Listen to Night Changes by One Direction.
BELVINA| SIX
I drove the next day to school even though I knew the risk involved with driving without a license. Zyon had convinced Grey to skip school with him, so I didn't have a ride. I get so paranoid every time I do this, not that I do it often. I exhaled in relief when I got to school without being arrested. I parked my car and left for my first class.
I was currently taking a prerequisite class while also taking two nursing courses, it was overwhelming but the prerequisite class was easy-A and most of the lectures were online.
I took the seat next to Janiya who always saved me a seat. She was kind of the only friend I had at school because I hardly interact with my coursemates.
"I love this top, where did you get it?" Janiya whispered to me with a soft smile. I was a sucker for her sweet compliments on everything I wear. Her long hair was pulled up in a ponytail with the edges neatly laid, she always looked like a goddess.
"Thanks, got it from Zara. It was on sale," I whispered. Our professor walked in with a sheepish grin apologizing for being late.
The moment the professor dismissed the class, I rushed to the library to borrow a book that was required to do my homework. I walked out of the school, searching my bag for my car keys. Chloe and I have to tour an apartment today and I was running behind. We had seen four apartments so far but we always found something wrong with each place.
I picked up Chloe from the hotel. It was a fifteen minutes drive. It was a decent apartment with two bedrooms, the living room was larger than I expected, and the dining was connected to the kitchen. The balcony was my favorite, it had a view of the deep green park, the stores across the street, and the large neighborhood swimming pool. At least I can gawk at hot guys from here while sipping a homemade pina colada. This was the one and Chloe seemed to like it too.
We came to an agreement to rent the apartment and split the payment. We wasted no time, we did all the paperwork and signed the lease. I was excited, I had been waiting for this day since my mom walked in on me doing squats and thought I was twerking. Chloe, on the other hand, didn't look half excited as I was. She has barely said a word since we left the leasing office.
"Are you okay?" I asked poking her in a playful manner, she surprised me when she flinched like I scared the shit out of her.
"Yeah," she said, faking a smile.
"Let's go to Hollywood!" I declared, maybe it will make her feel better and get her mind off whatever was bothering her.
"Are you crazy? It's getting dark," she said, giving me that look I give people when they tell me Chinese was an easy language to learn.
"It will be more fun at night," I said facing her. She kept her eyes on the road, contemplating.
"No, I'm tired."
"Come on, Chlo. It's only twenty minute's drive from here."
She glared at me before grumbling 'fine'.
||
We took a stroll down the Walk of Fame with lollipops in our mouths and arms interlocked. It was nice to see Chloe laughing and smiling again. We took selfies and begged passers-by to take our pictures. The pictures weren't sexy or glamorous but they were us. We laughed and made silly faces at the camera.
We stopped by a restaurant and ordered some seafood and sushi. I took pictures of her as she struggled to use a chopstick, laughing. I asked Chloe to take a picture of me as I took a bite from the spiced crab. I felt sauce drip down from my mouth as I savored the taste. It was delicious, beyond anything I have ever tasted.
We were extremely exhausted by the time we returned to the hotel. Our stomachs ached from laughing and our legs were sore from walking. I texted my Dad and told him I would be spending the night with Chloe before falling onto the bed. I felt the bed dip beside me as Chloe slid under the covers. We soon fell asleep, not bothering to take a shower. Thank God I had no classes tomorrow.
We spent the next two weeks shopping for furniture and home décor. Maybe moving in was stressful for some people but it was fun for me. I took my time decorating my room; when it comes to creativity I give it my best. I decorated my room with fancy frames that held beautiful quotes, posters of famous people that inspire me, and hung fairy lights and fake plants on the white walls.
Chloe wasn't herself; she was quiet. She used to talk about doing this like it was the most exciting thing on the planet. But now, she didn't seem too interested. I could tell she wasn't feeling too well from the pale look on her face and how she would stop every once in and a while. Sometimes she looked as if she might hurl.
I strategically helped her to decorate her room and forced her to take some Tylenol. I couldn't help but worry about her. I mean what kind of friend would I be if I didn't force pills down her throat?
On Friday we were done, not completely done but you could call it home now. It was a bit girly with the fairy lights and fluffy pillows and neon quotes home décor. We had a girls' night, just me, Chloe, food, and movies. We had decided to Facetime, my parents. I wanted to show off how amazing everything looked. I could tell they were glad to see Chloe was doing okay. Chloe decided to give them a virtual tour. They said they liked the apartment and that they were proud of us. My mom, as always, found something to criticize. She complained about the kitchen and asked us why the dining table looked like a stool.
We stayed up late with face scrub on our faces, talking about funny memories from senior year in high school. We talked about the time our Calculus teacher accidentally farted in class while writing on the whiteboard, it was so loud and I was sure everyone in class heard it. We couldn't stop laughing.
Saturday, I decided we should have a housewarming party, Chloe didn't like the idea especially when I brought up Grey.
"How about we don't invite anyone?" She asked walking out of the kitchen wearing a big sweater with shorts underneath. I have noticed certain changes in her, she gets moody almost every day and has been reticent about everything-- maybe it was depression. Lately, that had become one of my fears. I don't want my best friend to fall into the clutches of self-hatred or self-pity.
"How is that a party?"
"Let's have fun, just between us." She said taking a sip from whatever was inside the big mug that she held between her small hands.
I sighed, "Okay, fine."
I laughed at her and swayed my hips singing along to the lyrics of Taki Taki. I moved my shoulders to the beat while Chloe laughed.
"Come on," I said taking her hand and pulling her to join me.
"You're gonna get us in trouble," she whined, still not dancing.
There was a knock on the door, probably a neighbor coming to complain. Chloe gave me the, I told you so, look.
"I will get it," Chloe said and rushed to the door.
I kept dancing to the music. I heard voices from the front door but I was too busy shaking my hips to care.
"Damn, it's loud in here." I immediately stopped dancing when I heard a familiar voice.
"What is he doing here?" I asked, pausing the music.
"Hi, Belvina," Adrian said smirking.
I tossed him my best glare and turned to Chloe, waiting for an answer. She said no one was invited.
"Chloe told me yesterday you guys were done moving in. I decided to come with a little housewarming gift."
I stared at the gift bags in Chloe's hands. She gave me a look, begging me to be nice.
I gave him a fake smile, "Can I talk to you for a minute?" I grabbed Adrian's hand and dragged him to my room before he could reply. I locked the door behind us when we entered the room.
"Should I be scared?" he asked with a smile that seemed to be mocking me.
"Probably, I have a knife with your name on it."
"I'm flattered that I have been on your mind," he said stepping closer but I rolled my eyes and walked away to the other side.
"You have a vinyl collection?" He stared at me like he just discovered I was a girl.
"Yes," I said with a smile. No one ever acknowledges my vinyl collection, not like I cared.
"This was my Dad's favorite too," He said trying to touch them but I blocked him. He stepped back with a nod at my disapproval.
"So why are we here? I don't think that bed can hold both of us," he said staring at my queen-sized bed with a flirtatious grin.
"Eww, that's not why I brought you here Parker," I said in disgust.
"Really?" he took a step closer, but I didn't budge. He had no effect on me, he could pin me to the wall and try to kiss but I won't feel anything.
"If you wanna live this room alive, don't come any closer." I glared but he took two more steps closer, inches to closing the space between us. His tall frame towered over me as he looked down at me with a smirk. I knew he was trying to get a reaction out of me.
"You're breathing fast," he whispered staring at my neck down to my chest, I could feel my pulse rising. I only had a bralette and sweatpants on.
"Let me get straight to the point," I said ignoring his words.
He looked down at me with an amused grin.
"You need to give Chloe some space," I ordered. I caught his face as it shifted to hurt before he quickly covered it up.
"If she doesn't wanna see me anymore I will respect her decision but I wanna hear it from Chloe."
"You know she won't say that to you. She doesn't understand that for her to heal and move on, she needs space from you and everyone that hurt her. Seeing you is just a reminder of what happened."
"I care about her and I wanna be here for her to make sure she is okay."
"She has me, for all I know you're probably a spy for that pedazo de mierdo." I hissed. Adrian chuckled and looked around my room again.
"Chloe is really lucky to have someone like you," he smiled, still looking around the room.
"I don't want her to get hurt again, Adrian," I said softly this time. I couldn't handle her being hurt again.
"I'm here as a friend, not a spy for Tristan. You have my word. " He glanced at me quickly, then headed for the door. I guess this was a waste of time.
I sighed and went back to the living room where Adrian and Chloe were already in a heated conversation. I entered the kitchen to make a sandwich as I eyed them.
"I have something to tell you guys," Chloe said standing up from the couch.
We both stared at her as she rubbed her hands slowly together like she was nervous. She stayed quiet for too long. Probably going over in her head what she was going to say. I watched her glance at us slightly before running her hands through her hair and clearing her throat.
"I'm going on a long vacation, a really long vacation." She laid emphasis on the word 'long'. What does she me by long? This was scaring me.
"Are you dying?" I asked, looking her over. She just laughed at me.
"No, just a break for a year or two."
A year?
"Where?" Adrian asked.
"Cuba."
"I was expecting the Bahamas, Hawaii or Italy," I said and took a bite from my chicken sandwich. I was trying to remain calm. How was she supposed to go on a vacation for a year?
"When are you leaving?" Adrian raised an eyebrow in question. I took a long look at him feeling uncomfortable with his question. Maybe he was planning to tell Tristan.
"Next week," she said with a smile.
We just moved in and she was going away already? I didn't want her to leave, but if it would make her feel better then she should take all the time she needs.
"Good, you really need it," I said calmly and turned up the volume on the tv.
It'd been three days since Chloe announced she was going to be away for a year. She'd been packing and making a list of stuff to do when she gets to Cuba. I was glad for the break but at the same time, I didn't want her to be far away from me for that long.
The night before she was to leave, I stayed up watching a movie while she went to sleep. I begged her to watch the movie with me but she complained about a stomach ache and went to her room. I missed my best friend.