So Good - Louisa Johnson
15 | Getting Hitched
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"Cali sucks without you honey, it totally sucks." My best friend comments. I'm currently lying on my comfy bed with my books surrounding me and my headphones in so that I can talk to Rosie, my very good friend who I 'abandoned'.
"Aww," I say, "I'm flattered. Honestly, it's so sweet to hear that. I guess you weren't exaggerating when you said you couldn't last a week without me."
I hear Rosie huff on the other side of the phone which makes me smirk. I just love to tease this girl.
"You know what? I'm retracting that. I'm unsaying it and pinning on the 'that never happened board'". Rosie replies in an overdramatic voice. I swear to god this girl is the queen of drama. She's so melodramatic, all of the freaking time.
And that's why she's my best friend.
"Anyways, how is LA? The place where you either get hitched or go into debt." Rosie asks me.
I roll my eyes at her statement. Does she really think I'm going to either get married or gamble away all of my parent's money? I mean, I might gamble away some money if it goes to a good cause—like my stomach—but otherwise, I won't.
"Right, firstly, I'm not old enough to get hitched. Secondly, I'm not even in the city! I'm practically in a small town on the outskirts of LA where nothing happens. Well, saying that— you know what? Nevermind." I ramble. My fingers are fiddling with my pen, a habit I do all of the time. My fingers just have to be doing something.
"I'm sorry, did you finish? I just got really tired there," Rosie then adds to her 'tiredness' by yawning, loudly.
"Hey!" I protest, "I was only telling you the truth."
"But the truth sounds so boring." Rosie whines in her four — year — old voice. "I prefer the image I have in my head. Right now I'm imagining you in a fancy house that has a view of the flashing lights and the drunk people."
Once again, I roll my eyes at Rosie's description. Of course, I had to be best friends with the most over imaginative person ever. I'm not complaining or anything but sometimes she really manages to blow me away with her weirdness. I love her to death, don't get me wrong but she seriously manages to astound me on numerous occasions.
I guess that's why Rosie is great in art and story writing. Our meeting was very coincidental. We are two completely different people, with different aspirations and hobbies.
We met before everything happened with Max. It was freshman year and Rosie had moved to our school. At the time, I had no knowledge about this at all. We accidentally bumped into each other in the lunch hall and spilled our trays on each other.
Back then, I was more reserved. I wasn't the outgoing Ava today, I was quiet. I guess you can thank Max for that.
Anyways, she yelled at me for being clumsy whilst I repeatedly apologized to her. After letting her frustrations out on me, we both cleaned the mess we made and went to the bathrooms. She introduced herself as did I and we just bonded from there. One could say we became friends because we were so different that we just bounced off of each other.
Rosie was more confident than me, she was flirty and a party animal. I was quiet and liked to blend in with the crowds.
And then Max happened. After I left the hotel and came home, Rosie was the first person I called. I told her everything, from the last night we spent together to the horrific morning. She came to my house thirty minutes later with three speeding tickets and a tub of my favorite ice cream—Ben and Jerry's.
I sobbed on her shoulder the whole night about it, retelling my tragic break up story. Rosie helped me through my healing process—something that I will always be grateful for.
Five weeks later, I officially became the new and improved Ava. I ditched my shyness, I escaped my darkroom and became wild. I partied hard, hooked up with guys and spoke back to any person who insulted me.
Rosie was beside me the whole time, guiding me. She made sure I never went too extreme, that I never assaulted a popular person when I got into a fight with them. She backed me up every time and helped me block Max out.
And ever since then, she's been my right—hand woman at parties and school. We were basically the A—team. But with only two members.
"Rosie, please can you get your head out of the gutter?"
I hear Rosie huff on the other side of the line and I can imagine her rolling her grey eyes.
"Fine, fine." She says, sounding rather reluctant to stop messing with me. It's her main trait—she loves teasing people. If we were a superhero group, she would be the comic relief. "So, did you make any friends? Specifically a good friend?"
Is that jealousy I detect in her voice? Hm...
"Why yes, yes I did." I truthfully answer, thinking of my new brown and ginger—haired girlfriends. I suppose the three boys count as good friends as well, they seem nice. Even Luke, the biggest flirt in the world who doesn't understand me. I bet if I hit him with a sign saying 'not interested' he would blank it out and continue to pursue me.
"Ooh, what are they like?" She asks in a curious and interested voice. If there's one thing I'm certain about Rosie, its that she is always interested in every aspect of her friend's lives. It shows she cares about me; that she is a true friend but even when I don't really want to tell her anything, I end up doing it.
If I tried to lie to her, Rosie would always know. She is a human lie detector.
"They are nice. There's Molly who is the nicest person ever. She's shy, a bit like me in freshman year. She's super pretty as well, I'm actually really envious of her. And then there's Bree, she's a real spitfire. She even has firey red hair. They are great people; I know you would definitely like them." I tell Rosie.
Rosie hums. I hear rustling on her side of the phone meaning she's moving around. Patiently, I wait for Rosie to stop moving around. So I zone out and think about food and what I'm going to watch on Netflix when I've finished my dreaded homework.
A thump and a yelp from Rosie has me coming back to reality. She curses under her breath, not loud enough for me to hear, unfortunately. Rosie has a sailor's mouth.
"You okay there?" I gently ask her when I don't hear any noise.
For a moment, I don't get a reply. I begin to think maybe she cut the call or the connection died but I'm proven wrong when I hear Rosie's breathless voice. "I'm here and I'm okay. I think. Just had a bit of an...accident. That's all."
"Right..." I drawl out, not entirely convinced.
"Right so, where were we?" Rosie questions and I nearly facepalm.
"We were discussing my new friends," I inform her.
"Ah yes, the friends who are replacing me," she adds confidently yet I can hear the sadness in her voice. I feel a pang in my heart. I hate that my friend is doubting our friendship.
"Rosie," I start in a soft voice," you know that they will never replace you. You are my best friend. Always. I mean, do you really think binge—watching TV shows will be the same with them? Do you honestly think we will obsess over characters from Stranger Things and The Originals in the same way? No, the answer is no. You are my best friend. You know me better than anyone."
"Yeah, yeah. I know. I'm sorry for thinking you will forget about me...its just...school isn't the same without you. I'm having withdrawal symptoms. I'm sorry, I trust you. Always." She sighs out, relieved. Rosie just needed some reassurance that I wouldn't abandon her.
"Rosie, can—can I get your advice on something?" I nervously ask her, suddenly realizing I didn't tell my best friend that I saw my arch nemesis, the devil himself. Max.
Rosie responds instantly, "of course. Ask away."
Swallowing, I try to find a way to word it. How do I tell her that I not only saw my ex-boyfriend who cheated on me but that I also friend zoned him? She was there when I cried my eyes out until they were sore when I holed myself in my room and refused to leave.
She saw how badly it affected me. She saw how broken I became.
I honestly don't think Rosie will be the same as Molly, all because she was there to see how damaged I was. Sure, I told Molly the best I could that it messed me up badly but she didn't see how heartbroken I was.
"Uh...well...you see, I sorta saw Max, you know Max?" Max, the one who broke my heart and left me with trust issues. Yeah, him. "Anyways, I saw him and he kind of locked me in the janitors closet and explained to me what happened two years ago and I sort of told him that I would give him a chance. So we are like friends now." I rush out, squeezing my eyes shut as I wait for Rosie to explode with questions.
However, that doesn't happen. She doesn't say anything. The silence is deafening, absolutely horrible. I can clearly hear all of the quiet background noise here, in my room and wherever Rosie is.
I don't know if I prefer no response or Rosie bursting out with questions.
"Rosie?" I cautiously whisper, dropping the pen in my hand so that I can drag my hand through my thick hair.
"Yeah? Sorry, I was just...lost in thought. My head was just processing the bullshit I heard." Rosie remarks in a strong and rather irritated voice.
"Rosie—"
"No!" She interjects. "Max is a dick, he's scum. He broke your heart. He shattered it and left you to clear it up. He doesn't deserve your forgiveness. Hell, he doesn't even deserve to breathe the same air as you."
A lump forms at the back of my throat at her words. I knew she wouldn't agree with my choice but I didn't expect her to say such words.
Maybe I did make the wrong choice. Maybe I should have made Max suffer for longer. But, it was my choice.
"Rosie, listen to—"
"I swear Ava, do I need to bash your head against my locker? Max isn't good for you, you should stay completely away from him. Ignore his existence!" She shrieks, not stopping her rambling. "I just don't get—"
"Please listen to me," I beg her.
"—why you would do that." She continues.
I let out a defeated sigh. How am I supposed to get through to her? Why won't she shut her gob for five seconds?
"Rosie, you may not understand why I did it but believe me when I say I wanted to. It's my choice. Not yours, not Max's, mine. So, as a good friend, I hope you understand why and accept it." I slowly say, biting my lip after finishing.
"I'm sorry Ava but I just can't right now. When he breaks your heart, don't come calling me." She says with a disappointed tone and hangs up.
I sit there, staring at my phone in disbelief and...betrayal. My eyes sting slightly but I'm quick to rub them.
You will not cry, I coach myself.
I...I just can't believe she would do that to me. Just...leave me there without any support.
In anger, I chuck my phone against the wall and grab my pillow. Quickly, I stuff my face in it and scream. I don't know where this anger, frustration came from. But I do know that letting it out feels good, more uplifting.
Word count: 2078
Woah, poor Ava.
How did you find that? What do you think of Rosie?
Thank you so much for reading. It means so much to me. Just thought I'd say that.
Next chapter: 16 | Silly Games