A/N: Before you read this long, sustained chapter, please take note that the next few chapters will contain violence. I'll try not to put the situation in great detail but just enough to get my point across. This chapter will focus on secrets and misconceptions meaning some characters will learn new things. Ultimately, this is a sad but needed chapter in this story. I hope you all enjoy...

A deafening silence impeded Branch's ability to think. All he could think of was, why? Why was he some center of some universe? Something beyond his control? Something so...secretive. He cried. He cried like he'd never cried before. Now tears had made lines down his cheeks because he couldn't cry anymore. Aunt Marie had bitten her lip so hard, it bled. "You never told me...never told me about her," Branch repeated as his voice cracked. His eyes were a bright red and his shoulders slouched. The woman breathed out and shook her head. "I didn't because," she stopped mid-sentence to search for what to say, "because I didn't want to lose you. But you deserve to know just as well as the world does."

It was the second time Branch has risen from his seat to go weep and slammed the door behind him. This time he slid the hood of his sweatshirt over his head and walked down the sidewalk until someone stepped out in front of him. He halted and looked up to meet two magenta eyes he was familiar with. The owner reached out and grabbed his arm. "Branch...you okay?" The boy wanted to scream. He wanted to run. He wanted to push her out of his way...but where was he going. Every path he took, it always led back to the girl next door. The girl with the pretty pink hair and bangs darting across her face. The girl who was too nice but yet made him feel an unconditional feeling. In seconds, she was engulfed in his arms and began sobbing. "I have s–so much...t–to tell you," he sniffled and caught his breath, "I miss her...and I have to say it...I have to say something."

23 years earlier...

The 18 year old's eyes darted from person to person passing by. She longed for something to eat and continued to let her feet guide her. They stopped at an ice cream shop smelling of sweet strawberries and French vanilla. The two always worked so well together. She smiled and walked in to hear a bell on the door chime. "Welcome to–" the worker began but stopped when the two met eyes. "Hi." The worker was hypnotized by the young woman's beauty to such an extent, that he dropped the ice cream cone in his hand. The girl jumped and ran around the counter to help. "Here, let me give you a hand," she politely offered, wiping up the mess. He smiled and went to throw the cone away when the door chimed again. A woman with little age upon her features entered with a loving smile. "Grove!! Who's this?!" The man jumped while his customer giggled. "Grove? What an interesting name," the girl complimented causing him to blush. "Wellllll–you didn't say what yours was." She smiled. "Amethyst. Amethyst Iaria." "Grove Flores." The older woman smiled watching the two gaze in the opposing one's eyes. "Son," she interrupted after a moment. "Uh–m y–yes?" "Why don't you invite this girl over for dinner? She looks like she could use something to eat since you won't serve her," she teased but her son's cheeks bloomed with color. "Mom!! We just met–" "That sounds delightful. Thank you ma'am," Amethyst replied. Grove froze. "Is 6:00 alright with you? I'm making Grove's favorite; tacos!" The two giggled before meeting eyes again. "Sounds great with me."

——————————

The two talked at the shop for two hours, giggling and smiling without a stop. They both saw something in each other that no one else did and Amethyst knew that a new start was good. He wasn't focused on the fortune she beheld and that's what mattered. They walked to the house in which they'd meet Grove's mother and sister to eat. The house was small yet abnormal to the eye. "A...tree house?" Amethyst questioned in amazement. "Actually yes, it's what we like. Shall we?" He held out his hand for her to take and when she did so, he hoisted her up and close to his face. "Uhm...hold on." She complied and he pulled them up by the rope hanging down. When they reached the top, the spicy smell of tacos filled their noses releasing two sighs from each of their mouths. "Smells amazing!" "Thank you, dear. Dinner will be ready soon," the woman informed and Grove have a small nod. "Follow me."

He led her up to what seemed to be his room which sat on the roof. When it rained, he had a small hut to hide under for shelter, but the view of the city from the roof was indescribable. She began to walk forward but Grove grabbed her from behind and saved her from a high fall. "Watch out, clumsy." "Thank you, River," she joked and they both laughed. It wasn't until they stopped laughing that they realized how close they actually were. They didn't move. They didn't want to move. "I feel like I've known you–er seen you before," the girl admitted and Grove nodded. " I agree...are your parents owners of that jewel store in Chicago?" Amethyst looked at her feet. "Yeah–well were. They're dead." Grove froze. He knew exactly what to say. "My dad left...not divorce. He just realized that he didn't want to be with us anymore. He left me and my sister with my mom because my mom didn't want a divorce. She loved him, and still does, but it's not the same." Amethyst looked up at him to see his eyes wet but he pressed on. "I know it's nothing compared to what you've experienced...but I think that you're amazing. You seem like you're a strong, independent, mature girl and I think you're beautiful and...I'm sorry about your parents." She blushed and flashed a crooked smile. "Thank you and now, I think I remember. Are you the boy who'd always stare at me on Thursdays? The boy who always wore the–" "blue shirt, black converse, and hair slicked to he side? Yep. That was me." She giggled. "And you were the girl with the long auburn hair with brown at the roots and blush on her cheeks. You'd always have your hair in a braid and would always have something purple on." Then the world stilled. The girl had her arms around his neck and her lips against his. Her eyes were closed and his, soon, were too. It was perfect until she pulled away. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't've rushed this I mean...I can't get attached to anyone yet you're all I have left." He gave her a look of confusion that was enough to persuade her to explain.

"My parents made a bad decision for their company...these robbers made a threat towards them saying that they would come and steal every last diamond we owned. There was no other solution than to promise to pay a gang called the Bergens to stop this from happening. They did what they had to do but my parents never paid them for their help. When they died, that money was given to me and...now they're after it." Silence swept the air until he swallowed hard and gathered the courage to answer. "I don't care. I still think there's a chance because I want you in my life–" "but we just met today–" "–we reunited Amethyst!!" She closed her lips and faces the city before her. "No one, and I mean no one, has ever taken an interest in me," he took her hand in his, "and I think that you staying here with my family, will be all the family you need that you've lost." She slowly grinned. "Me too."

————————————

Back to the present...

"Soooooo your parents met at an ice cream parlor," Poppy repeated while Branch nodded. "Yeah, 5 year's later they realized they were going to have me but as soon as I was born, one of the Bergens entered the tree house expectedly looking for the money. Before they had gotten inside, my aunt and grandma ran away with me. My aunt doesn't know what exactly happened to them but I know for sure that the money that's left over is in my hands." Poppy looked at him puzzled. "You have no idea how they might've died?" "Well...my aunt said she heard a gunshot." That shut her up really quick. Her brows furrowed and she gazed up at the painted sky. The sun began to set and the colors reflected in her eyes. "It's okay to miss them ya know...at least you know that they did it for your own good," she reassured chewing on her lower lip. The corner of his lips curved. "Yeah."

Water trickled down in the distance as the two sat in silence on the roof of Poppy's house watching the sun set upon the horizon. "Paige." The word dazzled her. It was the first word in what felt like hours but was only minutes in reality. "Yes?" she answered making him smirk. "Your grandmother never called you by your real name once." Her gaze was transfixed on him now in confusion by his sudden decision to talk about her life. "She always preferred Poppy because you reminded her of your mother's favorite flower. Not only that but the exact flower in your mothers favorite bouquet that bloomed the day you were born." Her brows rose slightly and her breathing slowed. "One day I asked if you would ever let me be your prince, and when you agreed, I grabbed a stick and pretended it was a sword to fight all the monsters with. That's when I got named Branch. The shy little boy who proposed to his best friend on the last day of kindergarten." Poppy laughed and laid her head on his shoulder. He too giggled at his own memory. They went way back and still obtained a strong, supportive relationship. He adored seeing her smile. He loved being with her yet he missed two people he didn't get to truly meet.

"I miss them, Pinky." The remark made her smile fade. After a few seconds, she reached down and put her hand in his. Their fingers intertwined and their eyes were forwarded to the sky. "They love you Branch. They'll always be in your heart and watching you from heaven. You know that right?" Branch smiled. "Yep. And I also know that I'll have you right here when I need you so you don't even have to get all gushy because I know you." She swiftly pulled him into a hug with one move. "We're gonna get to the bottom of this together." He sighed and nodded. "There's no way of telling you no, is there?" "Nope!!" After her confirmation, she pulled out of their hug and returned to her spot at his side.

A tune echoed from her throat but lacked its lyrics. Branch filled in the lyrics as she hummed to herself.
Everyone knows all about my direction
And in my heart somewhere I wanna go there
Still I don't go there
Poppy grinned and joined him with just the right pitch. It was as if their voices blended together perfectly.
Everybody says "say something"
Say something, say something
Then say something, say something, then say something
I don't wanna get caught up in the rhythm of it
But I can't help myself, no, I can't help myself, no, no
Caught up in the middle of it
No I can't help myself, no I can't help myself, no, no, no
Caught up in the rhythm of it
There was a fire in their voices that was only being fueled. Branch sang with purpose. He longed to solve the mystery of his parents' outcomes. Poppy sang with passion. She wanted to support her best friend in every way yet she felt as if he was everything she ever needed. The missing piece. She wanted to scream from the rooftops and forget every little interruption in her life yet she wanted to stay next to him. They both had something to say yet the words were hard to find.

Although they knew the journey to success was never easy, they still felt the need to find purpose for their feeling. Secrets lied far beneath the surface and another storm began to form far from their spot in time. There was no escaping but there was this moment to let time slow and enjoy what they were given. They had each other and that was all that mattered.

Sometimes the greatest way to say something is to say nothing

Poppy's phone rang as their song ended and the moon illuminated the sky. She pressed the green key to answer and brought it to her ear but what she heard was game changing. "Poppy? What's wrong?" She responded with an "I gotta go," to the person on the other side of the line and placed her phone in her lap. Tears welled in her eyes and she too felt all the pain Branch had felt earlier that day. "Poppy? Hello? What's going on?" He persistently questioned before she began to cry. "Creek's cheating on me."