The Good Enough Friend (YA)

Chapter Twenty Eight - October 24, 2019 [✔️]

White cheddar popcorn was my savior. I ordered a month's supply of 50 small bags from a food delivery service. A drone delivered it to my window.

Zeriah became my worst enemy in the blink of an eye. After I opened up to her, she stabbed me in the back. To make matters worse, I had no one to turn to. No. That wasn't true. If I was mad at Zeriah in the past, I could call Wyatt. He would take me out and make me forget about life for a few hours. Unfortunately, that wasn't an option.

She tried to make amends. She called the school, pretending to be Mom and informed them I was taking a few mental health days. School was the last thing on my mind. How could I think about that when my entire life was mere moments from a catastrophe?

Midway through the fourth bag, there was a knock on my door. I scraped my index finger against the bottom row of my teeth, making sure I ate the last bits of cheese. I squeezed the bag in my fist and tucked it under my mattress. My garbage bin was too far away.

In my free hand I held my sandstone—Jodie. I stopped carrying it around 24/7 because Wyatt thought it made me stand out too much. Our goal for me to make more friends would be hindered by my weird inclination to hold a rock whenever life was too much. I missed it. Its smooth exterior soothed me.

Someone knocked again.

Minutes later the door was unlocked.

I shut off my TV and didn't move an inch. If I stayed silent then whoever it was would leave. I turned my head and clenched my eyes shut.

Go away!

"I come back from an out-of-state conference to hear you missed three days of school. Had to hear it from Trish Chloros. Did you know she handles attendance at the high school? Her son, Milo, remember we had him over for dinner? He has never missed a day of school. It was humiliating." Mom lectured.

Her slippers scuffed the wooden floor. The sound was louder and louder. She was right behind me.

"Zaydence Denholm, you are not asleep."

I rolled onto my side.

She leaned over my bed wearing an all white tracksuit and berated me for being embarrassing. My absences blindsided her and she couldn't save face in front of a client.

I always thought my Mom was perfect. Perfect skin. Perfect physique. She planned her days out to the minute. She crossed off every item on her to-do list. Every day.

I knew firsthand how it felt to rethink a social situation. To replay the event like it was stuck on a loop in my head. I thought she was two-faced for the way she acted with his clients. I had never seen her this unnerved.

In a strange way, I liked it. Seeing her play with her hair out of nervousness made me think that maybe we weren't that different. It was as if she'd lowered herself to my level.

We were the same. Two anxious creatures trying to fake our way through life.

I stared at the vein popping out of her neck and a rumbling laugh emerged out of me.

"I know you don't care for school but this is too much. What's going on with you?" she jutted her chin out.

I wasn't pushing myself to the degree that Zeriah was but I wasn't a complete slacker. I did care about school a miniscule amount. She couldn't see that. If I wasn't giving my all, it was the same as not trying

She sniffed the air. "Did you shower?"

I clenched my arms to my sides."Not yet," I said in a small voice.

"Up."

I rolled out of bed. Crumbs and kernels fell to the floor. My stench permeated the room. Truth be told, I wasn't certain when I showered last. Maybe it was yesterday or the day before.