Jessica arrives

The doorbell rings, a sharp, upbeat sound that breaks the morning quiet. Jessica breezes in, dressed in an oversized vintage t-shirt and short athletic shorts, her hair in a messy bun. She looks effortless, but as she passes you in the foyer, you feel her internal pulse—she's wired, her mind still looping on the "Two is better than one" suggestion from Monday.

Chloe greets her with a hug that lasts just a heartbeat longer than usual, a silent acknowledgment of the "honesty" she shared with her mother earlier.

"Ugh, thank god you're here," Chloe says, leading the way into the living room. "The vibe in here is so weird today. Tyler’s been in his room since 6 AM like some kind of basement dweller, and Mom went out shopping to 'clear her head.'"

"Clear her head, or buy more of those romance novels?" Jessica teases, flopping onto the large, plush sectional sofa. She grabs the remote and begins mindlessly scrolling through a streaming app. "So... did the 'Fan' leave any more reviews since we talked?"

Chloe sits down beside her, but she leaves a deliberate, cautious six inches of space between them. She’s leaning into the corner of the sofa, hugging a decorative pillow to her chest.

"No new messages, but he did push me and Kenzie into the pool yesterday," Chloe murmurs, her eyes fixed on the TV screen where movie posters are flickering by. "But I told Mom about... you know. Everything. The photos, the thoughts."

Jessica freezes, the remote halfway to the coffee table. "You told Cherie? Is she going to ban me from the house? Does she think I'm corrupting her precious daughter?"

"Actually..." Chloe looks at her friend, a small, daring smile playing on her lips. "She was really cool about it. She said I should explore whatever makes me feel 'seen.' She even talked about some girl she knew in college."

The room falls into a strange, heavy silence. The "safety" of the routine—two friends watching TV—is being eroded by the sheer weight of what’s been unsaid. Chloe is hesitant, her gaze dropping to the fabric of the sofa. She wants to bridge that six-inch gap, but the weight of their long friendship is acting like a physical barrier.

Chloe puts on an episode of The Big Bang Theory, breaking the rapidly growing tension.