orphan, a baby bird that has fallen out of the nest before it can fly, coughing up its lungs for the birds to help it climb back up the tree. Jessy is desperately looking for someone close by. But I don't know if I'm the best choice. His smile has faded since a few minutes ago, replaced by bright eyes. At the time, it looked like a dog crying out for attention.

"All right, but on one condition."

"I'm all ears." He said, grinning from ear to ear.

"I don't want you to pull any more shenanigans like you did earlier."

"Promise." Jessy stares at me for a little while without saying anything. I could have sworn he was going to jump into my arms, but he didn't. Fortunately, I don't like physical contact with other people. It's embarrassing and I hate it.

My phone starts vibrating. It's only now that I realize how late it is and that I should have been home hours ago. Ethan's name is on the caller ID but I don't dare answer. I know exactly why he's calling.

"Gotta go."

"I understand, I hope you don't get in trouble because of me."A blank comes between us as I start to walk away.

"I'll send you the address when you get home all right, so get home quick."

-ಬ-

The lights were out as I stepped through the front door. The tension that hadn't left my shoulders had escaped. The wooden floor creaks more than I thought it would. So I walk faster back to my room. Ethan's door opened with a bang.

"Where were you ?" Ethan looks worried and stressed. It's not like I'm never coming back.

"I was at Em's." I hug my brother briefly, to cheer him up, before returning to my room.

I shouldn't have joined Jessy. I knew it wasn't a good idea, but my curiosity got the better of me. It's true that his phone call was enigmatic. Come to think of it, I don't even know how Jessy started contacting me frequently, or how he got my number for that matter. I never gave it to him. But after all, who really is Jessy.

I lay down on my bed, stretching my back which was getting tired from the day. It's true that a few things have happened that I wasn't expecting, like this nice bartender. What's his name again? Ah yes, Baptiste. It was nice to spend time with someone who doesn't judge, for once. He's attentive and respectful. But I don't think I'll be seeing him again any time soon. I fumble in my pockets for my phone.

Just as I take the camera out of my brown coat, the transparent bag falls to the floor. I stare at it and take a while to catch it. The piece of plastic slips through my fingers.

I stand up and open my window. A draught of fresh air crosses the room and a shiver hits me. I grab my leather jacket and climb out of the window onto the roof. I discovered this passage when I was little so I could see the stars at night. In fact, Dad came with me when he discovered my love of the stars. This science has always intrigued me. The stars were always there for me to observe. It's as if I could always count on them. That even if I'm feeling lonely, all I have to do is look up at the sky at night and they're there. Always watching over me. Sometimes I feel as if I can see Dad's face drawn in the heavens, a protective hand on my shoulder and a soothing smile. I haven't been back here since Papa was in a coma.

With the sachet in my right hand, I carefully open it. I take a sheet of paper from my pocket and slowly place the contents on the table. The opaque paper rolls between my fingers. The movement is new and rather difficult. I have to repeat it several times before I succeed. I slide the joint, or at least what looks like one, to the edge of my lips and light the end with the lighter I picked up on the kitchen table when I arrived. The first puff passes through my windpipe and into my lungs. And then... I'm delivered. Nostalgia evaporates, along with all my fears. It's as if I'm observing the world from a new perspective. As if I were finally free of my burden. The palpitations of my heart quietly quicken as the stars swirl around me. My problems are sucked away by the product in my hands. It is the solution. But also the destruction. I know I shouldn't, but I can't help it. What would Ethan say if he saw me on the roof, a joint between my thumb and forefinger? But, it doesn't really matter since I'm here; and Ethan is in his room, probably on the phone with Klara. I should thank Jessy for offering me this bag, but I didn't take my cell phone. With that thought, I lie down against the worn tiles. Then a firefly lands on my hand, which is still holding the object of my fantasy.

Strange, I didn't know there were fireflies here. At least, in twelve years, I'd never seen one. Its light is so hypnotic that I can't even look away. A marvel. It looks like a star, a shooting star. It flies through the night without a care in the world. It's as if she's living on her own. I don't even scare her. The firefly lands on my free hand. I don't dare move it, I don't want it to fly away. Its transparent wings rustle in the wind, like my hair. She doesn't seem to want to leave, I think she's adopted me. I think, in french they call is luciole. Luciole, Lucie. After all, we are name pretty much the same. We were destined to become friends.

-TO BE CONTINUED-