Friends Forever

Chapter 2

**Rih's POV**

"I saw you hanging with the new girl all day." Aubrey said as he walked up to me after school.

"Yeah she's cool, as a matter of fact I'm meeting her here to show her around town. She's talking with Ms. Torres right now though." I told him.

"Oh well maybe I should escort you two." He said shooting me a smile that nearly melted my heart.

"I would have to ask Onika, you might be overwhelming." I didn't really want him to come I was looking forward to it being just me and Onika today. "Plus with her being new her parents probably won't want her out with a guy so soon." I couldn't think of another excuse.

"Heyyy...." Onika said awkwardly as she walked and stood beside me. "Aubrey right?" she reached her hand towards him squinting. He shook her hand and pulled her into a hug then let her go smiling.

"Yep, I see you chilling with my girl Rih." he said smirking at her. "Yeah hope it's not a problem" she joked.

"And if it was?" he cocked an eyebrow towards her.

"Guess you'd have to sit back and deal with it" she said snapping her fingers.

"Oh aiight. I see you, You the real deal." he said winking at her. "I catch back up with yall tomorrow." he hugged her again before we did our handshake and he left.

"Well you two got along well," I said hoping my tone of voice would remind her of my crush on him.

"What?" she stopped walking. I was relieved that she at least caught the hint. "I was just being myself I didn't expect him to be hugging up on me. I don't even know him." she said as we continued walking.

"Yeah yeah" i said pretending I was gonna leave her.

"Where are we going?" she asked me.

"Well you said you lived up the hill, didn't you?"

"Yeah but why are we going there?"

"You also said you didn't have your phone." I continued.

"What are you getting at?" she asked trailing behind me.

"We're going to your house so you can get your phone, tell your parents where you'll be, and leave your backpack there." I said as we reached the top of the hill.

"What about your bag?" she asked.

"Probably gonna find a bush to put it in." I joked trying to sound serious.

"You don't have to walk me home. You can go to your house to tel your parents and leave your bag there and I'll go to mine. We can meet back up at the school." She sounded like something was wrong.

"But then this way I can know where you live in case I come over one day." I told her.

"That wouldn't happen." she said, a little too quickly.

"What do you mean?" i stopped.

"You would never need to come in my house. If anything I would come in yours." She told me she looked alarmed. So I calmed down, I didn't know much about her but I now know there's something not right at home for her. I looked up at her and she looked as if she might cry.

"What's wrong?" I asked as i pulled her towards the curb to sit with me. "We don't have to go to your house first if you don't want to."

Just then a group of kids riding bikes, skates, and some other stuff came up to us.

"Nic!" a girl yelled, she was riding a ripstick. "no podemos ir a nuestra casa."

Onika looked at me and she looked hurt like she had just been shot 20 times. She counted the kids, there were 5 of them.

"Where's Casí?" she asked concerned. I never noticed her accent until now.

"Thats why we can't go home." an older girl on a bike replied.

"You can stay at my place tonight. My parents won't mind" i offered trying to send a mental message to Onika that I'm her friend and she doesn't have to hide anything from me. I looked around at the kids as i realized until now i hadn't been noticed.

"Nic??" one of the boys asked her.

"um.. if its okay with your parents. if not its fine we'll figure something out." she said looking at me, i felt her mentally saying thanks when she smiled at me so i smiled back.

"Come on I'll go ask them now." I started to get up.

"Should we go get Casí first?" Onika asked, i started to answer but then i realized the question wasn't for me.

"do you have a plan on how we would do that?" the girl on the bike said.

"we'll figure it out" Onika got up and began walking, "We always do."

Those words stuck in my head:
We always do.

I really hope Onika will open up to me.