Mia's POV.......
"I miss you, mom." I say to my mom over the phone.
I had called her.
"I miss you too, sweetie. When are you coming home? You said you'd come this summer, right?"
"Yes, mom. I'll be coming home very soon."
"When?"
"I'll tell you later."
"Okay. Do tell me so I can make your favorite meal before you get here, okay?"
"Sure"
I suddenly hear a masculine say something to my mom.
"Mom, do you have someone over? Who's that?"
"Uh....well....I don't know"
"Mom....."
"Is that your daughter? Lemme say hello." The masculine voice says.
Who could it be?
"Not now...."
"Mom, what's going on? Who's that?"
"Okay.....I do have someone over....for dinner but I can't tell you who it is."
"Mom, come on."
"You'll meet him when you come home."
"Ugh....fine"
"I can't wait to see you, my baby girl."
"I can't wait to see you too, mom. I should leave you to have dinner with your guest."
"I guess that's what you should do."
"Okay then, bye Mom.....love you."
"Love you too, sweetheart."
The call ends, leaving a huge smile on my face.
Hearing my mom's voice had always made me feel really happy. Just for few minutes, I had forgotten about all that has been going on with me here. I really can't wait to get to Boston and get my mind off all the heartbreaking incidents that has happened to me here in LA.
************************************
"Amber, can I talk to you for a sec?" Standing by the door of Amber's room, I ask.
"Yeah....sure.....come in and sit." Amber says.
"Thanks"
I walk towards the reading desk and pull out the chair.
I move the chair closer to where Amber is sitting on her bed and sit.
"So....what is it?" Amber asks.
"I need to be in Boston by tomorrow or next." I say.
"What? Why?" Amber asks.
"I wanna go visit my dad with my mom. In three days, it's gonna be exactly two years since my dad passed away. My mom must've gone to his grave alone last year, I wanna go with her this year." I say.
"Ohh.....that's right. We can go together....lemme start packing." Amber says.
"No, Amber. Our initial agreement was this weekend, you don't need to go against the agreement like I'm gonna do." I say.
"We all are going against the agreement already, Mia. The incidents of the past few days already did that. After what happened with Michelle, I knew that's no way our plan to go to Boston together and make this summer better than any other, would work.....unless any miracle happened and we got back together again. There's no way that agreement can happen now, I haven't even heard any word from Michelle since after she left the apartment. Let's just go to Boston." Amber says.
"Amber, I know deep down that you're not ready to go to Boston and I can't let you do something that you're not ready for so please, wait till you're ready. Remember I'm only going there so soon because of my dad." I say.
"Maybe you're right about my unreadiness to travel. There are things I wanna settle before going there and they're things I certainly won't be able to do in a day or few hours." Amber says.
"Okay. It's settled." I say.
"But are you gonna be okay on your own? The three of us flew here together, remember? Are you gonna be fine flying back there on your own?" Amber asks.
"Amber, it's not like the three of us are gonna find ourselves at the same place all the time. We're only lucky we got into the same college. We're not always gonna be so lucky. What I'm trying to say is that we won't always travel anywhere together so I'm gonna be fine flying back to Boston alone." I say.
"That's true though. We were just lucky. Well....I guess I'm gonna be the only one sleeping in this big apartment. God, I'm gonna die of loneliness." Amber says.
"Oh....come on, no one is dying of loneliness. It's only four days till weekend after all. You'll find yourself in Boston before you know it." I say.
"I hope so. So....what're we waiting for? Let's go pack your stuffs." Amber says.
"Sure....let's do that." I say, already attempting to stand from the chair.
"But wait......can I ask you something? It may probably piss you off." Amber says.
"What?" I ask.
"Haven't you cleared your head enough to speak to Jace?" Amber asks.
Okay....that's definitely not what I wanna talk about.
"Well....umm....I don't know." I say.
"Mia, are you never gonna speak to him? That'd be unfair 'cause Jace didn't do anything." Amber says.
I let out a sigh.
"I know, Amber. I wanna speak to him but I'm pretty ashamed to face him now."
"Is it still about whatever things you said to him?"
I nod in agreement.
"Look girl, I already told you that Jace may be dying to see you. Maybe he's not even thinking about what you said, maybe he's just waiting for you to finally give him a chance to see you and now is the time to do so." Amber says.
"I'll do that next semester." I say.
"Next semester? You wanna keep him waiting that long? That'd be cruel 'cause it's not like you guys broke up."
"What else am I supposed to do? I don't have to courage to walk up to him now and when I get that courage, it may not be possible for us to meet...I mean, we'd be in two different places, really far from each other. I don't know what to do."
"Well, I know. You should get your act together and make a decision. Jace may love you so much but are you sure he'll wait for you for so long to make up your mind? It only takes a certain level of patience to be able to do that. Make up your mind, Mia. Instead of making Jace wait like that, why not just end things and put his mind at ease." Amber says.
I utter no word.
"Try calling or texting him at least. It's better than nothing."
"I'll try." I say.
"Good" Amber says.
"Amber, can I ask you something too?" I ask.
"Of course." Amber says.
"Am I a difficult person?" I ask.
"Yes, but sometimes you're not." Amber says.
"Am I bossy like Michelle said? Do I always act like I'm better than everyone else?" I ask.
"Uh....yes, you're.....I'm still gonna add sometimes. You also kinda always overreact to things." Amber says.
"I do?" I ask.
"Yes, you do....like always. Sometimes I don't really understand it, sometimes I do." Amber says.
"That's a lot of bad characters." I say.
"Well....we all have flaws, Mia. It's rare to see a perfect human being, with no bad sides. We just have to choose between the good and bad, the one we wanna focus more on." Amber says.
"I don't see much of bad sides in you. It's as if you've none. I envy you for that." I say.
"Oh....come on. I do have plenty of bad sides, even worse than yours. I just choose not to show it all the time. You may have your issues but you're the most selfless person I've ever met. I can't even count how many times you've sacrificed your time and other stuffs for me and Michelle. I'm definitely not that selfless." Amber says.
"I can be selfish too, Amber....."
"Just take the compliment, girl. You're a nice person with your own flaws." Amber says.
"Okay.....so are you." I say.
Amber and I smile at each other.
************************************
Jace's POV......
"Hey man." Idris asks, approaching where I'm sitting on the couch.
I still haven't heard from Mia and it's really driving me nuts. I've been restlessly waiting to hear from her but nothing's happening.
"Hey" I reply.
"What's up? Why do you look like something's bothering you?" Idris asks.
" 'Cause something's really bothering me." I say.
"Still about Mia?" Idris asks.
"I haven't heard from her, Idris. I thought since Alexa said she told Mia the truth, that I may finally hear a word from her but I haven't and it's driving me crazy." I say.
"Are you sure Alexa really told Mia the truth or was she just bluffing?" Idris asks.
"She sounded too sincere to be bluffing. You heard it too." I say.
"I did" Idris says.
I let out a little sigh.
"Have you tried calling or texting her....again?" Idris asks.
"No. I told you her friend advised me to stop so not to get on Mia's nerves more."
"That was before the truth was known. You should try calling her again."
"She said I should give her some space and I promised I would. I can't go against that promise."
"I know it's necessary to respect Mia's choices but why not try again? I respect people's choices a lot but at some point I just go against it and see what the outcome would be. I do support you giving her some space but how much longer do you need to? Try reaching her, Jace. Call her, text her, go to her place if possible."
"What if....."
"No "what if" Jace, you should do something. You shouldn't just sit around waiting and thinking, you should act as well. Reach out to Mia and try sorting things out with her. Even if she refuses to pay attention to you, you'll know you tried your best."
"Okay....okay.....I'll find a way to get to her."
"Yeah, do what you must."
"I will."
Idris gives me a light tap on my shoulder.
************************************
Mia's POV......
I'm outside my apartment with my luggage, ready to move to Boston. Amber is here with me too....but just seeing me off.
"Hope you're not forgetting something?" Amber asks.
"Nope. I took my time while packing so I wouldn't forget a thing." I say.
"Okay....I can't believe we're not going together. I feel so sad." Amber says.
"Come on, don't feel sad. It's not like we won't meet each other there in few days." I say.
"Regardless of that, I'm still not so happy." Amber says.
"It's okay, Amber." I say.
"Fine. So....you're not gonna take the Jeep?"
"No. I can't take it with you and Michelle still here. That'd be unfair."
"You sure you don't want me to drive you to the airport?"
"No, you don't need to. I'm gonna take a taxi."
"Why spend your money when you've other alternative?"
"Amber, it's nothing."
"Are you gonna be alright?"
"Totally. You don't have to worry."
"Okay then. I was hoping to see you off to the airport but it seems like you don't want me to. Safe travels though."
"I'm sorry but thank you. I'll make sure to call you as soon as I get to Boston."
"Sure."
"See ya....bye." I say as I proceed to leave.
"Wait....." Amber utters.
I turn back to her.
"What about Jace? Have you reached out to him?" Amber asks.
"Uh....no." I reply.
"I guess you mind has been made up that it's gonna be till next semester then."
I utter no word.
"Mia, I'm not gonna say anything else to you about the whole stuff with Jace, at least for now. I just hope you know what you're doing." Amber says.
"I....uh....I better go catch the flight." I say.
"Okay.....bye girl." Amber says.
I wave at her in return before turning to start heading out.
***************
Amber's POV......
"Okay.....bye girl." I say to Mia.
She waves at me in return and starts walking away.
She's going to Boston. Mia, Michelle and I are supposed to travel there together by this coming weekend but there's been a....situation, that kinda caused a strain on our friendship. Michelle left the apartment to where I don't know, Mia and I managed to get back to talking terms but I still feel like we're now strangers.
I'd be lying if I said I'm not scared that the three of us may never get back to being best friends. I already feel the emptiness of not having my best friends around me.
This is really terrible.....
I turn and start walking into the apartment.
Few hours later.......
The sound of that door bell snaps my mind out of the movie I'm watching on my laptop.
"Coming!!"
Dropping my laptop on the glass table, I stand from the couch to find out who's at the door.
I open the door and.....
Jace?
I see Jace standing with a kinda look that screams "I'm here to see someone!!"
"Jace...." I call out.
"Hello, Amber." Jace says.
"Wha....what're you doing here?" I ask.
************
Jace's POV.....
"Wha....what're you doing here?" Amber asks me.
I finally decided to pull myself together and go to Mia. I had called her a few times but she didn't pick up so I decided to go to her apartment which I'm currently standing in front of, facing her friend, Amber, who just opened the door.
"Look, Amber, I know I shouldn't be here, that I should be giving Mia some space but if I can at least see her and say a few words, it'd be really nice. I know I'm going against choices but I don't think I can help it anymore. Please, lemme me see Mia. I promise to disappear from your lives if it doesn't turn out well, I wouldn't have anything to do with you guys anymore. I'll go my way, far away from you guys. I would've done that earlier but not without trying again. I need to see Mia." I say.
"Uh....Jace....the thing is that....Mia isn't here at the moment." Amber says.
I don't understand....
"What?" I ask.
"She's left for Boston." Amber says.
Boston?
No way...
"Boston? When?" I ask.
"Earlier this morning." Amber says.
"This morning? Like how long has it been?" I ask.
"It's been hours. I'm pretty sure she's almost halfway to Boston now." Amber says.
"Shit!" I curse out while running my hand through my hair.
"I'm sorry." Amber says.
"Is there any other possible way I can reach her? I called her a few times before coming here but she didn't pick up but I now know the reason." I say.
"I don't think there's any other possible way if she doesn't return your calls later." Amber says.
I let out a heavy breath.
"But I thought you guys were gonna travel this weekend?"
"Yeah, we were gonna but something came up that she needed to be there right away. I believe she has told you about her late father. By next tomorrow, it's gonna be exactly two years since her father passed away. She left because she wants to visit her father's grave with her mother." Amber says.
"Oh....."
"Yeah. I'll be joining her there by the weekend." Amber adds.
"Okay, thank you. I'm really sorry for disturbing you. I should get going now." I say.
"Uh....since you're here, why not come in for a glass of water or something?" Amber asks.
"No, I'm fine, thanks. Lemme just be on my way back to my place. Thanks for your time and offer." I say, turning to walk away.
"Wait.....please...." Amber utters.
I turn back to Amber with a questioning look.
"Please, can you come in for a sec? I wanna have a quick chat with you. I won't take much of your time." Amber says.
Quick chat?
Alright.....
"Okay" I say.
I move closer to the door while Amber makes way for me to get inside the apartment.
Inside the apartment.......
"Please, have a seat." Amber says.
"Sure.....thanks."
"You sure you don't care for a glass of water or even juice?" Amber asks.
"No, I'm really okay."
"Okay, if you say so." Amber says as she proceeds to sit on the couch directly opposite mine.
"I....uh....I heard about Michelle, are you guys okay?" I ask.
"How did you hear about it?" Amber asks.
"Alexa.....my ex told me about it and she also mentioned she told Mia too." I say.
"Oh....okay. Well....I don't feel so good about it....but Mia feels worse." Amber says.
"Right....." I utter.
"Well....I'm sorry for....you know....treating you like a culprit after what happened that night, at the party. If only I knew it was an incident planned by a friend."
"It's okay. You don't need to apologize and you didn't treat me like a culprit, Michelle did. All you did was giving me advices on how I may be able to handle the situation." I say.
"I think our friendship is at an end, Mia, Michelle and myself. I don't know if Mia is ever gonna forgive Michelle for what she did." Amber says.
"Well....I'm not so good at giving motivational speeches like you or my friend, Idris but....I can tell you to just wait and see how things would turn out later. Maybe your friendship won't end after all." I say.
"I hope it doesn't. Mia and Michelle are the best....best friends I've ever had. That being said, down to the real business I wanna discuss with you. Jace, how long can you wait for Mia to make up her mind about her relationship with you?"
"As long as I need to."
"What if it's gonna take till next semester, can you still wait?"
"Yeah. I can be patient when it comes to what I love and cherish so much. Mia means a lot to me and that's why I'd wait for her as long as possible, till she tells me not to." I say.
"Okay. I hope you won't give up on her just yet." Amber says.
"I won't. I love Mia a lot to give up on her so fast." I say.
"I know you do love her a lot and I'm happy about that." Amber says.
"I'm happy about that too. Umm....can I ask you for a favor?" I ask.
"Of course, what is it?" Amber asks.
"When you get to Boston this weekend, can you tell Mia that I meant it when I said I won't give up on her yet?" I ask.
"I'll make sure to tell her that." Amber says.
"Can you also lemme know when she gets to Boston safely?" I ask.
"Sure.....gimme your number." Amber says
"Okay" I say.
Amber hands me her phone and I enter my number.
"Here you go." I say, giving Amber her phone.
"Okay. I'll definitely call you when I hear from Mia." Amber says.
"Thanks" I say.
"You're welcome." Amber says.
Silence.....
"Jace...." Amber calls out, breaking the silence.
"Yes?"
"You'll get her back. It may take a while but it'll happen, I assure you that." Amber says.
"Okay" I say, letting out a weak smile.