"Allen, wait!" Emi tried to keep him from leaving, but he didn't even turn as he left the hotel room. She wanted to call after him again, but her voice trailed off before she could.

He was gone. For good this time. She sat on the floor, back against the wall. Maybe if she was normal, the breakup would have affected her, but she was numb. No tears came.

Instead of sitting there for long, she got up and made herself breakfast. Two eggs and a slice of toast every morning. Allen and her friends tried to get her to switch it up, but it was the only breakfast that made her comfortable.

The heavy rain outside added to the loud bustling sounds of the city as she ate, but she couldn't hear it much. Thoughts clouded her mind.

*****

"Why do you have to be like this?" Allen said in a dismissive voice. They were in an empty classroom for free period.

Emi looked down at the floor. "You know this isn't something I can control."

"But you don't have to put it on me, Emi."

The words stung but she continued listening to his tirade.

"I could deal with your...distaste for sex. That was manageable. You know I have no problem sacrificing something for you," he said. "But you don't have to bring me down with your endless need to vent to me about simple everyday things that normal people don't get bothered by."

"I can't help being depressed," she said softly. She could barely make eye contact with him.

"Depression can be contagious if you burden someone with it."

"That's not how it works."

"Well, that's how I feel, Emily. Okay? I feel burdened. It was okay for the first few years, but when will it end? When will you get over it?"

Emi felt herself shrink even further.

"Forget it. Just...give me a minute okay?" Allen walked away.

*****

"Emi?" Ness waved her hand in front of her face. They were on the sidewalk.

Emi came back to her senses. "Yeah?"

"Were you thinking about the argument again?" asked Wendy.

Emi nodded silently. She knew her friends loved her, but she also felt like they might be frustrated with her.

"Emi, I know it's hard, but you can't dwell on the past anymore," said Ness, "That was almost six months ago and you two have been doing much better since then."

Emi looked at both of them. "Not really."

"What do you mean?"

"We broke up."

Wendy playfully punched her in the arm. "You broke up and didn't tell us? When was this?"

"Today."

Ness bear-hugged Emi. "I'm so sorry, it's going to be okay. He wasn't worth the trouble anyway."

Emi attempted to squeeze out, "Weren't you just saying we had a chance?"

Ness loosened her grip. "Yeah...but that was before you told us the news."

Emi shook her head and walked ahead of them. Lately, they'd been coddling her a bit too much. It didn't bother her, but she wanted some kind of emotional independence.

The sidewalk was still wet from the morning rain; a puddle had formed in one of the dips in the concrete. Emi wanted to just jump in it and go back to her childhood years, forgetting all the struggles. But today was field trip day at the leading scientific research center, Zedra Labs.