Chapter 8: Reason

As Erika was about to speak, the roof door opened and a young girl walked onto the roof. "Ah! Thank goodness you haven't done it!" She yelled.

"You're the one that was cheated on, right?" Erika asked.

"Eh!? You remember me?" She asked. Erika nodded. "Then, then, do you remember all of us?" She asked. Erika nodded. "R-really!?" She asked. "That's amazing! You must really care about us!" She said.

'Not really...' Erika thought to herself as the door opened again.

"Ah! Eren!" The girl said excitedly as she hugged the boy who came through. "It took you so long to climb those stairs." She exclaimed.

"Silent kid?" Erika asked.

"Geh!? What kind of nickname is that!?" He asked annoyedly. "Well, whatever, yeah. That's me." He said just as the door opened once more and an out of breath girl held it open.

"God... You all... Are so... Fast..." She spoke as she tried to catch her breath.

"Bad family..." Erika said solemnly. The girl tilted her head as she looked at Erika.

"Yeah..." She said.

"Wow! She really does remember all of us!" The energetic girl exclaimed.

"Mary, can you calm down? Your energy is becoming a blinding light." Eren said.

"Ah! Sorry!" She said.

"Well, now that we're all here, I think Erika was just about to say something." The girl with silky hair said.

"Really, Hannah!?" Mary asked. Hannah nodded. Erika gave a dark expression.

"Go on." Hannah said as she looked at Erika.

'Say it to all these people!?' She wondered as she looked at the expectant crowd. She sighed.

"Think of it as all of your problems times ten." She said blandly.

"Eh? What do you mean?" Eren asked.

"You thought you were ignored, I actually was." She told the silent kid.

"What do you mean?" he asked. She sighed.

"There was never any food... My family never cared about me, even if I tried..." She said. "The only time they were interested was when..." She paused as a grim expression fell over her face.

"They wanted you, right?" The woman with short hair spoke.

"What do you mean, Janet?" Hannah asked.

"Th-that's..." She spoke as she hesitated.

"I'll use subtle wording as there are younger here..." Erika said. "They wanted to use me." She said with the same dark expression.

"Th-that..." Janet said.

"Oh..." Hannah spoke.

"If it was only that... I think I could've handled it..." Erika added.

"Th-there's more...?" Hannah asked. Erika nodded as tears formed in her eyes.

"Dammit, you guys weren't supposed to be here!" She yelled. "I was supposed to just come up here one day and leave..." She said. Hannah leaned toward Erika and put a hand on her shoulder.

"I know you don't exactly feel the same, but I'm glad I met you." She said. "We all are." She added. Erika glanced at the group as her tears began to fall and saw them nodding along with Hannah. "Whatever you've been though, we'll help you, just like you helped us." She continued.

"Whatever..." Erika said as she cried. "Do whatever you fucking want!" She said as she stood up and began walking to the door. "I don't care anymore..." She said as she left.

'Th-they followed me all the way home...' Erika thought to herself as she stopped outside of her apartment. "Y-you know, I don't have enough room to house guests..." She said.

"That's okay, I'll be the only one staying with you." Hannah said.

"Th-that's... A bit much..." Erika said.

"As I said, we want to help you, and you said that we can do whatever we want, right?" Hannah asked.

"I-I did..." Erika said. 'But I certainly regret it now...' She thought.

"Well, here's to the first step on this long road." Janet said awkwardly.