Author's Note: Hello Everyone! Thank you for reading! And as always please, Vote + Comment - Would love your feedback!
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Jessica is at the front door, her deep blue eyes are teary when she stares at me. It's hard to say anything when you're just in utter shock.
"Oh my gosh!!! I cannot believe you didn't call me IMMEDIATELY!!!!!" she barges in before I can invite her in, I'm speechless. I haven't seen her in months. I had to admit that seeing her in person was exactly what I needed when I'd been feeling isolated.
"How did you?"
"Did you forget I'm your emergency contact? And why haven't you answered my calls or replied to my text?! I thought you were DEAD," she huffs before putting her bag down, plopping herself onto the couch.
"You know, you need to tell me things like this. You can't just act like you're fine, Elle." She looks at me, concerned as an older sister would. Perhaps she was a little annoyed.
"I'm fine... it's a broken arm" I look down at my cast and mentally groan at how ridiculously uncoordinated I can be. This could have been prevented, but because of my idiotic clumsy self, I had to miss school and work.
"It's not JUST a broken arm. You hit your head!" Jessica gets up and frustratingly points at the stitches on the corner of my head. She whimpers when her piercing blue eyes analyze the wound.
"What the hell happened?"
I didn't want to go through this again, it was bad enough telling Roselina and having the whole damn school witness it.
"I tripped while going down the stairs at school...two flights" Jessica tries her best to keep composed and look concerned, but it doesn't last long, she bursts into laughter.
"What the hell? That's what happened?! Here I am, thinking you got mugged!"
"People can miscalculate their steps, ok?" It was my sad attempt to defend my stupidity, but she doesn't care and continues to roar in laughter.
"Well, either way, you need to take it easy..."
"Jess, you didn't have to come. I'm fine!" I didn't want to burden her, but truth be told, I was extremely excited to have her here.
"I know I didn't have to...I wanted to, ok? Will you shut up now" she says as she walks around, her eyes scan the place.
"You ARE right, this place is tiny!" she says, opening the cupboard to find herself a glass.
"You don't need to validate that, trust me, I'm constantly reminded," although, with a broken arm and a concussion - a small space is exactly what I needed. I didn't need to do that much walking to go from one room to the other.
Jessica looks perfect as always, her hair seemed even longer than before. She belonged in a Pantene commercial with the luxurious hair reaching the small of her back. She opens the fridge and pours herself a glass of water before leaning on the kitchen island across from me.
"So what did the doctor say?" she asks before taking a sip of her drink.
"Stitches are out in a week. I can't do anything with concentration because of my concussion, so I haven't been able to go to class or work on any assignments... it's bullshit, really." Only with my luck do I trip over invisible traps and injure myself to this degree.
Jessica frowns, "When will the concussion go away?"
"I don't know, he says it's week by week. The more rest I get, the faster I heal." I now understand why it's so important to wear a helmet for some activities. I've always heard about concussions, but never experienced it myself, it was one of the worst feelings. The migraines were never-ending, they were excruciating. I couldn't think for days. Even now, my blinds are always closed. The only source of light I allow is a small lamp in the corner of the living room.
"You poor thing, well, I'm here to help! With whatever you need!" She gives me a reassuring smile. Even in the dim-lit room, I see her peer her eyes into mine, questioning and curious.
She takes me back onto the couch, handing me a glass of water. It was odd that I was holding clear liquid when Jessica is around. Usually, we're drinking wine or some fancy type of sparkling alcoholic drink. As much as I'd love a glass of wine now to numb the headache, she knows best.
As usual, she gives me the updates on everything that was happening back in Remich and how boring it was. She complains about how her job is mundane. She doesn't know if this was the right career choice for her anymore. The only thing that's keeping it interesting was that guy she keeps talking to me about — Austin. I can't help but be surprised she's still talking to him.
Austin has now been promoted to 'friends with benefits,' I don't judge — but damn it's risky to be fooling around with someone from work. She knows this, I've spoken my mind about it.
It was a dangerous game. But Jessica is free-spirited, she goes with the flow, she's not calculated like me. She's a risk-taker, it was truly admirable.
"Enough about me, did Henry reach out?"
I shook my head. It wasn't as painful talking about it. When she brought his name up, I wasn't as angry. I wondered if it was the concussion or that it's been over 2 months since I've seen or heard from him.
"I bet you if you called and told him what happened he'd come" Jessica was right, Henry would have most likely come if he knew what happened, even though it was minuscule, he would've freaked out. He always did when I got hurt, he was like that overprotective brother - at least that's what I used to think of our relationship.
Her blue eyes lit up, "What if I called and told him?!"
"No! Jess, look, it's fine. Just give him some space" I've accepted it, that it wasn't the best thing for us. A friendship break was needed, we both needed time to clear our minds. Perhaps we both needed to rethink our friendship, maybe it wasn't exactly what I thought it was.
Jessica pouts and slumps back into the seat.
"I have to say, I wasn't expecting my vacation to be tending my poor baby girl," she patted my head, a soft smile etched across her porcelain skin.
"I'm fine. Seriously, it's not that bad. It looks more painful than it is, I swear."
Jessica sits with me in silence, knowing that I can't watch anything on television, it was too bright for me recently. I needed the quietness, it was nice and helped my headache - although I wanted to entertain Jess as much as possible. I mean, she came all the way from Remich to visit me and took a week of vacation.
I needed a speedy recovery, I owed it to her for coming here.
...
Jessica's been a great help, she's been making my breakfast lunch and dinner, sometimes ordering in for us. Either way, the company, day in and out, was much needed. I didn't feel so alone anymore, especially the last week where all I could do was lay in the dark. It does do a number on your mental health.
I guess I'm not that much of an introvert as I thought, I needed to socialize.
Work and school gave me time to socialize, although coming to an empty home was sometimes lonely, at least I had someone to speak to like Roselina and my classmates. Even those grumpy customers don't seem too bad when I'm stuck at home recovering.
...
Jessica's presence in the past couple of days makes all the difference. It reminds me of why she meant the world to me and how lucky I am to have her.
"I can't believe I'm in the city where Prince Alexander lives, and I haven't seen him!" Jessica randomly blurts out, and I soon realized I have forgotten about him. With everything going on, it felt like a dream.
It was odd hearing his name, with my isolation for the past couple of weeks - I guess I didn't have the constant reminder from any media outlets.
"His Palace is half an hour from here."
"Jess, you've been cooped in here with me," I giggled.
"I'm surprised you haven't seen him," my stomach twists, I hated lying to Jess. But it was for the best. She would not forgive me for not telling her and introducing her to him, but how could I? Besides, I'm starting to feel like it was all just in my head, I don't even know if it was all real anymore.
"Well, I did."
Jessica's mouth is wide open, and she freezes. I can't help but laugh at how animated Jess can be. She takes a sip of her water and proceeds to spit it back out, spraying the sink.
"What?!"
"Volume! You're being loud" I winced, I was feeling better, but her screech was a little much.
She mumbled an apology before getting back on topic.
"What the HELL do you mean? Why didn't you tell me? When was this, and where? What happened?!"
"He was at our orientation."
Jessica's eyes are still big and wide, but her frown grows.
"AND!?"
"Jess!" I reminded her, hugging my head before she apologizes again.
"Nothing, he shook my hand and said congratulations," I lied.
"You didn't say anything to him?"
"No, he's the Prince. What am I going to say? You want me to say what I did the last time?" I'm asking her sarcastically, but she's disappointed, envious.
"I'm so jealous," she whines.
"I'd do anything to shake his hand and for him to just LOOK at me. I bet if he just took the time to NOTICE me, he'd totally go for me. I could be one of those stories you always hear about, you know?"
Her eyes gloss over. She's looking into the corner, daydreaming.
"A commoner and a Prince...in love." It was the same thing she always tells me.
"Don't call yourself a commoner, it sounds ridiculous." I reminded her. It still shakes me to the core that somehow, our status is different than theirs.
"I'm just saying, he's missing out. I could be a model if I wanted to."
I couldn't help but giggle, she really could have been.
"You know, I don't even know why you need a Prince, you're no Cinderella Jess. You can succeed on your own. You know that..."
"Thanks for the compliment hun, you know...there's a big parade thing happening the last day I'm here...tomorrow" her lips are tilted upwards into a sheepish smile, I didn't need her to continue to know what she was going to say.
"Really? You're going on your own?" I asked purposely to push her buttons.
"Ell, please...I came all the way here. I just want to see him again. Please!" her hands are clasped together over her chest, begging.
"It's all over social media, we can line up early tomorrow; maybe he'll see me. You owe me, the last time ended up horribly. Please?!"
She was right, I did ruin the one time she could've met the Prince. Jessica's been amazing the last couple of days, it was unfair she wasted her vacation in the dark and quiet with me.
"Jess, it's going to be way too loud for me." I was honest, the last time the girls were screaming their heads off. I don't think I could handle it with the concussion.
"I thought you were feeling better."
I was feeling better, but not my full self. I don't think I would be for a while. There is no way I could go...As much as I loved her and owed it to her, I couldn't bring myself to go.
"We'll get you earplugs, really dark sunglasses, and a hat," she convinced.
Truth be told, I didn't know if it was the fact that I didn't want to expose myself to the loud fan girls or if it was because I couldn't bring myself to see him.
I felt disrespected and angry. There were nights, more than I would like to admit where I was forced to wonder why someone would just cut a friendship off the way he did. It only shows how different we were, perhaps the way he saw the world was different than mine.
I understand a hectic schedule, I can even understand if he told me he couldn't be friends with me because life was busy or that he was bored. But to 'cold turkey' cut me out was hurtful.
Henry was mad at me, so I respect that he didn't talk to me. But what was Alex's excuse?
For a split second, I thought he wasn't as bad as they made him. That he was a decent human being, someone I could get along with. But what he did was wrong and inexcusable, it didn't matter what title he held. No one should just end a friendship, ghost them.
I didn't need that reminder.
"Ell," Jessica waves her hand, pulling me out of my thoughts.
"Just this once? I'm here, it's a waste if I don't go...you're ruining my chances."
"I'm not stopping you...you can go...alone" I wish I could tell her the real reason why I didn't want to go.
"Ell-,"
"Jess,"
I didn't want to hear it, was it selfish of me? To be annoyed and adamant about not going? Jessica took a vacation to take care of me. I had to remind myself of that.
Oddly, Jessica quiets down and finishes washing the dishes adamant that I rest. She didn't want me to do anything, I mean it was hard to do anything with one arm, but it would've been manageable.
Jessica never gives in to anything, she always had her way. Whether it be work, school, men, or friends. Maybe that was the reason why I found it so hard to leave it at that. She's been pouting the whole night - our last night together until who knows how long.
It's when I'm lying beside her that I bring it up to her again, I needed to do this for her. Besides what are the chances he stops to stare at us, the only reason last time Alex even noticed us was because I angrily called out his name. This time I'll be quiet.
"Fine"
Jessica jolts up, out of excitement. Her eyes are bright, even in the dark. She doesn't say anything, but I can see her perfect white teeth shining against the moonlight. She had the biggest grin.
"I'm sleeping. We have an early day tomorrow," I turn my back towards her, resting my head. After all, I needed to keep myself mentally checked and prepared.
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Author's note: So what do you guys think is going to happen?!