Chapter Text
The sun was beginning to set over the quiet little trailer park, casting a golden glow on the faded trailers lined up in neat rows. The residents of the park were scattered about, lounging in mismatched lawn chairs with beers in hand and gossip flying freely between them. Penny had grown up here, surrounded by the familiar faces of the "trailer trash" as the others liked to call themselves, though she never quite felt like she belonged. She was quiet, studious, and more likely to be found reading or helping out in the community rather than sitting around and exchanging insults. But she was a soon to be teen mom, she thought with a sigh, so maybe she fit in more than she wanted to.
Today, the talk was all about the new family moving in. The murmurs were crackling with excitement and judgment.
"Some middle class family, I hear," a portly woman named Darlene said, tipping her sunhat and squinting at the road. "Them hoity toity folks who think they’re better than us and never thought they would end up here." Everyone burst out in uproarious laughter.
"Ain’t nothing better than seeing a-humbling" scoffed Greg, an older man who spent most of his days tending to his rusted truck. "Ain’t no better entertainment. Any bets on if someone starts crying?"
"Yeah, I’ll take you up on that," Darlene agreed, leaning back in her chair, smirking. "They’re in for a big ol' dose of reality."
The residents of the trailer park chuckled among themselves, settling in for another lazy evening of making fun of the newcomers. Penny walked past them, her heart heavy from the judgment she heard all too often but tried to ignore. As she passed by the main entrance of the park, she stopped short when she saw a moving truck parked by one of the newer trailers. It was just pulling away, leaving behind a beaten blue car parked beside the trailer.
She squinted as she caught sight of a girl stepping out of the car—a girl with strikingly familiar chocolate brown hair. Penny’s stomach dropped when their eyes met.
"Holly?" Penny said, her voice a mix of surprise and disbelief. Holly blinked, clearly just as stunned. Her jaw dropped, and her eyes widened in recognition. "Penny?" she said, her voice carrying a note of disbelief. She glanced at the old trailers around them, then back at Penny. "You... you live here?"
Penny felt a flush of embarrassment rise in her cheeks. She nodded awkwardly. "Yeah, I do. It’s, uh... "
Holly looked around, taking in the rundown park, the creaky trailers, and the residents still sitting in their lawn chairs, watching them. "I—wow, I didn’t know..." She trailed off, unsure of what to say next.
"Um, Welcome to the neighborhood," Penny said awkwardly. “Let me help you unpack.”
The room smelled faintly of cardboard and dust, the scent of new beginnings mixed with the weight of what had been left behind. Penny sat on the floor beside Holly, both of them sorting through boxes and trying to put together Holly’s old bed. Her cat had zoomed to the corner and had squeezed himself into a tight little ball as if hiding from the reality that this was his new home. The trailers in the park were small, the walls thin, and every sound seemed to carry. As they worked in silence, Penny kept stealing glances at Holly, who was focused on the task at hand but seemed distracted, lost in thought.
Penny knew that her father had been laid off over the summer, and her mother had been struggling to maintain clients in her freelance business. Plus the fact that her father almost went to jail for making and distributing heroin. But Penny couldn’t help but think about how the two of them—middle-class professionals—had ended up in a trailer park. It didn’t make sense. Holly had always seemed so put together, so removed from anything resembling hardship, but now here they were.
“How are you doing?” Penny asked quietly, trying to break the silence between them.
Holly glanced at her, offering a small smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. “I’m fine.”
Penny nodded, but she could tell Holly wasn’t fine. She wasn’t sure what was worse—the instability of suddenly finding themselves in a new, unfamiliar place or the tension she could feel in the air.
As they worked through the piles of boxes, trying to make Holly’s room feel a little less bare, the muffled sound of raised voices drifted in from the living room. Penny froze, her head jerking toward the wall separating them from the rest of the trailer. Holly stopped unpacking as well, her eyes widening with discomfort.
"How could you let it get this far, Brandt?" Her mother’s voice was sharp, cutting through the air. "You should've known better than to get involved in something so stupid! This is all your fault!"
There was a pause, a heavy silence that seemed to hang in the air before her father’s voice responded, low and defensive.
“You think I wanted this to happen? Do you think I wanted to put us in this position?” His tone was full of frustration. “I thought I would be able to pay it off. I was desperate!”
Penny didn’t know what to say. It felt wrong to eavesdrop, but there was no way she couldn’t hear.
Her mother’s voice cut through again, louder this time, “You took out multiple credit cards, Brandt! You thought you could liquidate them to pay the mortgage, and pay off the balance with drug money and now look where we are! Our credit is ruined and we had to sell the house to pay off the debts and move into this—this—” She stopped, her voice shaking with anger, “This trailer park because of your idiotic decisions!"
Her father’s voice grew louder too, angry and defensive. "Stop yelling Susan! The neighbors can hear you."
Penny’s heart sank as she saw the tension on Holly’s face. Holly wasn’t moving, wasn’t even blinking. She just stared at the boxes, her lips pressed together in a thin line. Penny hesitated, unsure whether she should say anything, but before she could think of a response, Holly stood up. Her movements were slow, deliberate, as she headed to the living area.
“Are you guys... fighting?” Holly asked quietly, her voice child-like and unsure. She sounded smaller than usual, her usual Haley-like confidence stripped away, replaced by a timid uncertainty.
Holly’s mom turned to face them. Her face was carefully composed, though her eyes betrayed the tension Penny had heard in her voice.
“Holly,” Susan said, her eyes softening, her voice gentle but firm, “Sweetheart, it’s okay. We’re just having a little disagreement. You know how parents are. We’ll work through it.”
Her dad nodded, his expression still tight, but he gave Holly a small, reassuring smile. “Everything’s fine, kiddo. Nothing to worry about. We just had a bit of a heated conversation, but we’ll figure it out. We always do.”
But as he said those words, Penny caught the briefest look between them—a shared understanding that this argument was far from over.
Holly didn’t say anything at first, but Penny could see her stiffen, her shoulders drawn in as if she were bracing herself for more. She didn’t speak to her parents, just nodded in that way that felt like she was trying to hold everything in. Trying not to let it all spill out.
"Okay," Holly said, her voice small. She turned quickly, her footsteps fading as she walked back to her room, leaving Penny standing there, unsure of what to say or do.
Penny stood in the hallway for a moment, the weight of the unspoken tension hanging heavy in the air. She could tell that the cracks in Holly’s world were only just beginning to show. And Penny wasn’t sure if Holly would be able to fix them.
But for now, they had to keep going, keep pretending everything was fine, even when it clearly wasn’t.
.
The morning light filtered softly through the kitchen window, casting a warm glow over the rustic kitchen table. Sebastian sat at one end, sipping his coffee, his fingers wrapped around the mug as he stared absently at the countertop. The familiar hum of the house seemed quieter than usual, the peaceful sound of birds outside blending with the soft clinking of dishes being set on the table.
Across from him, Maru was practically glowing with excitement. She was practically bouncing in her seat, her eyes bright with enthusiasm as she talked animatedly about the day ahead. She was dressed in her neatly-pressed private school uniform. Her bright, intelligent smile matched her energy as she turned to her father, Demetrius, who had joined them for breakfast.
"Dad, can you believe it?" she said, her voice practically bubbling with excitement. "You’re actually going to be teaching applied scientific methods at my school now! It’s gonna be so fun!"
Demetrius, seated next to Maru with his own cup of coffee, chuckled softly at his daughter’s enthusiasm. His glasses perched slightly low on his nose as he looked over at her with a proud smile. "I still can’t believe I’m going to be teaching there, either. And the best part is, I get to do it alongside you."
Maru beamed at him, her enthusiasm so contagious it even made Sebastian glance up from his mug. He was trying to remain aloof, but it was hard not to notice the way the two of them were acting all daddy-daughter over the situation, practically in their own little bubble, exchanging looks and gestures that only they shared. Sebastian rolled his eyes, it was almost enough to make him gag.
"And the best part," Maru continued, ignoring Sebastian’s I’m gonna be sick face, "is that because dad got the job, I get free tuition! So, no more worrying about how to pay for school, huh? Everything worked out!"
As soon as Maru came back from her study abroad trip, Sebastian apologized for what he said to her on the phone. By that time, Demetrius had been freed from prison and had landed his new job, which ironically was thanks to Sebastian digging through her school’s website to find a way for her to go there for free. So Maru was all smiles and sunshine and happiness, and she had easily forgiven him. No lingering resentment, no passive-aggressive comments—just relief and excitement about the future.
In fact, the whole family was treating him better. His mom wasn’t hovering anxiously as much, wasn’t watching him like she was bracing for the next fight. Demetrius actually acknowledged him like a real person instead of a nuisance. Maru, well… she’d always been the golden child, but now she looked at him like they were real siblings.
Who knew? That once he stopped tearing them down and actually started helping, his family situation became a lot more… tolerable.
Maru smiled at her dad, a look of admiration and affection in her eyes. "I’m really grateful, dad. I couldn’t have asked for a better outcome." Then she turned to face her brother. “Thank you Sebastian.”
Ugh, gag me
The first day of school was always annoying, but he was impatient to go. Sebastian had been trying to ignore the sinking feeling in his stomach that Holly wasn’t okay. She had quietly removed herself from their group chat before school started. She hadn’t responded to any of his texts, hadn’t answered his calls, and worst of all, when he tried to talk to her at the Stardrop Cafe she had busied herself with work and acted like she had no time to chitchat.
So, when he finally spotted her at her locker before the first bell, he couldn’t help but feel a surge of frustration. It had been so long since he had spoken to her, and he had been dying to make sure she was okay after everything that happened last summer. The angry red letters of the foreclosure sign in front of their house flashed across his mind.
Holly stood there, looking pretty in a red plaid skirt and black sweater, fiddling with her lock, her attention focused on the combination. As he approached, she looked up, her face forming a polite smile—a little too forced for Sebastian’s liking.
“Hey, Holly,” he said.
“Oh, hi, Sebastian,” she replied, her voice warm but distant, it was the same voice she used for customers at the cafe. “Can I help you?”
Sebastian’s brows furrowed. He couldn’t shake the feeling of being brushed off. “I didn’t get a chance to tell you but Demetrius got a new job teaching at Maru’s school so she gets a free ride, so my family’s alright. But what about your dad? Did he end up finding something else?”
Holly’s expression didn’t change, it was still polite and friendly, but it was as if a wall had gone up. “Oh, that’s great for him,” she said with the kind of insincere sweetness that made his stomach churn. “I’m glad it worked out for Demetrius. My dad is still looking though, I’m sure he’ll find something soon.”
The artificial enthusiasm in her voice made the hair on his neck rise. He had never heard Holly sound so... fake.
Sebastian felt his irritation growing. He opened his mouth to ask her more, but before he could say anything, she started gathering her things, making it clear she was ready to leave.
“Well, I’ve got to go,” she said quickly, the polite smile never faltering. “Talk to you later, Sebastian.”
“Wait,” Sebastian said, feeling something snap inside him. He wasn’t going to let this slide. Not anymore. “Why’d you leave the group chat? You haven’t responded to any of my texts or calls, and now you’re acting fake as hell to me?” His voice was harder now, the frustration finally spilling over. “What, now that school’s started and you’re popular again, you think you can just ditch us whenever you feel like it?”
Holly froze for a second, her smile faltering just slightly before it returned full force, though it looked more like a mask than ever. She wasn’t giving him the real Holly anymore, and it pissed him off.
Before she could respond, someone else appeared beside her. It was Haley, cheerleader, school diva, the epitome of everything Sebastian hated about high school popularity. She stood there, her arms crossed, glaring at him with a look of disdain that only made Sebastian’s blood boil.
“Back off, Sebastian,” Haley snapped, her tone sharp and commanding. “You’re making Holly uncomfortable.”
Sebastian’s jaw clenched. “I’m making her uncomfortable? I’m trying to check up on her, and now she’s treating me like I’m some... pest.”
Haley didn’t miss a beat. “Oh, please. Holly doesn’t owe you her attention. You’re being a creep, learn some boundaries.” She stepped in front of Holly, almost like a shield. “So how about you just leave her alone?”
Holly’s back stayed turned to him. She didn’t say a word, just stood there, her posture stiff. She wasn’t even trying to defend herself, not even when Haley took over.
“Whatever,” he muttered, his voice low.
He turned on his heel and walked away, but not before he shot one last scathing look at Holly.
.
Holly kept up the facade like a second skin. At school, everything seemed perfect. She was pretty, the most popular girl in school was her best friend, and she was dating the coolest guy in town. Younger girls whispered and looked at her with eyes shining with something that looked like admiration. On the outside, she had it all.
But deep down, Holly knew the truth. It was all a carefully constructed illusion. Beneath the surface, things were falling apart. She could feel the weight of the lies pressing down on her, and she was suffocating under the pressure. No one knew what was really going on at home. No one knew that after the final bell she would leave the glossy world of high school and step into the small, cramped trailer park, where every argument between her parents echoed in her ears like a neverending nightmare.
After school, she rode in Haley’s car to her parents’ mansion, the massive house standing in stark contrast to Holly’s new reality. The ornate furniture and sweeping staircase felt like an alien world, one that she could never truly belong to. But for now, it was a haven, a place where she could pretend everything was fine.
They sat in Haley’s room, surrounded by plush pillows and luxurious decor, but Holly didn’t feel any comfort from it. Her mask finally slipped as the tears welled up in her eyes. She couldn’t hold it in anymore.
“I can’t do this anymore,” Holly said, her voice breaking. “Everything’s falling apart. My parents are fighting all the time, and I... I live in a trailer park now. It’s like my whole life is falling apart, and I feel... numb. I don’t know how to deal with it. It’s scary.”
Haley was quiet for a moment, her usual confidence giving way to something softer, more understanding. She didn’t try to cut in or offer hollow words of reassurance. She just let Holly speak, letting the emotion pour out of her.
Finally, Haley spoke, her voice calm and steady. “I’m not going to tell you everything will be okay, because that’s a lie, and you deserve better than that.” She sat down beside Holly, her arm draping over her shoulders in an unspoken gesture of support. “Even though I want to, I can’t fix everything. But you can feel whatever you feel, Holly. And if you’re sad and miserable, I’ll be here for you. I won’t tell you to stop feeling it, and I won’t pretend it’s all going to get better but I’ll be here. Let me be here with you, okay?”
Holly looked at her, blinking through her tears, surprised. It wasn’t the usual empty comfort or tired cliches. Haley wasn’t focusing on changing Holly’s feelings or diminishing them. She was just... there. Holly felt relieved, that even if she was broken, someone accepted her brokenness.
Haley took a deep breath before continuing. “You know, my dad grew up in a trailer park too,” she said, her tone softer now. “He doesn’t like to talk about it, like he’s ashamed or something. But I admire him. He’s literally a rose who bloomed out of the manure. He made something of himself. He might have started out disadvantaged, but he worked his ass off to get out of that life.”
Holly’s eyes widened slightly, the revelation striking her harder than she expected. She had always seen Haley’s dad as this imposing figure—wealthy, successful, untouchable. But now, hearing about his past, she realized there was so much more to him than she had ever known.
Haley smiled, a small, bittersweet curve of her lips. “It doesn’t matter where you come from, Holly. It’s about what you choose to do with it. You always have the ability to succeed. But you don’t have to be okay all the time. You’re allowed to be a mess. You’re allowed to be sad.”
Holly wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, a small chuckle escaping her lips. “I don’t know what I’m doing. Everything feels so... messed up.”
“You don’t have to have it all figured out,” Haley said, pulling her closer. “You just have to keep going. One step at a time. And if you ever have to stop pretending, you’ll have me, okay?”
Holly nodded, feeling a weight lift off her chest just a little bit. With Haley there, she didn’t feel so alone.