The weight of the secret presses against my chest like a physical thing as I sit across from Eddie at the kitchen table. Christopher is in his room doing homework, giving us rare privacy that I'm not sure I deserve. Eddie's been watching me all night, those dark eyes seeing too much, asking questions he hasn't yet voiced.

"You gonna tell me what's really bothering you?" he asks, breaking the silence. His tone is casual, but I hear the underlying concern. The concern I don't want, don't need, because if he knew the truth, he'd look at me differently.

My fingers tighten around the beer bottle in my hand, condensation seeping into my palm like the cold fear seeping into my bones. "Nothin's botherin' me," I lie, forcing a grin that feels more like a grimace. "Just tired from the shift."

Eddie snorts, not buying it for a second. "You've survived worse shifts than today and still had energy to play video games with Chris afterward. Try again."

I look away, staring at the wall where Christopher's drawings hang. A family portrait in crayon: Eddie, Christopher, and me. The three of us, smiling stick figures with disproportionate limbs and hearts floating above our heads. A family that exists only in a child's imagination.

"It's my parents," I admit finally, the words escaping before I can stop them. "They're in town."