ACROSS

29

Omniscient

Onika sits nervously on the Beyonce's bed as she and her friends argue over the movie to watch. She was too shy to make her own input and honestly didn't know much about movies anyways.

Not wanting to draw any attention towards herself she just looks around Beyonce's room noticing that the girl still had a love for the colour blue.

The painting of her room was still the same as when they were younger, just now lighter. Instead of the glow in the dark stickers on the ceiling she had when she was younger it was now replaced with led lights. A flat screen TV faced the bed with a wide white cupboard underneath which had on it a ps5 and a few books which Onika couldn't help but admire..

She'd definitely ask to borrow some later.

The wall behind Beyoncé's bed had little rectangular photos hung up. Onika could feel her heart swell seeing as Beyoncé still had the picture they'd taken in the photo booth all those years ago and still hung it up on her wall. That and a few other pictures of them when they were much younger.

"Onika you listening? I said I'm going down to get snacks I'll be back." Beyoncé says making sure it was okay with her before she left the room.

Onika just nods with a small smile, Beyoncé taking that as a 'go ahead' to leave.

At the sound of the door closing the heads of both Beyoncé's friends snapped towards Onika causing her to flinch a little in surprise.

"So why hasn't Beyoncé never introduced us to you?" Michelle asks Onika with a questioning look.

Onika was like Beyoncé's mysterious friend, at some point the friend group had begun to believe that maybe the two might've been hiding something.

"You're not an undercover alien are you?" Kelly asks in all seriousness causing Michelle to smack her upside the head.

"Why must you always say something odd?" She says looking at her in mock disappointment before finally addressing Onika again whose nerves had begun to get the best of her that she'd started picking at her nails.

Was I suppose to laugh?

Am I being weird?

If I laugh now would it sound weird?

"Are you okay?" Michelle asks noticing Onika's anxiety begin to show. She knew exactly what that felt like especially considering that she'd suffered through that for years up until she began going to therapy.

Onika just nods although a bit stiffly, "I-I'm n-not an u-under cover a-alien."

"We know that. Kelly was just talking weird." Michelle chuckles which leads Onika to let out a little laugh of her own too and Kelly to just pout up at them.

"I d-don't know why she hadn't i-introduced us b-before." Onika says but she knew why. Obviously Beyoncé knew about her anxiety and didn't want her getting overwhelmed by her friends obnoxious characters, that and well... Shawn.

Kelly and Michelle who'd noticed just how bad Onika's stuttering was decide not to draw any attention to it thinking maybe she might've just been really nervous.

___

Beyoncé soon walks back into the room only a moment later looking between Michelle and Kelly who were sitting cross legged in front of Onika.

"What are y'all talking about without me?" She asks dropping the tray of snacks at the foot of the bed before going to take a seat besides Onika resting her head on the shorter girls neck which causes the younger to blush a little.