Friendship Never Dies (formerly called Silver Lining)

Friendship Never Dies - Chapter 5

Chapter 5

I don’t know how long I sat there, just thinking. But when the bell went I barely noticed the bustling bodies crowding the hallways, crushing together, trampling on my feet, swearing at me and giving me funny looks. I was so trapped in my own mind. I was numb inside.

At the end of the day Nicole came to find me. She wandered into the corridor, looking worried. And relief broke through the wall of non-emotion at the sight of her and it looked like I had the same effect on her.

I finally drew the strength to stand up and we almost ran to each other. She pulled me into a hug for the third time today.

“I’m so, so, so sorry, Rachel!” she gasped into my hair and I swore I felt something wet slide down my neck. She was crying.

“It’s ok, Nic. Shhh,” I whispered soothingly, rubbing her back, not knowing what to do. Her tears frightened me – I’d never seen her cry before that day.

“I didn’t mean it. Honest I didn’t!” she cried loudly, so keen to reassure me, that her words slurred together. She didn’t believe my forgiveness, and she was on the verge of hysterics.

“I know, I know.” I murmured, panicking as she started bawling against my shoulder. “It’s ok. Don’t worry.” I whispered. Despite her sobs, Nicole heard me and gazed up at me with hopeful eyes. “Really?” she whispered back. I nodded, smiling at her. “Thank you.” she answered my grin and hugged  me tight again. Then we linked arms and walked home, stopping at the corner shop to buy a massive bar of chocolate to share, half each. It was just like before. Before all this happened and we thought it wouldn’t be the same ever again. We were wrong. We could still be friends and maybe this would bring us closer. We just had to get on with it and act like nothing had happened. That’s what I kept telling myself. I promised myself that this wouldn’t get in the way of our friendship. It couldn’t. I wouldn’t let it. And I had the feeling that neither would she.

I was glad I knew what was going on. At first it all seemed so horrific I wish I never knew, I wished that I had been kept in the dark. But it got better in time. I learned to live with it. I knew that this would make it worse when she ‘left’, but I couldn’t help it. We acted like normal, so no one knew any different, but sometimes I still glanced at Nicole and her face would be screwed up in pain. And sometimes she ran off to the toilets at break and she’d come back with red around her mouth and it looked like what she’d been coughing up hadn’t been her breakfast. At least I knew what it was now. The curiosity and irritation had been eating away at me before, but now all I could feel was intense sympathy and fear for her.

But Nicole was fighting it.

The doctors had given her treatment and she tried to eat as healthily as she could stand. I ate the same stuff as her, to keep her company and she appreciated it but she wished that she could be normal again. She had to go for therapy some days and some people asked me where she was but I never told them the truth. I told them that I didn’t know (they didn’t believe that, but didn’t push any farther) or some stuff about the dentists or whatever. And when she came back to school, Nicole didn’t tell them either so I just followed suit. She seemed very calm on the surface though, except for those rare moments where the pain showed. She was a good actress.

That all fell away a couple of weeks later.

One morning, at 6am I got an urgent text reading:

 COME NOW IL EXPLANE L8R

I hurriedly got dressed and tugged a brush through my hair. Then, leaving a note for my parents, I rushed out of the door and round the block to Nicole’s place. She was waiting at the front door, an anxious look on her face. Her face looked damp and shiny like she’d been crying again. I hurried through the doorway then spun round to face her.