Prologue

"She's a little different than people, maybe even a little slow but she is a good person and has done nothing wrong here, officer."

Rosie fiddled with her fingers, not tearing her gaze away from her hands. She didn't have the courage to look up and meet anyone's eyes.

"Maybe you shouldn't call her slow," Anthony murmured softly, speaking to his best friend in a quiet voice although he knew Rosie could still hear them talking about her. Rosie was used to hearing people talk about her, making assumptions and judgments, having opinions formed on her before even being spoken to directly.

Tamara sighed. She bit the inside of her cheek as she looked at her cousin, Rosie. "I'm sorry. It's just that I know she's a little... odd. I can assure you she means no harm nor has she done anything wrong." Tamara tried to convince the officer to drop any charges against her cousin, who had been caught 'breaking into' a library. But that wasn't the full story.

The officer narrowed his eyes, eyeing down Rosie. "She mute or something?"

Rosie kept her gaze down, trying to bite back the choking urge to start crying.

"No," Tamara gritted, her gaze on the officer turning into a glare. "I told you, she's different than most people."

"Right," the officer grumbled, not seeming convinced. "What was she doing breaking into public property?"

"She wasn't," Tamara told him calmly, knowing Rosie wouldn't be able to explain herself. "She works here."

The officer scoffed. He was having a hard time buying the story Tamara was selling him, although everything Tamara was saying was the truth.

"I'm sorry for all this trouble, officer Parks." Now, Anthony was the one to cut in. He knew that if the officer said one wrong thing about Rosie, Tamara's fuse would blow. Anthony thought it'd be best to handle this situation himself. "Rosie does work here, we can show you her work ID if you want but the fact that she has a key to the library should explain that itself."

"Why was she here after hours?" The officer kept shifting his gaze back to look at Rosie oddly.

"Cleaning up after hours before closing up and heading home," Anthony explained, glancing at Rosie from the corner of his eye. He could tell she wanted to be anywhere but here. He felt sympathy for how embarrassed she must be feeling right now.

Officer Parks paused for a long moment as he continued to peer at Rosie. He finally exhaled deeply and turned to look at Anthony and Tamara again. "My niece has some... social anxiety problems. Speech therapy can be a lot of help."

Tamara opened her mouth to speak but before she could, Anthony placed a hand on her shoulder to stop her.

"Appreciate the advice, officer." Anthony offered a forced smile.

The officer only nodded curtly before turning and walking away.

"What a fucking prick," Tamara snapped, glaring at the back of the officer's head as he walked away from the three of them. "Speech therapy?"

Rosie finally looked up, not looking at her cousin or Anthony. She tilted her head, exhaling slowly as she watched the officer get into his police car. She still felt like she was going to start crying any second now.

"You okay?" Anthony's eyebrows pulled together as he looked at Rosie, wondering how she was feeling right now.

Rosie only nodded her head in response, not looking at him. She then started walking away.

Tamara shook her head, exhausted as she quickly caught up to her cousin. "You don't have to walk home, Rose. Anthony will drive us tonight."

Rosie stopped in her tracks, looking straight ahead into the dark night sky as she debated. She then shrugged her shoulders and turned to follow her cousin to Anthony's car. The car ride was mostly quiet. The radio played music, the volume low. Tamara and Anthony sat in the front, quietly speaking in tones so hushed that Rosie couldn't hear what they were saying although she wasn't paying attention anyways. She stared out the window and watched the trees blur together as they drove down the vacant streets.

Anthony looked at Rosie through the rear-view mirror, sighing softly when he saw the tired and sad look on her face. "Is she going to be okay after all that?"

Tamara shrugged, her face blank. Tonight wasn't the first time she had to explain Rosie to someone else. "I don't know. Whether or not she is okay, I can't tell either way."

Anthony nodded, sulking his shoulders. He had been best friends with Tamara for as long as he could remember. He knew Rosie was unusual and Tamara was the only person she really had. He didn't know Rosie well, nobody did, but Anthony felt sorry for her. He had known her long enough to have gathered a well-enough understanding of how Rosie was - quiet, shy, incredibly introverted.

Very shortly, Anthony had pulled up to Rosie and Tamara's apartment complex. Rosie grabbed her bag and headed out of the car before Anthony could even put the car in park. She murmured a quiet 'thank you' and was out of the car before Anthony or Tamara could say anything.

"Thanks for tonight," Tamara sighed, turning to look at her best friend. "I know it's complicated but if you hadn't cut in, I'd probably be the one getting arrested."

Anthony grinned, nudging Tamara softly. "She's lucky to have you, Tam."

Tamara smiled but it didn't reach her eyes. She never would admit it, and she hated that she even thought it, but sometimes it was difficult and exhausting having to look out for Rosie. She wanted to protect her cousin but sometimes she didn't know how to.

Rosie never asked for any sort of help. In fact, she wanted the opposite. Rosie would much rather be left alone but Tamara was always too concerned for her.

Tamara muttered a quick goodbye before heading out of the car and catching up to Rosie, the two of them silently riding the elevator up to their floor.

Later that night, before Tamara was headed to bed, she stuck her head into Rosie's room. Rosie was sitting at her desk with her sketchbook out, her hands working a mile a minute as she sketched and shaded and drew.

Tamara smiled faintly. "Goodnight, Rosie."

Rosie didn't look up from her sketchbook, or stop her sketching for even a second.

"Night."

The Art of Making Conversation

Rosie was sitting at the kitchen island, eating her cereal with one hand and holding a book to read in her other hand.

Tamara leaned against the counter across from Rosie, smiling sneakily at her. Rosie placed the book down to look at her cousin. She quirked an eyebrow in a questioning manner, growing suspicious at the look on Tamara's face.

"So..." Tamara drawled slowly, a nervous smile tugging on her lips. "You want to come out tonight?"

Rosie shook her head firmly, swallowing her cereal before speaking. "No."

Tamara sighed, her smile falling. "Please come out with me tonight. It'll just be me, Anthony, and one other friend."

Rosie's face remained completely straight and blank. "They are your friends. Why do I have to come?"

Tamara shrugged, standing straight. She tugged on her fingers nervously, knowing very well that it would be hard to convince Rosie to tag along. "My friends like you, you know that."

Rosie narrowed her eyes, scoffing quietly. "Anthony tolerates me when necessary and I don't know any of your other friends."

"That is because you refuse to meet them."

Rosie shrugged, looking down at her bowl of cereal. She grimaced when she saw that it was becoming soggy. "Because I wouldn't get along with them."

Rosie didn't want to admit that she knew very well what people thought of her.

She was complicated, she knew that. She was odd, quiet, not very talkative at all. She was awkward and shy, definitely not in a cute and quirky way; more in a strange way that made people make weird faces at her and become uncomfortable in her presence.

Tamara pouted out her bottom lip as she gave Rosie her best puppy dog face. "It's just hanging out, super chill, super lowkey. Zach is a really nice guy, I'm sure you'll like him."

Rosie looked at her cousin once again but her face remained in its same blank state. "I'm not interested."

Tamara rolled her eyes. "Come on, please. It'll be nice to get out of the house for something other than school or work."

Rosie shook her head firmly as she filled her mouth with another spoonful of cereal. Nothing about Tamara's invitation seemed like a good idea, if anything, Rosie thought it sounded like an excruciating night.

"Can I do anything to convince you?"

Rosie shook her head again. She looked back down to her novel. "I have some painting ideas I want to work on. I am busy."

Tamara gave Rosie a dull look as she crossed her arms over her chest. She knew she was being pushy but being pushy was the only way to get through to Rosie. "You can paint all day long, Rose. We'll only be out for a few hours and if you want to come home early we can."

Rosie licked her lips, debating for a moment. If Tamara had suggested that just the two of them go out, Rosie would have already agreed.

"Please," Tamara smiled pleadingly. "I'll do the laundry for a week."

Rosie looked at Tamara again, raising her eyebrows. "A month."

Tamara gaped at her for a moment before she quickly closed her mouth and nodded. "Deal. Laundry for a month."

Rosie nodded her head as she stood up, bringing her bowl to the dishwasher. "Okay."

Tamara squealed excitedly, clapping her hands together. She swung her arms around Rosie, hugging her tightly. "Hell yes! I promise you you will have a good time, Rose!"

Rosie squirmed uncomfortably, not liking to be touched or have people come into her personal space bubble. She wiggled out of her cousin's grasp but Tamara didn't care, as she was already excited that Rosie had agreed to come out with her.

Later that night when Rosie had gotten out of the shower and was looking through her closet for something suitable to wear, Tamara barged into her room.She pushed Rosie to the side, so excited that she was practically glowing. She knew Rosie would much rather spend her time staying at home, hauled up in her room, so the fact that Rosie was actually coming out with her made her more than happy. Tamara knew Rosie stuck to herself at all times which is exactly why she wanted Rosie to get out there and have a good time with other people, so that she could see the benefits of having friends. It was just another one of Tamara's hopes of getting Rosie to break out of her shell a little bit.

Of course Rosie didn't think of it as anything more than one night out with her cousin who wanted her company. She mainly agreed because Tamara wouldn't have stopped pleading all day long.

"What are you doing?" Rosie's eyebrows pulled together as she watched her cousin rummage through her closet.

Tamara shuffled through all of Rosie's clothes, eager and ecstatic. "Let me dress you up tonight. You always those same sweaters and plain black or white tops."

"I'm comfortable in those clothes."

Tamara shrugged nonchalantly, hardly taking Rosie's words into consideration. "And you pull off the whole causal-minimalism look great. But, since we're going out, why not spice things up?"

"I don't want the extra flavour," Rosie grumbled quietly, fiddling with her fingers. She knew there was no way to stop Tamara when she was on her rampage of outfit-choosing, which is why Rosie stood back and let Tamara continue her hunt.

Tamara pulled out a light pink off-the-shoulder top, smiling brightly as she turned to look at Rosie.

Rosie shook her head firmly. Her face twisted in distaste. Rosie didn't feel the confidence to pull a shirt like that off, although it could be considered pretty casual of a top. "No."

Tamara sighed, giving her cousin a tired look. "It is your shirt, Rosie. What's wrong with it?"

"It was a gift from you."

Tamara rolled her eyes as she shoved the top into Rosie's chest. "Once you put it on, you will thank me for being so pushy. Just wait and see how cute you'll look."

"Why do I have to look cute?"

Tamara smiled warmly, placing a hand on Rosie's shoulder. "Because sometimes when you're going out, it's fun to dress fancier than you normally would."

Rosie's whole face twisted into a look of confusion. "Where is the logic? I just want to be comfortable."

Tamara only laughed as she headed out of Rosie's room and back to her own. She knew Rosie was hating every second of this but she couldn't help being so excited herself. Rosie hardly ever agreed to come out with her, especially if any other friend would be there.

Reluctantly, Rosie changed into the shirt her cousin had picked out. She left her hair to air-dry to it's natural wavy state it would end up in.

"You look great," Tamara linked her arm through Rosie's as they headed out of their apartment.

Rosie pulled her arm back, shoving her hands into her jean's pockets.

Tamara leaned against the wall in the elevator, looking at Rosie with her eyes narrowed. "Tell me you're a little excited."

Rosie shrugged, looking down at her shoes.

Tamara smiled, but it was more sad than she wanted to show. "You'll have fun tonight, Rose. You already know Anthony and I told you Zach is a good guy."

Rosie shrugged again, not having much to protest about. She was already getting into her cousin's car so she knew there was no backing out now. She figured the sooner the night would end, the sooner she'd get to be back in the comforts of her own room.

Although Rosie didn't want to admit it, a tiny part of her was feeling excited about tonight. As nervous as she was, she was also looking forward to having a fun night for once in her life. It wasn't much but it was more for Rosie than it was for anyone else.

Rosie and Tamara got to the local bar they were supposed to meet the boys at. Rosie glanced around outside at the crowded streets, starting to feel her palms become sweaty out of anticipation. She wasn't much of a social or out-going person so things like this were nerve-wracking to her.

"Hey guys," Anthony noticed the girls walking to the booth he sat in with Zach. He slid out of the booth, giving Tamara a side hug. "Rosie," he smiled down at her, nodding curtly because he knew she wasn't a touchy or hugging type of person.

Rosie offered him a small smile, not holding his gaze for too long.

"Rosie, this is Zach. Zach, this is my cousin I told you about."

"Hey," Zach grinned, eyeing Rosie up and down. He held out his hand for her to shake.

Rosie stared at his hand for a moment too long before reluctantly shaking it, letting go of his hand quickly. She slid into the booth beside Tamara while the boys sat across from them.

Anthony and Tamara had ordered most of the food, ordering more than they all would be able to eat. Rosie stayed mostly quiet, glancing around the bar and noticing every little detail. She paid good attention to all the things and people around her. She was busy looking at some of the photography pictures on the wall when she was pulled back into the conversation.

"So, Tamara said you go to Lone Oak University too?" Zach leaned over the table, his hands folded together. He held eye contact with Rosie.

Rosie nodded her head slowly, her face heating up as the attention was now focused on her. She didn't like speaking much, especially about herself.

"Cool," Zach grinned lightly. "What are you majoring in?"

"Art entertainment and media management," she told him, her voice quiet. She kept her gaze more focused on the food in front of her.

"I didn't know that," Anthony mused, his eyes narrowed in an intrigued manner. "I'm doing media arts and production."

Rosie looked up to lock eyes with Anthony. She smiled softly, picking at her nails. She liked how easily he could talk to her, despite how quiet she would remain.

"What's that all about?" Zach asked. "What does art entertainment consist of, exactly?" His face twisted in confusion.

Rosie rubbed the back of her neck as she felt a lump starting to form in her gut. That was something that would typically happen, causing her to grow a loss of words and make her unable to say much. She knew she could answer his question, she just didn't know how to. It was as if she didn't know how to force the words out of her mouth. She was paranoid that anything she could say would sound stupid.

"You organzine and manage different types of arts," Anthony spoke up, causing the others to look at him instead of at Rosie. He glanced at her momentarily, offering a supporting smile. "Could be visual art, performing, entertainment media. The major ties into business, finance and marketing. Stuff like that."

Zach nodded his head slowly, stuffing his face with french fries. If he was being honest, he really didn't care about the major itself, he was just trying to make conversation with Rosie to get rid of her initial shyness.

Rosie looked down at her lap, nervously fiddling with her fingers as she felt a wave of embarrassment settle upon her. She felt stupid for clamming up the way she had, although it was something she knew was bound to happen. She was annoyed at herself.

Tamara cleared her throat and changed the subject, talking to Zach about random topics before he had the chance to ask Rosie any more questions. She knew Rosie could use a breather.

Eventually, Zach did turn his focus back to Rosie. "So, I haven't seen you at any frat parties. You don't like to party?"

Rosie slowly chewed on the potato wedges she was eating. She shook her head in response. She wanted to run out of the pub and get away from the awkward and tense atmosphere.

Zach heaved out a heavy breath, nodding. "Right. You don't like to talk much either?"

Rosie's face grew hot once again. She swallowed, licking her lips. She was about to say no but instead, she just shrugged and looked away from Zach. She winced at herself.

"Amazing," Zach rolled his eyes, looking elsewhere in the bar.

"She's a li-"

"A little shy?" Zach cut Tamara off, snapping his head towards her. "I thought you said your cousin was cool."

Rosie bit down on the inside of her cheek, keeping her gaze down in her lap. Suddenly, she wanted to snap her fingers and magically teleport back into her bedroom.

Tamara gritted her teeth, glaring at Zach. "Excuse me?"

"Tam-"

"No," Tamara cut Anthony off before he had a chance to stop the conversation from continuing. "I want to know what Zach means."

"I don't think that's a good idea," Anthony spoke through gritted teeth of his own, giving Tamara a pointed look. He nervously glanced at Rosie who was still looking down at her lap.

Zach sighed as he placed down the napkin in his hands. He leaned over the table, towards Tamara. "Look this has been cool and all but I've basically been talking to a brick wall all night. Not what I signed up for, Tammy."

"Are you serious?" Tamara scoffed, not believing how rude Zach was being. She knew her cousin was hard to talk to but the four of them were together, all of them making conversation and having a chill night. She didn't expect this to be coming from Zach who was always such a nice guy.

Zach turned to look at Rosie who was still silent and looking down at her lap. He quirked an eyebrow. "See what I mean?"

Tamara gritted her teeth, ready to snap at Zach but Rosie spoke first, taking them all by surprise.

"It's fine," she mumbled softly. She spoke so quietly, she was hardly heard. She grabbed her wallet and slid out of the booth, looking down at her shoes. "I'm tired. I'm just going to grab an Uber home. It was nice meeting you, Zach."

She quickly slid between the crowd and managed to get out of the bar before hearing what anyone else had to say.