My Delivery Boy

02 | Tears and Rebirth

I said, "It's okay, Vanessa. Jason's an asshole. Forget about him."

Vanessa didn't reply but cried into my shoulder. Patting her back, I motioned her to sit down inside the market.

She muttered through her sobbing, "I don't know what I did wrong!"

Sitting beside her, I handed her a box of tissues and stroked her hair. Looking at her sincerely, I said, "You didn't do anything wrong. I'm sure of it."

"Why then... why couldn't he just tell me?" Vanessa cried out as she wiped her nose furiously.

Sighing, I grabbed a tissue to wipe the tears and said, "He was the one who made the mistake. You know why he couldn't just tell you? Because he's nothing but a coward."

Vanessa tried her best to stop her crying by taking deep inhales, but the poor girl was in so much pain. Glancing at her outfit, she was wearing a shimmery knee length silver dress. It suited her so well, and her honey brown hair was perfectly curled and bouncy. Jason was going to pay.

It took seven boxes of tissue and two bags of Vanessa's favorite orange-crème candy to calm her down a bit. Just seeing her in this state made me tear up. I never wanted to see my best friend hurt again.

Vanessa's reddened eyes blinked, and she softly laughed. "I'm stupid, aren't I? Maisie, tell me it's all my fault."

Shaking my head, I said, "No, you're Vanessa Montgomery. The only girl I know who can put up with anything."

We both giggled before Vanessa started to hiccup. She grabbed another tissue to wipe her shadowed green eyes.

Through a sigh, her shoulders dropped and said, "I think I'm done with boys."

Suddenly, Mason came walking into the store with his trusty guitar in hand. His "not so serious" band practice must have been over. My younger brother always had a strong passion for music. When he caught sight of the both of us, he stopped on the soles of his shoes.

Mason's brown eyes widened and said, "Whoa, what happened?"

"Well—" I was beginning to say something until Mason started shaking his head.

He walked over to Vanessa's side and clarified, "Not you. I'm talking to Vanessa."

He would say something like that.

Vanessa glanced up at Mason and smiled sadly. She tried keeping her voice leveled. "It's nothing."

Mason had his hands on his knees and examined her. His love for her was definitely showing.

He said toughly, making me suppress my laughter, "Did someone hurt you?"

Vanessa blinked away, not being able to answer. Mason gave me a long pleading look.

I sighed in defeat. "It's Jason. He... broke up with her."

The look on Mason's face dropped, and I could see his fists clenching together. "Vanessa, I swear to you, I will beat the crap out of Jason once I see him. He'll regret doing this to you!"

The determination that was coming off Mason made Vanessa brighten up a bit. A smile grew on her pale lips. We all started laughing after that. Soon after, Mason got his guitar and dedicated a heartwarming song to her. His soothing voice and addictive strumming definitely relaxed the once tensed atmosphere. I was grateful that Mason came at the right time.

Once Vanessa regained her stability, we all stood outside the store ready to part ways. The cool wind gently passed, making a chill run up my spine.

Vanessa said, "Thank you guys for everything. I don't know what would have happened if you guys weren't here."

Giving her a hug goodbye, I reassured her, "You know, I'll always be there for you."

Vanessa gave me a bigger smile and nodded her head in agreement. "Me too!"

My best friend pulled me into a tighter hug, reaching to a point where I couldn't breathe.

Before she headed to her car, Vanessa cupped her hands and said, "Maisie! I'm going on a boy break. No more boys for me!"

I gave her a thumbs-up but snickered at the side.

That wasn't going to happen.

✿       ✿       ✿

Two weeks has passed since Vanessa's sudden break up with Jason. Things were a lot better. Our sales suddenly boomed. It was as if people finally decided to do some grocery shopping. The downside of all the goodness was the fact that the delivery boy never came back. The image of him in my mind was gradually blurring. Maybe he really wasn't the one.

False attraction was what I should call it.

Instead of being at Lockhart's Pantry, I was having lunch with Vanessa. She called me last minute because she had very important news to tell me. I quoted her on that. It must be important since she was offering to buy me food as well.

Pulling up to the nearest curb, I was meeting her at Brightside Café. I spotted her sitting in one of the tables by the window. It was our favorite seats. Her eyes were glancing around, probably in search of me. Getting out of my car, I ran inside the moment Vanessa started waving her hands around, motioning me to hurry in.

Taking a seat, regret started to overtake me. I grabbed a glass of water before chugging it down from exhaustion. I probably looked like a lunatic running inside but I was dead tired.

After catching my breath, I asked, "Hey, so what's the news?"

Vanessa seemed unsure and hesitated, "You'll listen to me all the way, right?"

Nodding my head, I hoped that it wasn't anything bad. My heart raced, wondering of all the possibilities. What if Vanessa had some type of disease or randomly got pregnant or something life changing at her age?

She finally explained, "Alright, so you know how I said I'm done with boys? Well, I am. I'm really not looking for anyone. But, this past week at school, I've been meeting up with this boy. He just, like, took me away! I never really knew about him, but it turns out his family owns this huge business. I mean, if he has such a big name, how come I never knew? Anyway, he's super sweet, and he's such a cutie. So as I was saying, he asked me to go out and have dinner with him."

Disappointed yet very relieved, I smiled. "I'm happy for you, Vanessa. But, are you ready to move on?"

She nodded surely and said, "I want to give him a shot. He seems different, but there's... something else."

Oh no. Please not some guy who has kids (or something along those lines).

"It's a double date. Me and him and his cousin. But, I sort of set you up with his cousin."

I nearly choked on the stolen glass of water from Vanessa. "You did what!"

Vanessa nodded again. "I know, I feel so bad for doing this, but it was kind of the only way it could happen. He told me that his cousin is really nice though! You'll love him."

This couldn't be happening. As far as dates went, especially blind dates, they never turned out right.

I repeat, never.

Giving Vanessa a terrified look, I said, "You can't be serious."

Vanessa clasped her hands together and pleaded, "Maisie, please do it for me! I owe you my life after this!"

I really did hope this guy she was so determined to go on a date with was worth it.

I sighed, nodding. "Yeah, of course I'll do it for you. But, I thought you were taking a boy break."

Her green eyes dropped momentarily until she exclaimed, "I know, but it's different this time. I'm reborn once again!"

How many times did I hear that already?