Reyna had been pondering the best way to tell Linda about her miserable summer, all of the terrible things that happened ever since school had started, but she could not seem to find the words, the place, or the time to do so. Back when they had both arrived at Teñusa a few days ago, she had thought that this vacation was going to be relaxing and she could finally become happy.
Oh, how Reyna was wrong. No one slept, and there was a reason for it. Monsters were under their beds, and if at any time they thought they were safe, they absolutely were not. She almost regretted coming to Teñusa, coming on this stupid trip. Because of it, she had one more nightmare to add to her recurring ones that haunted every minute of her life.
Really, Reyna should see a therapist. Everyone but her had moved past the events of the summer. Her grandpa dying. The funeral. The journal. The only good things that had come out of it were Hans, who had almost been killed because of the stupid monsters, and the journal her grandpa left her. The journal had been filled with tidbits of information about his life and all of his healing tactics, whether illegal or legal. And now, they were all hers.
Reyna could not get past a single day without thinking about him, and the only thing that helped was reading that journal. That was why she desperately needed to tell someone, to spill all of the very thoughts that were haunting her brain. And she knew she needed to tell Linda. It wasn’t that she hadn’t told anyone. She had told a few people; she just hadn’t shared the full truth, all of her thoughts. Reyna recalled Zephyr and their conversation at the beginning of the year, and she smiled. It had helped to get that weight off of her chest.
But Reyna loved procrastination. Not by choice, but because of the fact that she was scared. She didn’t want to break apart her emotions, her thoughts, and her deepest fears into a million pieces. No. And talking about it made it seem real; it forced her to accept the fact that she would never, ever see her Grandpa again. Just thinking that gave her a heartache.
Slowly, Reyna became braver. Slowly, she became better. Slowly, she found the courage to approach Linda when she was sitting alone. After all, it was the perfect place and the perfect time. Now, all she had to do was find the perfect words.
Reyna stood there for some time behind Linda, unsure whether Linda even knew Reyna was there. But she found the words. She found the courage.
“Hey,” she whispered to Linda finally, actually approaching her and sitting down. “Is this a good time to talk…?”
Reyna fidgeted with her fingers, taking deep breaths to stabilize herself. She recalled her Grandpa’s journal, his words. She remembered dancing with Hans at the Gala, and most of all, she remembered the time when Linda and her friendship had been perfect. Like a cup of hot chocolate, her heart filled with warmth and joy, and suddenly, she felt ten times better. Linda had been trying all this time to help her, to offer her support. She had been nothing but an amazing friend.
Reyna had been the shitty friend. Pushing Linda away, making Linda worry, and she knew it was her job to fix it. To restore their friendship. If she wanted to feel the warmth, the joy, and the perfect friendship again, she had to do this. She had to be brave.
“I think I owe you an explanation…” she added, and she gave Linda a soft smile. “That is, if you are interested.”

It only took a minute of Linda’s comforting words and warming silence to let her spill the beans. 

She had kept it for so long, without telling almost anyone other than Hans about what had really happened to her. She was sure Linda knew her Grandpa had died. But the rest of the details… there was no way she knew. And she appreciated her being there despite how moody she might have been. 

“It started in June of last year. I received a letter from my mother stating my Grandpa was in the hospital because of an untreatable disease. I skipped a few days of school to go see him and when I was there…” Reyna tripped up her words and brushed away a small tear at what she was about to say next. She took a deep breath and continued. 

“The doctor told me he was going to die. He had a few more days left.” A tear rolled down her cheek. 
“I-I had to leave and go back to Hogwarts so I couldn’t watch him-“ Reyna couldn’t say it. She moved on, she was sure Linda knew what she meant. 

“It was difficult after that. Everyone was busy planning the funeral. My mother put me up to writing the eulogy. I-I guess I was okay then because I was doing something. The funeral itself was kept relatively small. Few family and friends but there was a lot of greeting people, which, I have to say I hated.” 

“But, I met Hans. He-“ she paused, “He helped me. And we became friends. And then I got back to school, and I just couldn’t live normally, couldn’t go back to how it was before. I felt like everyone but me moved on and I was just stuck, trapped in a hole with nowhere to go.” 

The story was getting more and more depressing by the minute. "And then there was the journal. " Reyna sighed, "My grandpa left me a journal with all his teachings, his healing notes and concoctions. And all for me. I read through it and have kept it close at all times. I feel better now, closer to him.But it'll hit me sometimes and I'Il just become sad. And sometimes I feel like I had the closest bond with my grandfather so maybe that’s why it’s affecting me this way.”

She paused to breathe trying to stop the tears. There was a fire burning in her. She was so sad she was tired and angry. Tired of those stupid feelings controlling her life. She wanted to be happy like she was before, she wanted to repair her friendship with Linda, with all her friends. But all she felt was pain. 

And she didn’t know how to move on. But if Reyna was ever going to reach happiness, reach what she wanted, she had to push herself. And this was pushing herself. Revealing the real truth, blood, sweat and tears.

And she hoped Linda would understand.