Roses Are Red

Chapter 14

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Summer

June 25th, 1960

"So, how are things goin' with ye and James?" Eden asked innocently, though she already knew how things were going.

Samantha stared up at the ceiling of Eden's room blankly. It was a popcorn texture, something Samantha hated. Why not make it smooth? It was infuriating. Nonetheless, it made for a good thing to stare at. "Good," she said plainly.

Eden looked at her friend with slight pity. Samantha was, as she would describe, feeling 'meh'. There wasn't much good or much bad. Sometimes when she saw James she would feel a bit more upbeat. She tried to think of the future with James to keep herself going. A nice house, a dog and a cat, two kids, white picket fences, her with a job in whatever she was going to major in at college, and James with his job in journalism. The thought made her happy, though sometimes it also scared the shit out of her. It was a hit or miss. Either way, George would cross her mind frequently and bring her mood down again. She missed him, and it hurt like hell. At least when she had first started dating James and hadn't talked for George for a while, she knew he was still there. Now, George was gone.

Paul had told her over and over again that he just needed time. That George was doing this for her. It didn't help the pain she felt in her chest everytime she thought of him. John was a bit more blunt in his advice. He told Samantha on multiple occasions just to break up with James and see where things went with George. Samantha deemed this impractical. She loved James, or at least she was pretty sure she did. She was doubting herself more and more with John constantly saying these things to her, and with the pit that sat in her stomach growing in anxiousness.

"How are things with John?" Samantha questioned and Eden scoffed in response.

"Well, considering I haven't talked to him in three weeks, not great. I told ye, we've broken up for good this time," Eden said as she flipped over the record on the turntable. A slower song came on. Samantha recognized the beautiful voice as Roy Orbison's.

"He isn't with that other girl, y'know. He's kept away from Cynthia," Samantha said and pushed herself to a sitting position on Eden's bed. Eden was scowling at Sammi from her desk. "I'm not making excuses for him, he is an asshole," Samantha added.

"Yeah, George told me. I don't give a damn what he's doin' anymore. I'm over it," Eden grumbled and continued to draw on the piece of paper in front of her. They both knew she was lying. Eden was not over John at all, but she was trying to convince herself she was in order to try and forget about him. Really, Eden cried sometimes at night, and she'd call Samantha to talk about it all. Samantha did note that Eden was calling her less lately, which was a good sign.

Samantha bit the inside of her cheek when Eden said George's name. "How is he?" she asked, and Eden raised an eyebrow.

"Why're ye askin' me? Paul talks to him more."

"Cause, Paul likes to give me vague answers to save my feelings. You, on the other hand, are brutally honest, something I for the most part appreciate," Samantha stated and pushed a piece of her half grown out bangs behind her ear. She had gotten sick of constantly curling them, but now they were always in her eyes or awkwardly pushed back with the rest of her hair.

Eden pursed her lips and set down her pencil. "He's... alright, I suppose," she said and eyed Samantha.

Sammi looked down at her hands that rested in her lap. "Is he, I don't know, happy?"