Chapter 5 Girls Like Us ‎ ‎

Chapter Five: Girls Like Us

‎

‎

‎---

‎

‎Brooklyn Loft - 12:08 a.m.

‎

‎The rain had returned. Light, steady, tapping gently against the loft windows like fingers drumming on glass.

‎

‎The rooftop incident was over no one followed, no one questioned. But the silence left behind felt heavier than any siren could.

‎

‎Sienna sat on the floor beside the couch, legs crossed, a blanket draped over her bare shoulders. Her wet curls stuck to her neck. A fresh cup of tea sat untouched beside her.

‎

‎Lilah moved quietly, padding in with two mugs - hers filled with cocoa, extra marshmallows. She set one beside Sienna's and slid down onto the rug beside her, resting her chin on her knee.

‎

‎"You didn't drink yours."

‎

‎"I'm not in the mood."

‎

‎Lilah didn't push. Just blew on her cocoa, then sipped.

‎

‎They sat like that for a moment the kind of silence that only close friends could share without it feeling like pressure.

‎

‎"You're not usually this quiet," Lilah finally said softly.

‎

‎Sienna exhaled through her nose. "I'm fine."

‎

‎"No, you're full of shit."

‎

‎A beat.

‎

‎Sienna smirked faintly. "That obvious?"

‎

‎"You got out of the shower and didn't even threaten to stab Chase for peeking. That's a red flag."

‎

‎Sienna sighed, reaching for her tea but not drinking it. "I don't know. That fight... it was nothing. Dumb boys posturing. But I felt it."

‎

‎"In your bones?"

‎

‎"In my chest."

‎

‎Lilah nodded slowly, watching her. "Flashbacks?"

‎

‎"Not exactly." Sienna looked up at the ceiling, blinking slowly. "Just... reminders. Of what I came from. What I left behind. What I promised myself I'd never run into again."

‎

‎Lilah said nothing. She just listened.

‎

‎Sienna's voice softened. "I was twelve when I saw a man die in front of me. He was shot for opening the wrong door. I thought... if I stayed invisible, I'd survive. That's what I did for years. Watched. Blended. Until I didn't want to disappear anymore."

‎

‎Lilah reached over, took her hand gently. "And you started conning."

‎

‎Sienna nodded. "Because it gave me power. Control. I could be anyone. Get close, then walk away before anyone saw the real me."

‎

‎Lilah's voice was quiet. "I get that."

‎

‎Sienna turned to her. "You never really talk about your before."

‎

‎Lilah gave a small, dry laugh. "Because it's a Lifetime movie cliché."

‎

‎"I don't care."

‎

‎Lilah hesitated, then leaned her head back against the couch, staring at the ceiling like the truth was etched up there.

‎

‎"My mom married a preacher who kept his fists in the name of God. Told me girls like me were born stained. I ran the first time he put hands on me. Got picked up by a club bouncer who liked the way I looked in red lipstick. Spent a year doing things I don't put in journals. Then I met you. And suddenly, survival didn't have to mean silence."

‎

‎Sienna's throat tightened.

‎

‎She squeezed Lilah's hand. "I didn't know."

‎

‎"You weren't supposed to. That was the point." Lilah smiled sadly. "But tonight? That rooftop fight? It reminded me that no matter how much we dress it up... we're still girls who crawl out of blood and learn to walk in heels."

‎

‎A silence stretched between them.

‎

‎Then Sienna whispered, "Do you ever wonder if we'll stop running?"

‎

‎Lilah looked her straight in the eye. "Maybe. But until then... we run smart."

‎

‎Sienna let out a soft laugh watery, cracked, but real.

‎

‎They sat together, blanket pulled between them, two women who had survived the worst... and still wore eyeliner like armor.

‎

‎Outside, the rain softened.

‎

‎

‎---

‎

‎Meanwhile - Moretti Tower - Surveillance Office

‎

‎Aleks stood watching the screen again.

‎

‎The footage of the rooftop had long ended. But he'd replayed the moment Sienna flinched. The exact second her body tightened when the shot rang out.

‎

‎Not from fear.

‎

‎From memory.

‎

‎"She's seen real violence," he muttered.

‎

‎Luca looked up. "You sure you don't want her tagged?"

‎

‎"She's not a threat," Aleks said. But his jaw was tight. His eyes... unreadable.

‎

‎"No," he added after a pause. "She's not a threat."

‎

‎

‎