when the air shifted, josie didn't flinch — she had been taught well enough to never show her cards like that. instead she waited, watching the shadows flicker across alejandra's face. sometimes, she wondered if what she was doing was the real her — picking a fight, prodding a bruise just so it won't heal. the josie she presented to the world would have apologized months ago, placated her hurt, let the wound scar and keep quiet. but maybe this was what ale deserved — the real her, the her that she was afraid to show, the her she wasn't sure exactly existed at all. when ale stops herself mid-sentence, then recovers in the kind of thinly-veiled politeness josie was used to giving out, the corners of her lips twitch. “ you can say it, you know. ” her voice slides out deadpan. “ no one in their right mind would hope to spend more time with you. ” she finishes the sentence, with a tinge of mockery to her voice. she purses her lips a little, nods to herself, like she's satisfied that she finally saw a sliver of what ale never said. “ if that's how you really feel. ” the wedge she's driving digs itself into the earth, splits the ground fresh in two, a gaping divide widens further, and maybe it's the only way she can keep herself together. no one in their right mind would hope to spend more time with you. because that was the fear, wasn't it? the reason she could only keep up that veil for so long before it fell away and ale came to that very conclusion? it seemed it didn't matter, no matter what she did. perhaps the end was always going to be like this. she steps back, mirrors the smile, lets her eyes crinkle at its corners. “ looking forward to it, ” she replies, an emphasis on every word. she pushed her way out the door. down the hallway, she felt something in her crack.