The sound of loud knocking echoed through the apartment.
Alina poked her head out of her room, frowning. "You expecting someone?"
Ethan shrugged from the couch. "Not really."
The door swung open before she could ask again.
"Heeeyyyy, Carter family!" came a booming voice.
A tall guy with wild curls, a backwards cap, and way too much energy bounded into the room holding two grocery bags.
"Bro," Ethan groaned, "You still don't knock?"
"Would've if I had a free hand!" the guy grinned. "Also, I brought reinforcements. Snacks and soda. Time for a mental health intervention."
He looked at Alina and gave a playful salute. "Hi. I'm Leo, Ethan's much cooler, funnier, and better-looking best friend. You must be the little sister I've heard too much about."
Alina raised an eyebrow, arms crossed. "You're the one who convinced him to dye his hair purple in high school, aren't you?"
Leo gasped. "He told you that?"
Ethan smirked from the couch. "It was a dark time. Literally."
Leo plopped down dramatically on the floor. "Anyway, here's the deal: we're playing board games tonight. Or movie trivia. Or charades. Something to make you laugh or roll your eyes so hard you forget to be sad for five minutes."
Alina hesitated at her doorway. A small part of her wanted to retreat. But a bigger part—the part that missed laughter, that missed life—nudged her forward.
They ended up playing an absurd game Leo invented on the spot: "Reverse Charades," where the guesser had to act, and everyone else had to guess.
Watching Ethan try to act out a "panicked flamingo" had her snorting uncontrollably. Leo didn't let up, pretending to faint dramatically at every correct answer, until Alina was laughing so hard she had tears in her eyes.
When the game ended, she looked up and caught both of them smiling at her—not in pity, but in hope.
For the first time in weeks, she didn't feel like she was drowning. Maybe—just maybe—she was learning how to float again.