Chapter Text
Across the street was her house, that blonde girl who seemed so disconnected from her classmates. She was always at that park a few blocks from the middle school, where she stopped by on her way home. Usually you’d see her experiencing that classic bittersweet loneliness on a slow swinging swing set, creaking metal and plastic back and forth as she rocked her legs. That Tuesday afternoon had been no different. She was 12 years old, doing algebra in school, getting lollipops for correct answers if she got lucky enough. Of course you had the school bathrooms with wet toilet paper stuck to the ceiling with the girls who would be so bored and insecure as to bully the quiet kid, but she held her head up, because she always had her sweet older brother. He would always support her even with his rough exterior and even through all that came their way. She also met his friends at the high school sometimes; they were always laughing about things she didn’t quite get. Mainly because she didn’t listen very hard, and especially on those windy days, who knows what a bunch of hyperactive teenagers standing outside the school talking over each other are saying. She looked forward to seeing them, though, because they were always nice to her, being friends with Bach, they would know that she’s probably a kind girl. And she was, just not much fun, so they tended to leave her behind when they went to do something suspicious. She was still in the era of your childhood where you don’t need artificial substances or natural risk to have fun, so there was no issue following the rules.
Today it was late afternoon on that swing set, and she got tired of the creaking, so she got up and walked on the sidewalk. Luckily, it’d only be a few minutes home from here. Without the slight wind of the swinging, it was a bit hotter, but she didn’t mind. It was only a few minutes to withstand it, and it was also April. Hopefully Bach had made something tasty for dinner, as he usually had to do, since their parents were hardly home. Lilli was always told they just had responsibilities, but she still resented them for it. Bach is 15, he shouldn’t have to be a father, for Christ’s sake! She sighed and tried to think about something else. Maybe some music would be good when she got home.
Finally, the sidewalk had turned into a street, with their driveway just a few steps away. She walked up the steps to the door and rang the doorbell, where Bach would creak open the door for her to enter. Lilli placed her shoes beside the door, and went through the hallway into her room. Bach followed after her. “Hey, I haven’t seen you all day, would you at least greet me?” Lilli looked disappointed in herself. “I’m sorry, I forgot! Hi!” Then she looked back up, with the light back in her eyes, thinking of what to say. “I, uhh, hmm…are you cooking dinner today?” Bach sighed and nodded, looking back at the empty living room and kitchen. “Yes, I’ll have to. Do you want to learn how to make spaghetti?” Lilli eagerly nodded. This would be useful for if something happened to Bach and she needed to cook for herself. She put on some music until she was called to the kitchen. When she was, she washed her hands with Bach following, and Lilli stepped up on a small stool to reach the stove. Bach grabbed a pot from the wooden cabinet above the stove and placed it on the stove. “Go grab the noodles, and I’ll get the sauce.” So that’s what they did. As they began boiling the water and starting with the noodles, they suddenly heard a car pulling into the driveway. Bach rushed for the door. “Just stay over there, it’s probably our dad dropping off some groceries or something.” And it was. Everything was so predictable lately. The rest of the afternoon they spent cooking, eating, and getting ready for the next day, and that was the first day before Lilli met her new friend.