Melanie Sirius

Why was she anxious?

Family time meant time to unwind, to let her world of worries and perfection fade into the background in favor of making memories and reliving old ones. It was always her favorite time, her one chance of revisiting who she was at her core, underneath all of that daily stress. It decompressed her, let her breathe, refreshed her. Yet here she was, standing at the back door of her car, hand paused over the handle as she let a wave of anxiety wash over her.

Perhaps it had something to do with the very sobering realization that they were all growing apart. In the past, arranging cute little family events was a breeze. Over time they'd become less and less frequent, until now-- until this was the first event in a year that she'd convinced them all to come to, Teddy included. Aside from typical extended family holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas, they just hadn't bothered nor had the time. With age they were finding this bond less and less necessary; they were growing to understand more people other than just their crew and that had Melanie understandably terrified.

This family was still all she had. They were still her only way of decompressing, her only friends. Yet suddenly their presence all at once meant anxiety now, something she was afraid would persist. Was this growing up? Growing apart? People had always warned her this would happen.

The sound of approaching footsteps had her jumping, not exactly jarring her out of her thought process, but certainly pressing her to act. She opened the car door and feigned excitement, gathering the first arm full of supplies and turning to smile at the first cousin who came to help. "Here, take-- well, whatever you can gather, I guess."

She eyed the trunk of her vehicle, where she'd laid down the seats in the back to accommodate for even more junk. Even if family time typically reduced her anxiety, being over prepared had always been a thing. Tents, boxes of activities, food-- you name it, she had it. 

She hadn't stayed the night at the bed and breakfast if only because she was concerned for her best friend. The girl had been upset enough to leave without warning, and while it was tempting to burst into her room to find out what was going on, she knew sometimes Teagan needed her privacy to process what was happening. Certainly Melanie was pissed at Scott for everything. How could she not be? Melanie had seen Teagan upset before, but never to this degree-- never heartbroken. It was damn near all she could think about as she left the bed and breakfast and settled back into her apartment.

She heard sounds coming from her best friend's room, however, so she had comfort in the fact that she was home at the very least. Any texts she sent her went unanswered, so she supposed she needed room; it wasn't as if Teagan hesitated to seek her out when she was upset, after all. Yet the longer time stretched on, the more Melanie felt concerned. Soon enough the sun had set and it was well into nighttime. She sat in the living room, waiting patiently for her friend to open up to her, fortunately unaware of the horror that was happening just in the next room.

Eventually she was tired, however. Eventually she passed out right there on the couch, still waiting up for Teagan if she so desired to talk. She'd sent her a text telling her just that, too-- that she'd be waiting in the living room-- but if she got a text back she hadn't seen it. There she was, sprawled out across the couch, comfy as she could be as she snoozed, when she heard a sound that woke her up. 

Had she been a little less delirious, she might have realized it was just ice falling into a cup, hardly a sound that warranted her panic. As it was she shot up to see a tall silhouette in the dark wandering about the kitchen, most decidedly not her roommate. She rose quietly, creeping across the kitchen, heart pounding in her chest as she prepared herself for attack. Without warning she hit him in all the places she'd learned, his body doubling over as she shrieked: "Who the hell are you and what are you doing in my kitchen?!"

Time with her cousin was always deeply treasured, always something she looked forward to on any given day. It helped that Teagan was not only her cousin but her best friend and roommate, something they'd dreamt about over the years and were now making a reality. Sure, sometimes they had a tendency to fight over stupid little things, but for the most part they got along easily; they had a tendency to bring out the best in each other, too, particularly in goofing off and being silly.

They understood each others' humor. Not that they always knew how to calm each other down; unfortunately they sometimes only heightened the other's anxiety, but at least they could hear each other out. They both could talk for days and days about what bothered them, about every little detail in one specific event that stood out in their day. It had gotten to the point that Melanie looked forward to those little rants, if only because it made her own issues feel more acceptable. It was therapeutic to be around Teagan, who was so much like her.

Yet she still knew that the girl needed a pick-me-up. That, perhaps, was the best solace she could provide in a time like this, even if she knew little past "I need to vent." So she showed up with sushi in hand, having splurged at their favorite sushi place on some good traditional and signature rolls. As she burst into the apartment she held up the Japanese food and grinned widely at her best friend, clearly trying to bring some excitement into the room.

"I brought your favorite! And you can pick the movie tonight. Which you can vent through it, if you want," she said as she made her way to the tiny apartment dining table in the kitchen. She plopped down the bags, glancing around to find the place as neat as it always was. Best roommate ever.