ANCHOR | T.M.

chapter three.

the smell of lasagna hit jade as she followed tate downstairs. it was warm and inviting—too inviting. she didn't deserve that comfort.

in the dining room, tanja and todd were busy setting the table, and tucker was already seated, scrolling through his phone. the scene was painfully normal. it made jade's stomach twist.

"take a seat anywhere, jade," tanja said brightly.

jade hesitated, then slipped into the nearest chair. she kept her head down, her hands gripping the edge of the chair like she might fall off.

tate plopped into the chair beside her, flashing a grin. "dad's lasagna is seriously the best thing ever. you're gonna love it."

jade didn't respond.

todd placed a steaming dish in the middle of the table and smiled. "here we go! dig in."

plates were passed around, and jade took a tiny piece, hoping it would go unnoticed. she picked at it silently while the others chatted.

"so, jade," todd said after a few minutes, his tone warm but curious, "tanja mentioned you play basketball. are you on a team?"

the question caught her off guard. her stomach lurched as memories of her family flooded back—her dad cheering from the stands, her sister waving her ridiculous handmade signs.

"uh... i used to," jade said, her voice barely above a whisper.

"she's really good," tanja chimed in, her voice brimming with pride. "her mom always told me how dedicated she was."

jade's grip on her fork tightened. she wished they would stop saying her mom's name. it felt like a punch to the chest every time.

"you should totally join our school team," tucker added, his tone genuinely enthusiastic. "we've got a solid group this year."

"i'm fine," jade said abruptly, her tone sharp.

tucker blinked, his face falling slightly. "i didn't mean—"

"tucker, maybe we'll talk about that later," tanja interrupted, her voice gentle but firm. "let's give jade some time to settle in."

"she's right," todd said. "no rush, jade. your health comes first."

jade's stomach churned. they were all so careful, like they thought she might break at any second.

"do you want more lasagna?" tanja asked suddenly, her tone overly sweet.

"no, i'm good," jade muttered.

"you sure?" todd pressed. "you barely touched it."

"i said i'm fine," jade snapped, louder than she intended.

the room went silent. everyone froze, their eyes fixed on her.

jade's chest tightened. "i'm not a child," she said, her voice trembling. "you don't have to treat me like one. i don't need your pity or your help. i didn't ask to be here, okay?"

her chair scraped loudly against the floor as she pushed back and stood. "thanks for dinner," she muttered before turning and heading for the stairs.

"jade, wait!" tate's voice called after her, but she didn't stop.

her knee protested with every step, but she climbed faster, needing to escape. by the time she reached tate's room, her legs were shaking. she shoved the door open, stepped inside, and slammed it shut behind her.

a moment later, the door opened again.

"what was that?" tate asked, her tone a mix of frustration and concern. she closed the door behind her and crossed her arms.

jade turned away, pacing the room like a caged animal. "what do you care?"

"i care because you just made my mom feel like crap," tate said bluntly. "she's been trying so hard to make this easier for you."

"well, maybe she shouldn't bother," jade snapped.

tate's eyes narrowed. "you think this is easy for her? or for us? you're not the only one going through something, jade."

jade froze, her fists clenched at her sides. "don't," she said, her voice shaking. "don't act like you understand."

"i don't understand," tate admitted. "but i'm trying. and so are they. you can't just push everyone away because you're hurting."

jade turned to face her, tears welling in her eyes. "what do you want me to do, huh? pretend everything's fine? it's not. my family's gone. they're gone, and i'm stuck here, and everyone keeps acting like i'm some broken thing they need to fix!"

her voice cracked, and she turned away again, wiping at her eyes furiously.

tate sighed, her expression softening. she walked over and gently touched jade's shoulder. "you're not broken, jade," she said softly. "and nobody's trying to fix you. we just... we just want to help."

jade shook her head, her shoulders trembling. "i don't know how to let anyone help."

tate hesitated for a moment, then pulled jade into a hug. it wasn't tentative this time—it was firm, steady, grounding.

jade stiffened at first, but the warmth of tate's embrace was too much to resist. slowly, she melted into it, her tears spilling freely now.

"it's okay," tate murmured, holding her tightly. "you don't have to figure it all out right now. just let us be here for you."

for a long time, they stood there in silence, jade's sobs muffled against tate's shoulder.

eventually, tate pulled back just enough to look at her. "you're allowed to be angry, you know. you're allowed to be sad. but don't shut us out, okay? we're not going anywhere."

jade nodded weakly, wiping her face. she didn't trust herself to speak, but a tiny part of her believed tate's words.

for the first time, she didn't feel completely alone.