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In another drawer were her high school yearbooks and notebooks covered in doodles she drew when she was bored.She opened one and realized she had saved her tenth-grade U.S.History notes.

Before she had put all her photo albums in a box, she grabbed her prom picture out of one of the sleeves.She knew Collin would crack up when he saw her hair in tight curls and she loved that he’d make fun of her date in his powder blue tux.She could already hear Collin’s warm, heartfelt laugh in her mind.

Collin had infiltrated her life in the best way.After their first date, Charlie decided he was it for her, and she would marry him immediately if he asked, which was entirely out of character for her.She realized she had stayed with Rick because he wouldn’t commit, which was ideal because she didn’t trust men.Collin had overcome that distrust in a remarkably short time.When Charlie thought about the future with him, instead of scaring her senseless, her body ached with excitement, and she felt herself smiling so big and bright that she imagined she must look like the smiling, open-mouthed emoji with heart eyes.

She and Collin had gone out six times in the past two weeks.On their first date, they went for sushi.Charlie loved sushi, but Rick hated it, so he’d never go with her.On the date with Collin, she held up a piece of tuna sashimi as if it were a live puppet.

“Hi, Collin,” she said while the piece of fish flopped all over the place.“Is something fishy here?”

Collin picked up his piece of salmon.“I can’t tell if anything is fishy because I have no eyes,” he said.

Charlie laughed so hard she knocked her water glass over.A bunch of ice scattered across the table, one piece landing in Collin’s lap.He flicked it at her, and she cracked up even more.She knew they were being immature, but she’d forgotten how much she enjoyed being silly with a man.If she had ever acted that way with Rick, he would have looked away and made it clear that she had embarrassed him.

When Charlie finished packing up her room, she looked at the barren space and felt a familiar melancholy she had unfortunately gotten used to.Before she could sink into it, she heard a knock at the door.

“Come in,” Charlie called out.

“Hey,” Morgan said, opening the door but remaining in the doorway.

“Hey,” Charlie said.

“Are you still mad at me?”

“No.I shouldn’t have said anything.”

“I wish you’d said it a long time ago,” Morgan said.“Can we talk?”

Charlie cocked her head in a gesture for Morgan to come in.Charlie stood up and joined Morgan, who had sat on the bed.

“I hadn’t thought about what I put you and Abby through,” Morgan said.

“I know you didn’t.And I don’t hold it against you…most of the time,” Charlie said.

“I made amends with Mom a long time ago, and I know she forgave me, but I didn’t with you and Abby.That was wrong, and I’m deeply sorry.”

Charlie could see how sincere Morgan was.Charlie looked up, and noticed Abby had been standing in the doorway.Abby walked into the room, sat beside Morgan on the bed, and put her arm around her.

“We’ve all gone through things,” Abby said to Morgan.“You drank, Charlie stayed with Rick, and I married the first boy who was nice to me.Even though Alex is—”

Morgan cut her off.“The greatest man who ever lived.Yes, yes, we know.”

“It’s going to take time for us to come to terms with the damage both our parents did to us,” Charlie said.

“I’ve had enough emotional upheaval in my life,” Morgan said.“It’s better for my mental health to put all the anger behind me.”

“We’re all entitled to our feelings,” Abby said, then turned to Charlie.“Just because you and I are upset doesn’t mean Morgan has to be—even if she’s wrong,” Abby smirked.

The sisters sat for a moment, each bathed in their own thoughts until the silence was broken by the chime on the clock in the living room.It played Greensleeves every time it hit the hour.

“That clock is the worst,” Morgan said, then turned to Charlie.“I told Mom to leave it to you in her will.”

“Ha ha,” Charlie said.“Mom used to tell me if I ever came home after curfew, she’d make me sleep in the living room as a punishment.”

“I always wanted to stomp on it, but I didn’t know how I’d explain how my foot had climbed that far up the wallaccidentally.,” Morgan said.

“I miss Mom and the crazy ways she disciplined us,” Abby said.

“Me, too.And now we’re sad orphans,” Morgan said.