Linda was surprised to say the least, but ultimately she was supportive of my decision to see Irene. In fact, she said that she was proud of me for trying. It made me feel relieved to know she was on board.

Later in the day, Mason came over which was nice. I felt like it was good for him to spend time outside of his house. He told me he hadn't spoken to his mom yet, but I didn't expect it to be an instant thing. I knew conversations like that were difficult and took time to muster up the courage to initiate.

We sat in my room most of the day. I played guitar, he drew in the sketch book he brought over. His green eyes widened in surprise when I told him about Irene's voicemail and that I planned to meet her. Nonetheless, he was supportive and offered to drive with me there.

The week leading up to meeting Irene my stomach felt as if it was constantly in knots. I downplayed my anxiety about it for everyone around me, not wanting anyone to worry – or confirm my worries to be true. I knew Mason had enough on his plate and I didn't want to add to it. I did keep an eye on him throughout the week. It seemed like as the days separated him from his sister's death anniversary the better he appeared. Of course, I checked in to see if that was the case and he said it was. That made me feel better knowing he didn't feel as heavy.

But everything I was feeling took a toll on my sleep, uniting me closer than I thought I could be with coffee. My morning coffee doubled in size and lunch time coffees were becoming a regular thing.

"So... how are things?" Emery probed on Wednesday at lunch. She eyed my shaky hands as I brought my iced coffee to my lips.

"They're fine..." I said cautiously. "Why?"

"You're chugging cold brew like its water," she smirked.

"Oh, yeah... homework has been kicking my ass." While it wasn't entirely a lie, it certainly wasn't what was plaguing my mind. And I think she knew that.

"Hmm... well try to get some rest soon," Emery said softly. I nodded but knew that was hardly likely.

As I laid in bed that night my mind was reeling with possibilities and scenarios of what would happen on Saturday. I wondered what my house might look like. If my room was the same or had it been changed. Did Irene keep any of my stuff? What my little sister looked like. Would she look like me? My dad? Irene? Would she like me? Would she hate me? Would Irene change her mind?

On Friday night, sleep wasn't in the realm of possibilities. I tossed and turned for hours, and eventually fell into a nightmare. When that woke me up at five on Saturday morning, I decided it was just best to sit out on the window ledge and listen to music. It felt like a good distraction. Like I was pre-gaming for the day.

The sun soon rose and it was time for me to actually face the day. I just hoped I had the strength to do it. 

____

Author's Note: Yay! New chapter! How do we think the meeting between Charlie and Irene is going to go? Let me know what you think in the comments and stay tuned for next week's chapter! <3