Emily's confused - Takes place after the dollhouse

Emily had spent the entire afternoon with Alison, tangled up in the effortless ease that had settled between them again. It had been a slow but steady process—rebuilding what they once had, or at least something close to it. The laughter came easily, the lingering touches even easier. But despite how comfortable things felt, there was still that undeniable undercurrent of something unspoken between them.

Emily wanted to believe Alison felt it too, that she wasn't the only one caught in this delicate limbo between friendship and something more. But then, there were moments—moments like this one—that made Emily doubt everything.

Alison had left her room to grab snacks from the kitchen, leaving Emily alone for a few minutes. She didn't mean to snoop, but when she went to fix the pile of clothes that had toppled off Alison's chair, something caught her eye. A silver foil wrapper, peeking out from beneath the fabric.

Her stomach twisted.

A condom.

Emily stared at it for a long moment, her fingers numb as she picked it up. The air in the room suddenly felt stifling.

Alison was… seeing someone?

She felt her heart drop in her chest. She had no right to feel betrayed, not when they were just friends. And yet, the thought of Alison with someone else, of her being intimate with someone else, made Emily's chest ache in a way she hadn't expected.

Her pulse thundered in her ears as she quickly shoved the condom back where she found it, as if the very sight of it burned her fingertips.

She barely had time to collect herself before Alison waltzed back in, holding a bag of chips in one hand and a bottle of soda in the other.

"You wouldn't believe the fight Jason and Dad just had downstairs," Alison said, rolling her eyes as she plopped down on the bed beside Emily. "Something about responsibility and me being a bad influence."

Emily barely registered her words. She was too busy trying to control the wave of emotions surging through her.

Alison must have noticed something was off because she frowned, tilting her head. "Em? You okay?"

Emily forced a tight smile. "Yeah. Just… tired."

It was a terrible lie, and Alison saw right through it. "No, you're not," she said, nudging Emily's knee with her own. "What's wrong?"

Emily hesitated. She wanted to ask. She wanted to know.

But the words caught in her throat. What if Alison told her the truth? What if she was seeing someone—sleeping with someone? Emily wasn't sure she could handle hearing it.

"It's nothing," she mumbled, standing abruptly. "I should probably get going."

Alison's frown deepened. "Wait—what? You just got here."

Emily grabbed her jacket off the chair, avoiding Alison's gaze. "Yeah, I just— I forgot I have something to do."

Alison reached for her wrist, stopping her. "Emily, talk to me. Did I do something?"

Emily swallowed hard, shaking her head. "No, it's not you." It was her. It was her own jealousy, her own fears, her own stupid heart that refused to let go of what they once were.

Alison studied her for a long moment, eyes searching. "You sure?"

No.

"Yeah," Emily lied.

She barely heard Alison call after her as she walked out of the room, her mind spinning.

She had no idea that the condom wasn't even Alison's.

It belonged to Jason.