When You Least Expect It

20

Holly Dae's father passed away several years ago, so it was still a sore subject for her. Holly Dae showed up to the funeral with her hair dyed an outrageous shade of green. It was the first time she had colored her hair. In my childhood, Holly Dae's house was like a second home, filled with shared laughter and afternoons of carefree play. I affectionately called her dad Mr. Dae, and his warm and welcoming nature made him a favorite among the neighborhood kids. His unexpected passing left a void, and attending the funeral marked a somber realization of the impact he had on my life.

"Is everything okay?" I asked her.

"Nik and I have been fighting recently." She sniffed. "A lot."

Holly Dae and Nik were like two peas in a pod, so hearing that shocked me. "About what?"

"Everything. We fight over the stupidest shit. We had a big fight the other day about what to watch. I wanted to watch 'Pulp Fiction' because, you know, it is my all-time favorite movie, but he thought it was pretentious and wanted to watch 'The Amazing Spider-Man'. And then last week we got into a fight over the fucking laundry! I washed his clothes with mine and forgot to separate the whites, and his shirt stained with red. Also, when I asked him what color I should dye my hair next, he told me that I was immature and needed to break this habit because it was causing damage to my hair."

"First of all, 'Pulp Fiction' is a wonderful movie." I bumped my shoulder with hers. "Secondly, could it be that your petty fights might be hinting at something deeper? Something neither of you want to acknowledge."

Holly Dae chewed on the inside of her lip. "I guess we've both burned each other out. We've been dating for a long time, and everyone says we'll end up being high school sweethearts who have five children and live in a nice suburban house, but I don't think that's the case with him anymore. Our time together was lovely, but I suppose it was never meant to be more than a memory."

"I always figured that you two would last forever. But don't worry, Holly Dae, everything will be okay. You two are growing up, and ultimately, growing apart. We're still all friends, and that will never change. But I believe you know what you need to do deep down. It's not easy, but it's better than staying together and only leaving when you both can't stand the sight of each other."

She turned to face me and gave me an awkward hug, Brodie squished in the middle of us. I just embraced her tighter as she whispered tearfully, "Thank you."

We pulled back when my phone buzzed with a text message. I looked at the glowing screen.

Carson: I need your help.

Holly Dae drove me to Carson's house. I was on edge the entire ride, gnawing at my nails, trying to quiet Brodie in the backseat while also calming down the storm raging in my mind.

When I got there, the front door was unlocked despite the fact that the house was empty. I let myself in and looked around the living room. Something small whizzed by my leg. Carson's puppy, Taco, started barking as soon as he saw me.

"Hi, cutie," I cooed, crouching down to pet him. He licked my hand and I laughed. He zoomed past me to the kitchen, and I looked around once more.

"Hello?" I called out.

Carson's father emerged from one of the rooms, his head poking out. The door behind him revealed a study. This must be where he writes most of his books. "Hi, you must be Maxine."

"Good morning, Mr Rivers. I was concerned when you didn't show up for mass today, so I thought I'd check in..." I sounded childish and obsessive. Perhaps, for once in his life, Miles was correct.