Anna

4

Macy met me at the coffee shop ten minutes late in typical Macy fashion. She looked mostly the same. Her hair was cut shorter and she had bangs now, but she was still Macy.

As soon as I seen her I stood up and we hugged so hard I thought my spine might break. Other people in the coffee shop stared but we didn't care. She squealed in delight and swayed us back and forth.

"You look so different!" She said making me chuckle.

"Different how?"

"Older." She sighed. "More sophisticated. I think it's the make up. I never really saw you wear much."

"Oh, well I wear it more now." I smiled. "Since you showed me how to do it in London."

"Ugh! I miss London!" She fawned. "Sit down! Let's catch up."

We sat and talked for a few hours. We drank coffee and ate muffins. She was right about them being the best. Turns out she was in radio broadcasting out here and she actually had a job at a radio station. She gets to go to cool concerts for free for the radio, and she meets celebrities like once a week.

"So, tell me about you!" She sipped her coffee. "I feel like I've been doing all the talking Anna Marie."

"Well," I sighed feeling inadequate next to her. "I just finished my finals for most of my classes and I applied for some really great internships."

"Why kind of internships?"

"Travel journalism, I'd write articles about vacation hot spots mostly. I'd get to go on free vacations and write reviews. Then there's the one I really want, it's in London actually and I'd get to write for a fashion magazine." I sighed not really feeling it much now. "I'm under qualified for that one though."

"So? I wasn't qualified to be a radio host either. Just be confident." She smiled. "London huh?"

"Yeah," I couldn't tell her the total truth. She'd think I was nuts for chasing after Harry all this time later. Plus, he was here, in California of all places.

"Earth to Anna Marie!" She waved her hand in front of my face.

"Sorry I spaced. Yeah, but London really grew on me. I'd love to relocate and start a career there." I said.

"Wow! What do Misti and Carl think of that?" She asked.

I just shrugged. My parents didn't know much about the internships I'd applied for. They really didn't show much interest in my schooling as long and I was doing well, and they could brag to their friends at the country club.

"So how's Gramma Sue?" She changed the subject.

Tears gathered in my eyes and I shook my head. "She's bad Macy."

"I'm so sorry Anna Marie." She squeezed my hand in the table. "I'm here for you if you wanna talk, but if not I understand."

No matter how much time we spent apart it was just like we're still joined at the hip. That's what I loved most about Macy. She never made me feel out of place. I always felt like she had a place for me in her life.

"She has Alzheimer's pretty bad and they think she has a tumor on her brain. There's a Hospice nurse pretty much living with her." I felt the hot tears slide down my cheeks.

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry." Macy put her hand on her chest. "That's awful."

"The worst part is Mom and Dad knew and didn't say a word to me!" I said louder than I meant. "They're giving her six months Macy."

Macy didn't seem too surprised by that information. She just rolled her eyes and shook her head. Then she squeezed my hand again and let go.

"Are you staying the week with her?" She asked.

I bit my lip and nodded. "Maybe longer."

She widened her eyes. "Longer?"

"Well, my last classes don't start until the beginning of next month anyway. I really want to get to spend time with Gram before it's too late. I don't want to regret not being here with her. I know what that feels like and I don't want that." I sighed a shaky sigh.

"Oh Anna," Macy stood up and came to hug me as the tears spilled over. "Paul made that choice for you. You didn't chose to miss that time with him."

"I still missed it though." I hid my face between her shoulder and her neck. "My brother still died out here without his family."

"Anna, you can't blame yourself for that." Macy ran her fingers through my hair. "Let's get out of here?"

"People are staring?" I sniffed.

"Yeah, but I don't care. I think we should go to the beach and relax a little." She pulled back to look at me.

I panicked. "Um, I don't think the beach is a great idea. At least not this beach. Maybe a different beach. There's lots of beaches out here right?"

"Why are you freaking out about the beach?" She giggled.

"No reason." I lied.

"Come on Anna, just tell me!" She pulled me toward the door. "What is it? Scared of the sun all of a sudden?"

"No," I sighed and looked at her face.

Macy had been my best friend since I was nine years old. She gave me her old phone when my parents wouldn't buy me one so we could talk all night. She helped me learn to braid my own hair. Macy once punched a girl at school for saying something mean about Paul. She was the closest thing I had to a sister.

"I need to tell you something." I bit my lip and started peeling skin off.

"What is it? You look like you've seen a ghost." She tugged next out the door towards where we'd parked.

"Ugh," I groaned and leaned back on my car. "Okay, so do you remember when we went to London and I was in the hospital?"

"I do." She looked confused.

"Then we had no place to stay because the hotels were all full, and the guy that'd knocked me down let us stay at his flat?" I closed my eyes feeling the embarrassment creep in.

She nodded. "Yeah?"

"Well," I took a deep breath and let it out. "That night I got up to get a drink, and I don't know what came over me. I never even really paid much attention to guys. He was just in his room changing his shirt, and I was walking by. I saw him with those tattoos and I just stood there, and well, he caught me staring. He motioned me inside and I was curious so I went in. Then we talked and made out on his bed. One thing led to another and..."

"ANNA MARIE!" Macy squealed. "Don't stop there! Tell me everything!"

I blushed a deep red. "Stop it Macy."

"You had sex with a practical stranger in London! Why didn't you ever tell me? How didn't I know? Oh my god, that's why you insisted on leaving so abruptly in the morning!"

"Macy," I squeezed the bridge of my nose. "It was nothing."

"It wasn't nothing!" She swatted my arm. "What's that all have to do with the beach though?"

"So after I found out about Gram I went to get some air and wound up at the beach. I was walking along the water and crying. A guy came up to see if I was okay." I fiddled with my fingers in front of me.

"Okay?"

I sighed and looked up at her. "It was Harry Styles."