Holding On To Let Go - Wanda Maximoff x Reader

4

"Hey everyone, it's good to see you all again! You know the drill by now, if there's anyone who's willing to start today's meeting, we will do nothing but listen and respect you." Wanda said right after everyone got comfortable on the chairs.

She was sitting right across from Y/N and couldn't help but think of what her story could be: what made her open that door? Or better, who made her open that door?
Wanda was curious to know, and as much as she wanted to know whatever was going on in Y/N's head, she knew that opening up wasn't easy, especially in front of so many people. She hoped to show Y/N that she could be trusted and that she would be there for her at any time.

Wanda looked around her and saw one person raise their hand, it always started like that: one person would build up the courage to express themselves and then the others would find it too after hearing someone else's story. She nodded at them and watched as they got ready to talk.

"Hey everyone, I'm Atlas and I'm 25. It's my first time here and even though I have always been nervous at only the thought of speaking up, I decided to face my fears. I'm here because I needed to be heard by someone who wouldn't talk over me as I tried to explain what I was going through."  Atlas took a deep breath before talking and then they went on with their story. Wanda found that to be common among many people, breathing helped them come to terms with what they were about to do. "I lost my best friend, her name was Jade. She...she had a brain tumor that surgeons couldn't operate on, it expanded too much before they could do something about it. She didn't even want to go through chemo, she said she preferred living her life at its fullest until she'd get taken away. Jade was my childhood best friend. She was there when I was bullied for having braces in middle school, she would always defend me from those guys and say that at least I would end up having teeth prettier than their whole faces." Atlas chuckled at the memory. "I did everything with her, A to Z. We watched each other grow up into the people we were and we could handle one another so well. She knew all of my flaws and I knew all of hers, but they didn't bother us, they were what made our friendship so special. Knowing the worst part of someone and still loving them is the purest thing someone can do."

Y/N felt shivers across her whole body as Atlas spoke: why could she find herself in what they were saying?
That was only the second time she had been there, and it was hitting her harder than the first.

"When she passed...I was told by her family, who was never really fond of me anyways, that I couldn't grieve her, that I was just some friend and that I could never understand the pain they were in. I barely saw the funeral, Jade always said she just wanted people close to her, and according to her family, I wasn't.
When I want to pay her a visit I have to do it in the middle of the night, because I know her family goes there often and I don't want them to see me because I know it would cause too much drama. I just miss my best friend and I can't even feel free to tell her that." Atlas started crying, and as much as everyone wanted to go near them and comfort them, they knew they would never feel fully free if they didn't deal with their feelings on their own. "I...I just wish I could tell them how much she meant to me, but they won't listen."

"You said you had known her since you two were kids, was that the first time her parents reacted like that toward you?" Wanda asked.

"I barely saw her parents, she never invited me to her house. I don't know the specific reason, but they sounded terrible. Jade told me very few things about them and they were all horrible."

"Maybe they were like this with you because you were the only person Jade couldn't lie to." Atlas's gaze softened at Wanda's words, realizing what she had said. It made sense.

Why would you be nice to someone who knows just how awful you are?

"I just wish they could hear what I have to say. I care about Jade, I always have, isn't that what parents want for their children? To be cared about. Isn't that what we all crave? I have tried so many times that I'm tired of trying now. I just sneak in the cemetery every night and tell her what happens in my life, and as different as I hope it could be, I'm content with it. It's enough for me."