Spinning the bottle

Chapter seven

The rest of the bus ride was incredibly awkward. Mia was completely silent and hadn't even looked me in the eyes.

I was starting to get really annoyed by this situation. If Mia just wasn't comfortable enough for me to touch her, I could understand that.

But before she had seen Nora, I had been near her and touched her as well. She didn't seem to mind it then.

The worst part is, that all of the progress I had made in trying to restore our friendship was gone. We were back at square one. It felt like it was my fault.

When the bus came to stop, I got my bike and went home. I just did not have the energy to try and talk to Mia anymore.

As if I didn't feel awful enough, it started to rain. It began with little raindrops slowly falling on my head. They made their way down to my forehead to the rest of the face. More and more raindrops started to make me wet until I was completely soaked. Great.

When I got home, I went straight to my room. I heard my mom asking something about Nora's condition but I didn't bother to answer. Not that I knew that much about how Nora was doing, because Mia wouldn't tell me.

Entering my room, I felt a bit guilty about ignoring my mothers question. She and Nora knew each other as well and had become close. Not as close as Mia and I used to be, but close enough to consider each other friends.

I considered going downstairs again to apologise to my mom. But I was in a shitty mood, so I didn't.

Instead I just turned on some loud music. If mom heard it, she probably knew enough.

'Cough syrup' was the first song that came in mind when I searched for a song that could sum up my feelings.

I felt annoyed, irritated, but most of all, I was hurt. I wanted to get out of the situation I was in with Mia. I had tried everything I could to make things better between us and what did I get back? Nothing. Absolutely nothing.

I was starting to lose it. My clothes were still soaked, but I didn't bother to change to some dry ones. I just laid down on my bed, facing the ceiling, and sang along with the lyrics.

"If I could find a way, to see this straight"

Okay well, seeing anything straight wouldn't happen.

"I'd run away to some fortune that I - I should have found by now"

I deserved some happiness and fortune. I really did.

Saying this to myself already made me feel a bit better.

"And so I run to the things they said could restore me, restore life

The way it should be.

I'm waiting for this cough syrup to come down."

People said Mia would support me and come around. Elijah had said something about me deserving better and Mia in the same sentence. So I ran to Mia, tried to fix things between us.

But it didn't work.

"Life's too short to even care at all - oh oh oh oh

I'm losing my mind, losing my mind, losing control - oh oh oh oh"

Life is indeed too short to care.

Maybe that was something I had to work on. Maybe I just had to stop caring so damn much about everything and everyone - especially about Mia.

Of course, Mia was in a tough place right now and I could never truly stop caring about her, but maybe it was time for me to just care a little less. At least about whether she and I would become friends again.