𝐦𝐲 𝐛𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝'𝐬 𝐛𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 ☾ 𝐥. 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐠𝐞

8 | You Don't Mean That

*TW: Teen Drinking*

"Hey Madi," Issie walked up to my locker with a face that said "how are you holding up?"

"I'm um, I'm good." I responded as I took a long deep breath in and a long deep breath out.

"Mason Tavares is throwing a party. I think you should come" She said, placing her arms on my shoulders.

"Isn't he a junior? I haven't said a single word to him like... ever." She looked as if she was searching for someone then looked back up at me.

"I think it'll help take your mind off of things and who knows who might come." I looked at her, curious as to what she meant. "Just come to my house after school so we can get ready!" She yelled, walking into the ocean of people.

"Hey! I didn't say I was going!" I yelled back at her.

"Sorry, what? I can't hear you! Bye, see you later!" Ugh, what does she have planned?

I drove to Issie's house directly after school and parked in my usual spot on the street. I trudged up the concrete steps to the white wooden door, ringing the doorbell.

"Hey!" I heard Millie's voice as she widened the door.

"Hey, is Issie here?" I asked, walking inside. There was a familiar smell of mint chocolate and cologne wafting through the air.

"Yeah. She's upstairs, but- uh she told me that she has a surprise, so um- just wait a little bit. Downstairs!" She ran upstairs leaving me super confused. What surprise? What is she talking about?

I sat down on the couch and took out my phone, not knowing what or who was next to me.

"Hey" I looked to my right and I saw him. The person that I wanted to go to first when I heard my parents were splitting up, the person that I wanted to hold me while I cried into his shoulder, the person that I wanted to lift me off my feet and spin me around until I felt better.

"Hey" Almost all of our interactions have been one worded responses. I didn't expect this one to be any different. I looked back down at my phone, waiting for Issie to come downstairs with her "surprise."

Then I felt a light tap on my shoulder. "I'm sorry." Wait, what? I turned my head towards him.

"I'm sorry for avoiding you and being super passive aggressive and not talking to you. All I've wanted to do was talk to you, talk to my-" He paused before he went on. "one of my best friends. I'm really sorry." I placed my phone in my purse and looked directly into his brown eyes.

"I'm sorry too. You weren't the only one avoiding someone. I guess I kind of sorta tried avoiding you too. I'm really sorry." He pulled me into a hug and we quickly let go.

"Issie told me about your parents, I'm sorry. I wish I was there for you" I looked down at our almost touching thighs.

"Oh, it's- it's fine. I'm just lucky that I had Issie with me." This is the most we've talked in like 2 weeks. Wow.

"Speaking of Issie, she told me you didn't want to go to Mason's party? You should go."

"Did she tell you to say that? To convince me to go? Do you really want to start being normal again or is this just apart of her plan?" Did he mean anything he just said? Or was this just a plan to get me to go?

"No no no no. This wasn't a plan. I want you to go. I want to hang out with you and laugh until we can't breathe. I just- I really missed being with you." My stomach did a backflip when I heard those words. He missed me