graham family

Characters

garret - dad

hannah - mom

Intro

Being the youngest Graham was exhausting sometimes.

At fourteen, Willow Graham had already learned three things:

1. Her mother, Hannah, could read her like a book. 2. Wyatt and Gigi acted tough until someone messed with their little sister. 3. Garrett Graham was terrifying when he was worried.

Which explained why all three of them were currently standing outside her bedroom door after she’d spent two hours pretending to be asleep.

“Will,” Gigi called softly. “Open the door before Dad literally removes it.”

“I can do that,” Garrett muttered.

“You are not removing her door,” Hannah sighed.

Willow buried her face deeper into her pillow, cheeks burning. It was stupid. Embarrassing, honestly. It wasn’t even a real relationship compared to her parents’ epic love story. It was middle school. Three months of hallway hand-holding and late-night texts before ending with: “I think we should just be friends.”

Which somehow hurt worse than she expected.

A quiet knock sounded again before the door slowly opened anyway. Wyatt stepped in first, hands shoved in his hoodie pocket.

“You look rough,” he said.

“Get out.”

“Fair.”

But he sat at the edge of her bed anyway.

A minute later, Garrett walked in carrying a milkshake and fries like some kind of peace offering. Hannah followed behind him, sitting beside Willow carefully.

Nobody talked for a second.

Then Garrett cleared his throat. “So. Need me to fight a fourteen-year-old?”

Willow let out a laugh she didn’t mean to.

“Thought so,” he said smugly.

Hannah brushed hair out of Willow’s face. “First heartbreaks feel big because they are big.”

“And he’s dumb,” Gigi added from the doorway. “Objectively.”

Wyatt nodded seriously. “Scientifically, actually.”

Willow rolled her eyes, but the ache in her chest loosened a little.

Because maybe breakups sucked.

But being a Graham meant never having to survive one alone.