it is up to you to see the beauty in everyday things

 "Well, I'm sorry things haven't gotten any better with Mercer," Maisie nodded as she examined everything on her plate in the school cafeteria. 

"That's just the way he is," Cade munched on an apple. He didn't get to see Maisie much but they did have lunch together. She was great to talk to. It was just he couldn't handle cafeteria food. Even the milkshakes were watery and the salad bar didn't exist anymore. He got out a baggie with a peanutbutter and strawberry jam sandwich and slid it over toward her.

"Thanks," she took it. He usually made extras these days. Just in case.

"He's changed ever since he met Brooklyn," Cade must have told this to Maisie over twenty times. He hated to say it again, but it was all he knew.

"What if..what if..it's not that." Her words hung in the air.

"But..but I don't know what I did wrong," Cade said as he looked his apple over. He couldn't even finish it. "I mean, I went with him in the ambulance and everything."

"Maybe that's not what he wanted," Maisie shrugged as he took another bite of her sandwich. He took his sandwich and stuffed half of it in his mouth. It was like he was back to being miserable again, but it was good to have Maisie to talk to. 

She said she'd been in love once. "It was just too much," she shook her head. "Like a drug or something, you know. I just didn't know how to handle it."

He could relate. She said in the end she needed to love herself more. "You really have to think about how you want to be loved. And how to really appreciate people."

Cade winced now wondering if he didn't know how to appreciate people. Of course, he looked over at the next table and there were Lily and Rafe acting all silly with each other. He gritted a smile. 

"Not all of us can be like your brother and his girlfriend," Maisie told him. He nodded.

"Oh, and next week, let me bring your lunch," Maisie offered. "But then again, you and Merc might hook up."

Cade laughed out loud. That was never going to happen.