The evening before Lizzie's birthday, Lydia found her sitting on the front porch, staring off into the distance. It was a sign of just how depressed Lizzie was that she didn't even try to hide the newsie cap she was holding when Lydia sat down beside her.

"Hey."

"Hi."

After a long pause Lydia said, "Still haven't heard from him?"

"No."

"That sucks."

"Yeah."

And if this were one of those dumb rom-coms, this would be the moment to say that all men were slime, or he didn't deserve her, and who needed him anyway? But this wasn't a movie. In movies, when girls had guys treat them like crap they cried for one stupid sad-music montage, and then they shrugged it off and went happily on like it had never happened.

In movies, they never seemed to realize what it meant if all men were slime and didn't deserve those girls. It meant that the girls were idiots who kept falling for jerks. It meant that everything they felt when they were in love, that terrifying awful wonderful feeling, was wrong. Pointless. Poisonous.

But Lydia knew better. She knew that Lizzie didn't need a Darcy-bashing session. She just didn't know what to say instead. For a while, she kept her mouth shut and let Lizzie rest her head on her shoulder. It wasn't until she felt Lizzie make a shuddering, jerky movement that Lydia realized she was crying.

Then, suddenly, Lydia knew what to say. "You were totes brave."

"Huh?" Lizzie lifted her head, rubbing her eyes.

"Brave. You know, leaps of faith and all that."

Lizzie let out a half-laugh, half-sniffle. "I made a phone call."

"Yeah. And it was awesome."

"No, it was awkward and pathetic."

"That doesn't mean it wasn't awesome and brave and stuff. Maybe it's even more awesome. 'Cause you were scared but you did it anyway."

Lizzie turned the newsie hat around in her hands, staring at it. "And then I crashed and burned," she said in a low voice.

Even though it wasn't even close to the same thing, Lydia understood her almost too well. For a second all the horrible pain came back as if it were brand new, as if she were staring at that website on her phone while the realization sank in, deeper and sharper and crueler with every moment – and then it faded. Still bad but getting more bearable, a cut that was finally starting to scab over.

"Well," Lydia said, "it beats the alternative, right?"

Lizzie managed a tiny smile.

Lydia gave her arm a nudge. "You wanna get some ice cream?"

"Are you suggesting I eat my feelings?" Lizzie said, looking at her sideways. "Because I am totally up for that."

Lydia giggled. "Awesome." She stood and held out her hand to Lizzie, helping her to her feet.

"You know, I really won the jackpot when it comes to sisters," Lizzie said as they went inside.

"Yeah. Me too."