Waking up to a hangover was not an unusual thing for Emily Rose Wilson. Over the course of her high school career, she'd done her fair share of partying, though she always stayed away from drugs (that was one line that she wasn't willing to cross). New Year's Morning, however, Emily awoke to a particularly bad headache, groaning as the light from her window scorched her eyes. Pulling a pillow over her head, Emily tried to block out the light to no success. Finally giving up, she reached for her headboard, using the strong wood to pull herself up into a sitting position.

            Looking across the room, Emily could see her reflection in the mirror on her vanity. She was a total mess, her mascara was running, her makeup was smudged, and her previously curled hair had worked itself into near dreadlocks. Groaning, Emily considered going back to sleep just as a loud knock sounded on her door.

            "Emily?" Suddenly wide awake despite her pounding headache, Emily sat straight up in her bed. The sound of her mother's voice rang through her ears and Emily flinched automatically, not wanting her mother to see her in such a state.

           "Mom?" Emily's voice came out scratchy and stiff. She cleared her throat. "Sorry, mom?"

           "Can I come in? I know you were out last night and I just wanted to check up on you." Piper Wilson was never one to beat around the bush. Sighing, Emily attempted to smooth out her hair and called out to her mother that she could enter the room. With a soft squeak, the door to Emily's room opened, and her mother's eyes narrowed at the sight of her daughter.

          "Before you say anything, yes, I know I look like a mess." Emily held up her hands, and her mother cracked a small smile.

          "Honey, you look worse than a mess. You're lucky that you have such a pretty face, I'm not sure even mother's love could love you at the state you're in right now." Piper teased. "Want some help with that hair?"

        "Yes please." Emily groaned. "I don't think I could brush through this mess even if I shaved my head." With a chuckle, Emily's mother came around the side of the bed, grabbing Emily's hair brush off of her vanity.

          "Andy told me that you saw Nico last night." Piper began slowly after a few unsuccessful tugs at Emily's rat nest. Emily's breath caught in her throat.

           "So that's why you're here. He told you about that." Emily said bitterly. "He had no right to do that, and just so you know, I'm perfectly fine. Nicolas and I are done."

          "Emily, your brother is just trying to look out for you—"

          "Yeah? Well I don't need him to." Emily snapped, moving away from her mother and crossing her arms defensively. "You obviously didn't come here to help me, so you can leave. I can take care of myself."

          "Emily." Piper's voice took on a stern tone. "I'm your mother. It's my job to help you. So don't you dare use that tone of voice with me. You may be almost seventeen now, but you're still my daughter and I still have to protect you from the ugliness of this world. I get that you're hurting and I get that you're mad that Andy told me. But you have to open up to someone. You don't just move on from your first love." She said wisely, and Emily struggled to maintain her cold face.

        "I already told you. I'm over Nicolas. He means nothing to me." Emily insisted, taking the brush from her mother's hand and beginning to brush her hair by herself. "I don't need to talk to anyone. What's done is done. Seeing him again last night didn't mean anything, my heart isn't broken, and I'm not the same girl who was head over heels in love with a boy a year ago."

          Piper's face was set in a sad smile. "Well, if you even do need to talk to someone, you can always talk to me."

          Emily sighed. "I know, mom. I just wish you and Andy would let me come to you, instead of prying into my life and my feelings without my consent. I know you have my best interests at heart, but trust me when I say this. I'm fine."

          "Okay, okay." Piper raised her hands. "Now, would you still like some help with you hair? All questions about feelings and personal life aside." Piper said gently.

           "Now who could say no to an offer like that?" Emily smiled.

            It was Saturday, and despite what she'd told both her mother and her brother, Emily was far from okay. Nico's offer to meet at their favorite place—where they'd had their first date—still rung through Emily's ears. She was so tempted to go and try to start over with Nico, yet she couldn't trust him anymore. He'd broken up with her without ever giving her a reason, and even though the events had taken place over a year before, the wounds were still fresh in Emily's mind and heart.

           Still, a part of her longed to meet with him, even if it was only to get an explanation. It wasn't as if she couldn't go—she had no plans and she hadn't really spoken to anyone in her family for the entire week—but Emily found herself hesitating. She couldn't get hurt by him again, and as she got up from bed, Emily vowed to herself that she wouldn't get attached. She would meet Nico, but only to get the explanation she needed. Only so that she could finally move on.

         Showering quickly, Emily paused as she stopped in front of her vanity. She was dressed casually, a simple tee tucked into high waisted jeans. Sighing to herself and wishing that she didn't care what other people—or really Nicolas—thought of her. Emily grabbed her makeup bag and quickly applied a few swipes of mascara before huffing again and exiting her room before she did something drastic and changed into a prom dress.

         In her hand, Emily's phone buzzed. She looked down at the flashing screen, where a few incoming messages from Layla were making their presence known.

You free today? I wanted to check out that new murder mystery movie.

         There it was. Another reason to avoid seeing Nick. Debating her options quickly, Emily's thumbs danced across her phone screen, typing out her reply:

No. I'm seeing Nicolas.

          Once again, her fingers froze over her screen. Layla was one of Emily's closest friends, her best friend, and she could tell her about Nico. After all, Layla had been the one to comfort Emily after Andy had finally coaxed her out of her room.

           Andy.

         A heavy wave of guilt washed over Emily. It wasn't like her to go somewhere without telling her brother. They'd always been attached at the hip, despite the age difference. She could tell Andy anything, and he was the one person who knew how to comfort her. It seemed cliché, but her brother was truly the person who knew her better than anyone else. When Emily was sad, Andy was at her bedroom door with a bowl of popcorn, a set of old films, and a pint of mint chocolate chip. They knew each other like the back of their hands, and it felt like a sin to go meet Nicolas without telling Andy.

        Still, Emily wasn't sure if she could tell Andy. She'd mostly forgiven him for asking about her virginity, although a small grudge lingered. But Andy had seen what her broken relationship with Nico had done to her, and Emily was sure that if she told Andy she was going to see Nico again, he would chain her to a wall and never let her step outside the house again. Shaking her head, Emily quickly hit the send button and decided that if things went well, she would tell Andy after her meeting with Nico.

          With that thought on her mind, Emily grabbed her car keys, slipping her phone into her purse as she exited the house almost silently. Nobody stopped her as she left through the back door, though the same pair of eyes from the week before still followed her.