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Lita awoke with her hair a mess, the quiet vibrations of her phone gently pulling her from sleep. The morning light filtered softly through the window, illuminating the room where her friends were still scattered on the floor, wrapped in blankets. She yawned, rubbing her eyes as she patted along the floor, searching for her phone until she finally found it buried under a pile of pillows. Without checking the caller ID, she answered groggily, "Hello?"

"Lita?" A familiar voice on the other end instantly made her alert. Mateo. She quickly stood up and tiptoed into the kitchen, not wanting to disturb anyone.

"Mateo, hey! How are you feeling?" she asked, her voice warm and tender, a smile tugging at her lips.

"I'm... okay," Mateo replied, his voice a little raspy but filled with warmth. "The doctors say I'm doing good. How was the wedding?"

Lita leaned against the kitchen counter, letting out a small chuckle. "It was... something. Mom really went all out, you know, making everything perfect."

"Yeah?" Mateo's voice held a note of curiosity. "Did you have fun?"

"Fun might be a stretch," Lita admitted with a light laugh. "But it was nice enough. I just wish you could've been there."

"I missed you," Mateo said, his voice soft and sincere. "It's weird not having you around."

"I missed you too, honey," Lita said, feeling a warmth in her chest. "I can't wait to come home and see you."

There was a brief pause, and Lita could hear the faint rustling of sheets on his end. "So... how's your boyfriend Paul?" Mateo asked with a teasing tone.

Lita rolled her eyes but smiled. "First of all, he's not my boyfriend. And second... he's alright, I guess."

"Alright, huh?" Mateo quipped, but his voice quickly shifted to something more serious. "Lita... now that my heart's getting better, I've been thinking about a lot of things."

Lita's concern grew, and she leaned in closer to the phone. "What kind of things, Mateo?"

"Like... stuff I want to do when I'm better," he said, his voice tinged with both excitement. "You know how I always had to sit out when the other kids played soccer? Well, the doctor said that if everything goes well, I can rejoin the team. Dad spoke to the coach and he said he'd keep a spot open."

"Mateo, that's amazing!" Lita exclaimed, her heart swelling with pride. "I know how much you've missed playing."

"Yeah, I can't wait," Mateo said, his excitement showing. "And, Lita... you gotta take me to the beach, okay? I wanna really swim this time, not just dip my feet in. I wanna run in the sand, splash in the waves... and just breathe, you know? Like, really breathe."

Lita's eyes welled up with tears as she listened to him, hearing the hope in his voice. "We'll do it, Mateo. I promise"

"Thanks, Lita," he said, his voice a little quieter now, like he was thinking about something more serious. "And... maybe now that I'm better, you won't have to look after me so much. I know you've had to take care of me a lot, but now I'll be able to do more on my own. You won't have to worry about me all the time."

Lita's heart clenched. She swallowed hard, trying to keep her voice steady. "Mateo, taking care of you isn't a burden. You're my little brother, and I love you more than anything. You've never been a burden to me."

"I know, but... maybe now I can be more like the other kids. Do things on my own." He hesitated, then added softly, "Do you think... do you think Mom will want to spend time with me now? You know, now that I'm getting better?"

Lita's breath caught in her throat. She blinked back tears, her voice trembling as she spoke. "Mateo, I... I don't know what's going to happen with Mom. But I do know that you don't have to do anything to make someone want to be with you. You're amazing just the way you are, and anyone who really knows you will see that."

"Maybe," Mateo murmured, though there was a lingering uncertainty in his tone. "I just... I want her to know me, you know? To really know me."

Lita bit her lip, trying to hold back the sob that was building in her chest. "She should know you, Mateo. Anyone would be lucky to know you. You're such a special kid."

The line went quiet for a moment, and Lita could hear the faint sound of a nurse checking in on Mateo in the background, her voice soft and caring as she asked him how he was feeling.

"I'm okay," Mateo told the nurse before returning to Lita. "But you know what? Even if Mom doesn't... you've always been there for me. And that means more to me than anything. You're like my... my best friend."

Lita couldn't hold back her tears anymore. She wiped at her eyes, her voice thick with emotion. "You're my best friend too, Mateo. And I promise, we'll do all those things you want to do. We'll play soccer, we'll go to the beach... we'll do everything."

"I can't wait," he said, his voice full of warmth and anticipation. "Thanks, Lita. For everything."

"Thank you, Mateo," she replied, her voice barely above a whisper. "For being you."

"Okay," Mateo said, sounding a bit sleepy now. "I'm gonna rest a bit. Love you, Lita."

"Love you too, kiddo," she said softly. "Get some rest. I'll see you soon."

As the call ended, Lita leaned against the kitchen counter, the phone still pressed to her ear. The tears she had been holding back now flowed freely as she thought about Mateo's words, his hope for the future, and the quiet strength he always seemed to have despite everything he had been through. She would do anything to give him the life he deserved, to make sure he never felt alone or unloved.

And she knew, deep down, that Mateo was stronger than anyone gave him credit for. He was a fighter, and she would be right by his side, fighting for him, every step of the way.

"You alright?" a voice interrupted, causing Lita to look up and see Jacob, his long hair tousled from sleep, giving her a concerned look. He noticed the tears in her eyes and the tremble in her voice.

Lita sniffled and wiped at her eyes, placing the phone on the kitchen counter. "Yeah, I'm okay. It was just Mateo."

Jacob's brows furrowed slightly as he took a step closer. He gently reached out and, with a soft touch, wiped a tear from her cheek. "I can see you're not. If you ever need to talk, I'm here for you, okay?"

Lita's lip quivered, and she took a shaky breath, her emotions getting the better of her. Tears streamed down her cheeks once more. Jacob's expression softened, and he opened his arms in a comforting gesture. Lita moved into the hug, leaning into his warmth and letting herself cry a little more.

After a moment, Jacob gently pulled away, still holding her shoulders, and offered a small, reassuring smile. "How about we make breakfast for everyone? It might help take your mind off things."

Lita nodded, wiping her eyes with a weak smile. "Yeah, that sounds good."

"You guys can actually cook?" Quil said, drying his hair with a towel as he came downstairs.

"It's only bacon and eggs," Lita said with a shrug.

"Of course Quil's impressed—he can't even cook toast," Embry joked, and Jacob laughed, shaking his head.

"I can cook toast," Jacob said, crossing his arms as everyone took a seat at the table. "I only burnt it one time, and that was because Mamma Mia was playing and I got distracted, okay?" he added defensively, taking a seat.

Lita nodded with a smile. "That's actually a pretty good reason."

Quil brightened. "Thanks, Lita."

Embry rolled his eyes, mumbling to himself, "So, it's your last day. What do you want to do?"

Lita shrugged. "I don't know."

"Well," Seth said with a casual shrug, "my parents are having a barbecue down at the Res. It starts around noon. Maybe we could all go?"

Lita's face lit up. "Yeah, that sounds fun." She nodded, and Seth looked down, smiling at his plate. "Cool, I'll let my parents know you're coming."

"Yay...can't wait to see Sam and his little gang," Quil said with mock enthusiasm.

"You know, they keep staring at me," Embry suddenly said. "I mean, at school they used to avoid eye contact, but at home, man, I can't escape them."

"What do you think they're looking at you for?" Jacob asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Dunno," Embry said with a shrug.

"Holy shit, man, they're trying to get you to join their cult," Quil said, shaking his head. Embry rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, well, that's not happening."

"You know," Jacob mumbled, "before Paul joined, he used to say the same thing..."

The group fell silent for a moment.

"Well, you guys are a strong group," Lita said with a shrug. "Don't let them ruin that."

The group smiled amongst themselves, hungrily digging into their breakfast. A quick ding sounded from behind Lita. She turned, grabbed her phone, and stared at the message on the screen.

"Is it Mateo?" Jacob asked.

"Oh man, Mateo. I've missed that little guy," Quil said with a wistful smile.

Lita shook her head, smiling faintly. "No, it's Paul."

The group fell back into their quiet meal, and Lita glanced at Paul's message again. It read: 'Could we talk?'

She gave the group a tight-lipped smile before heading into her mother's room, which was just off the lounge, and closed the door with a soft thud.

Her phone felt cold against her ear as it rang, and she anxiously waited for Paul's voice.

"Lita, I'm glad you called," he said.

"Thanks for messaging me... listen, I'm really sorry about the other night—"

"No, no, please, I should apologize," Paul interrupted. "I had no right to be angry at you. If I should be upset with anyone, it's Jade. But even then, she's just figuring things out. I can't be too mad."

Lita nodded, finding a more comfortable spot on her mother's bed. "I'm really sorry, though. I should've told you. I just—I didn't want to hurt you."

Paul sighed. "It's okay, really. I don't blame you at all. We talked last night, and Jade... well, she broke up with me. It's okay, though. It was the right thing for us."

"How are you feeling?" Lita asked, her brow furrowing with concern.

Paul chuckled quietly. "Confused. Really confused. I thought we were fine. I guess I was wrong."

Lita's sympathy deepened. "I get it... or at least, I think I do."

"Thanks for talking to me, Lita. You're still a really cool girl," Paul said, making Lita smile as she remembered the first time he'd told her that.

"Yeah, no problem. I guess we'll catch up another time?" she suggested.

Paul chuckled. "Yeah, wait—it's your last day here, right? I completely forgot. What's your plan for today?"

"Well, I think Embry and Quil are planning something, but we're heading to Seth's barbecue later," Lita replied.

"Alright, I guess I'll see you at the barbecue then," Paul said.

"Sounds good," Lita agreed, her tone light. As Lita stepped out of the bedroom, she could hear the group's lively chatter.

"Last time we went to the beach, you nearly drowned me!" Embry exclaimed, a hint of exasperation in his voice.

"I did not nearly drown you! I was just having trouble floating, and you were helping me," Quil retorted.

"I don't remember volunteering for that," Embry shot back.

"Well, you didn't have to," Quil said with a smirk, causing Embry to let out a frustrated sigh.

Jacob noticed Lita emerging and flashed her a smile. "They're planning a beach trip," he said.

"That could be fun," Lita said with a shrug, her tone light.

Quil caught Embry's eye and gave him a cheeky smile. "See? Even Lita thinks it sounds like a good idea."

Embry rolled his eyes but couldn't suppress a grin. "Alright, alright. Beach it is."