Take a Chance on Me

Seven

"Get up," Gabby commands as she walks into the living room and sees me laying on the couch.

"What? No. I want to stay here." I mutter, clenching my pillow closer to my chest.

Gabby walks to the TV and stands directly in front of it. "I'm not giving you a choice. Get up, Leah."

"Gabby I just want to stay inside today. Please," I beg.

Gabby walks over to the coffee table, grabs the remote, and turns off the TV. "Watching Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams fall in love and kiss in the rain isn't going to make you feel better."

"How do you know that?"

"Because you have watched this movie every day since the breakup. I'm not letting you do this to yourself. We are going shopping, so get dressed unless you want to go out in your pajamas."

I immediately get off the couch and walk to my room to get dressed. There is no point in arguing with Gabby. That girl is stubborn, plus I've never seen her lose an argument and I wasn't planning on being her next victim.

-

We start browsing through the racks at Urban Outfitters and Gabby hands me dozens of shirts, skirts, pants, and jackets to try on. "You're turning a new leaf this year. You're 'Leah, the hot girl that doesn't need a man to make her feel complete.'"

"I can't afford all of this, you know that."

"Of course you're not going to buy all of this. Just our favorites. Trying on clothes is just part of the fun. Now get in there," she says as she pushes me towards the fitting rooms. 

I begin trying on the heaps of clothing that fills my room. Most of the clothes Gabby picked out for me aren't really my style, but I would be lying if I said it wasn't fun to pretend to be someone else for a few minutes. The black leather skirt I tried on made me feel like a total badass, but I know that if I bought it it would sit at the bottom of one of my drawers and never see the light of day. And the fluffy cheetah print coat was super cute, but it's too hot for one right now and I could never afford it. 

I try on a simple lavender long sleeve bodysuit that would look really good with my black skinny jeans and chunky heels. I take another look at myself in the mirror, almost set on buying it, until I think of him. 

You know how much I love that color on you, babe I imagine him saying.

I immediately take it off as quickly as I can. What is wrong with me? It's just a shirt. Why does everything remind me of him? 

I sit down in the dressing room for a while to calm myself down and wipe my tears before Gabby sees. This is supposed to be an Alex-free day with my best friend. I need to focus my mind elsewhere. 

A knock on the door brings me back to reality. "Are you okay in there, Leah? You've been in there for a long time."

"Yeah, I'm good," I yell through the door. "I'll be right out."

I leave everything in the fitting room and come out empty handed. 

"You didn't like anything? Not one single thing you tried on?" Gabby questions. 

"I guess not."

Once we exit the store Gabby pulls me to the side. "Is everything okay? You know you can talk to me about anything, right?"

I ponder back and forth, deciding if I should tell her that everything reminds me of him and that I am still completely heartbroken over the breakup. 

I give in. She's my best friend and I can't keep all of my emotions bottled up all of the time. "I'm just having a really hard time, with everything. Every time I leave the house I am reminded of him. Every time we drive past the beach I think of him. Every time we pass the airport, which of course just so happens to be right down the street from our apartment, I think of him. When I was trying on clothes I kept thinking about which outfits he would like the best. I can't move on."

Gabby pulls me into her and wraps her arms around me. "It's going to take time, just be patient. Trust me, I was a complete disaster during my last breakup. You were the one to take care of me, remember? So I am going to take care of you."

"I love you Gabby."

"I love you too. I think the problem is that you're only thinking about the good memories. I'm not saying that you should forget them, but you should also think about the times he didn't treat you the best and realize that you can do better. Remember that time when he forgot-"

"Yes, please don't remind me."