Hello Brooklyn

Brooklyn returned with a drink holder filled with piping hot coffee and a bag with four white, Styrofoam containers with food filled in them. She didn't know what they liked so she had just guessed and hoped that they would be fine with what she had gotten them.

Of course, if they didn't, she had a back up plan.

She had bought a bunch of cinnamon rolls for the boys to eat too, just in case.

She carefully shut the door behind her and tip-toed through her house to her kitchen, careful not to wake the snoring boys.

She set the plastic bag containing the food on the counter before pulling out a cup of coffee she had bought for herself. She took a sip but stopped upon hearing footsteps coming from upstairs.

Brooklyn set her hot beverage down before making her way upstairs. "Hello?" she called as she made her way down the hall. She felt her hopes go up, thinking that maybe Alex had returned once again and was shuffling about.

She paused when she saw Zack standing outside of her bedroom door. "Oh," she said, her hope instantly fading. "Hey, what are you doing?" she asked, purely out of curiosity.

"I'm sorry," he said looking from her closed bedroom door to her. "I know you said not to come up here, but I couldn't help it."

Brooklyn furrowed her brow. "You weren't going through my things, were you?"

Zack's eyes popped open in shock. "What!? No! That's sick and I'm not a pervert!" he cried. "I couldn't go in there before- I was just trying to face my fears."

She crossed her arms as she thought over this boy's words. "You couldn't go in there?" Brooklyn repeated to make sure she had heard correctly.

"Alex- he- you know, died in there," Zack sighed. "Shit, that probably just scared you."

"No, it didn't," she said. "Plus, I already know he died in there."

"You do? How?"

She hesitated for a moment. "He told me."

Zack studied her before laughing at her words. "Yeah, Alex told you," he muttered sarcastically.

"He did," she said in her defense. "He also told me that he died from alcohol poisoning after a party."

Zack rolled his eyes. "You easily could have read that somewhere. It was all over the papers."

"It might have been, but I didn't read them" Brooklyn said firmly. She could feel this conversation going no where. "I went out and got everyone breakfast if you want something," she said, changing the topic.

He nodded, glancing at her closed bedroom door one last time before going down behind Brooklyn.

The two of them sat around the island counter, eating the warm food. Zack seemed to have no problem with what she had bought him. Brooklyn took another sip of coffee before looking at Zack. "Why can't you go in my room?" she asked suddenly.

Zack looked up from his food to her blue eyes. "My best friend died in that room. I just- I just can't go in there."

She nodded. "Sorry, that should have been obvious," she said before taking another sip of her coffee.

"It's okay," he said. There was a comfortable silence between the two of them before he broke it, "I was the one to find him."

Brooklyn lifted her eyes up to look back to the boy who hadn't looked up. "I'm sorry to hear that. It must have been traumatizing," she whispered.

"You have no idea," he said in a hushed tone.

"I smell food," Jack stated as he walked into the room with a blanket wrapped around his shoulders, his hair standing up in every which way.

Brooklyn forced a small smile and held out his food to him.

"Yay!" he cried, taking it from her hands. "You do love me!" he said, wrapping his arms around her tightly.

She laughed a little but she looked to Zack, now worried about him and curious.