On the Brinks

The girl with the braids lay on her bed, staring at the ceiling. She felt bad; she knew that the fountain was a bad idea, especially with Faith looking all tired and sickly. As Beth stared at the ceiling everything seemed to conflate; laughing in the fountain, being ashamed, Faith’s boyfriend dragging her away. The worst thing was that she knew he was just protecting her, but she didn’t like him. It was her turn with Faith; did he have to go back to kindergarten and learn to share?

The day had become desultory, going by sluggishly and with no excitement. Bethany thought about calling Davey but then she’d have to smile. She only wanted to hear his mellifluous voice but she only wanted to be with her best friend right now. The tinkling of the wind chimes outside her window was almost as sweet as Faith’s laugh; she had missed her best friend so much. She thought about going outside, it was the light, delicate air of summer, but it didn’t seem to fit her mood. However, Beth was going to go outside anyway.

Bethany pulled herself up from her bed, she trudged out of her bedroom and out into the living room; the second of four rooms in her apartment. Slowly, she descended the stairs of the Bellaview apartment building. She wandered through the scuffed white walls until she was outside in the redolent, warm air. She smiled slightly at the joy of finding something nice, while looking for something else. Bethany wandered across the road to the community garden, where she stumbled through a panoply of delicate flowers.

A young girl and her mother bounded together through the dirt, sunny and carefree. The little girl held a violet; the flower Faith and she had once fighted over, saying that they couldn’t have the same favorite flower. However, they had learned to share.

Depression wasn’t her thing; she was happy Bethany. She was the cute, humorous country girl who didn’t belong and needed protection. At least the last part was still true. It was too bad that the protection wasn’t coming from her bestest friend anymore, but from a silly boy who was poor and yelled at her to quit snoring through the vents. Bethany wanted to skip and leap around joyfully, but she needed a friend.

“David, get your butt outside and come play with me!” Bethany yelled up at his window. His head peaked out and he waved, pulling his head back inside quickly after yelling, “You got it.” Soon enough he was bounding out the chipped glass door at the bottom floor. David gathered her in a hug and they skipped down the lane, happy as Beth could manage.

Soon the friends were on Main Street; Beth held David’s hand as he bought a newspaper form a nearby stand. She sighed, “Don’t I wish I were as beautiful as this street.”

David just looked down at her with sly smile, “Darlin’ you’re far more fetching than any old street. Heck, you might even be prettier than my first place bowling trophy.” Beth smiled at his stupid country accent, hitting him with the paper.

“That’s right; you wish you could talk like me. Be jealous.” She let go of his hand and started to wander down the street ahead of him. She passed a fruit stand, an old motel and the coffee shop. Her eyes widened when she found Faith sitting in her usual spot, but replacing herself was – obviously – Dale, or whatever his name was.

David ran up behind her and snatched her up from the ground beneath her. He brought her over to the stone bench by the fountain, smiling at her until he saw a crystal tear. “Sorry I shouldn’t have… I mean, I’m a jackass. I –I mean… what did I do?” She looked at him, she shouldn’t be crying. Maybe Bethany was the one who needed to learn to share and not get so worked up. The world just seemed to calm down when Faith was in the room, she always had an air of innocence wherever she went.

“Nothing, just… Nothing,” She brought out her pearly smile and grabbed her best guy friend’s hand, Bethany pulled him up to her side and the left Main Square without a single word.