Seventeen and Invincible

"Thank You," I mumbled as Mia approached me. She let out a heavy sigh and nodded, picking one of my bags up off of the tile floor. "I'm sorry I never told you," I added quickly. She nodded again, keys held tightly in her hand.

"Really, Anika, it's fine," she sighed. I nodded, thanking her again and stood, lifting my final two bags. "Now let's go. I have errands to run for my mom. I'm still skating on thin ice with them. It's like Nate has become the worshiped child and I'm scum."

"I'm sure they don't think you're scum, Mi. It'll just take them a while to get over," I replied, trailing behind her to the car.

"Yeah," she huffed, opening the trunk, "well, they've had a year. Time to get over the fact that I'm a big girl. I'm all grown up and these things can happen." I nodded and smiled weakly. Once my bags were in the trunk, I slipped into the passenger seat, forgetting how Phoenix got in the summer.

"So," she started, speeding out onto the highway, "whoelse knows you're back? I mean, except of course Garrett.". I shook my head, letting a delicate, nervous laugh escape my lips. "I mean you did tell Garrett, right? Right?" she questioned, glancing briefly at me and then back at the road. "Please tell me you told him you're coming back?" she asked hopefully.

"No one know I'm coming back, Mia. That includes Garrett." I replied quickly, he is a person after all." She snorted unattractively before saying anything.

"You really didn't tell him? How could you not tell him?" I shrugged because honestly I didn’t think it mattered. He was my best friend he should be happy to see me regardless.

“Honestly, I didn’t think it was a big deal. I just wanted to surprise him,” I defended, all hope of a happy ending slipping away like the sand running through your fingers at the beach.
She bit her lip, glancing at me quickly. “Anika, when was the last time you spoke to Garrett?” I shrugged my shoulders, leaning my head against the window.

“I guess it’s been a while since we’ve really talked. I mean we emailed back and forth but things got in the way I guess.” I picked at my cuticles and exhaled loudly. “He’s not mad at me or something, right? I mean I don’t think he’ll be unhappy to see me, right? He’s still my best friend.” She pulled her eyes away from the road, looking at me sadly once more. “Right? Mia, what did I do wrong?”

“You didn’t do anything,” she replied quickly, biting on her lip again. “Shit,” she muttered looking back at me. “I promise you, you didn’t do anything.” I could feel the apologies and the lies and the regret creep up my throat. I had to have somehow wronged him. Otherwise this wouldn’t be such a big deal.

“Mi, what happened?” She rolled her eyes, slowing down as switched lanes, turning onto the exit ramp. Her head shook and she laughed lightly.

“Nothing happened. I just thought you’d have told him you were back in the country, y’know, since he is your best friend after all. You know, he’s just the boy who you’ve been madly in love with for God only knows how long.” I rolled my eyes, slightly annoyed and regretting my choice to call Mia—a cab would’ve been more expensive but certainly I’d have been spared the interrogation. “Look, Garrett was apparently a bit of a mess for a while on tour after you left. John told me Garrett came back the day you were leaving and no one knows what happened, but it left him a bit of a mess.” I rolled my eyes in disbelief.

“Nothing happened, nothing that hadn’t happened before, anyway. I’m sure he was fine.” I rolled my eyes again, sinking into the cloth seat. We wouldn’t be home for another fifteen minutes, and thus the interrogation would continue.

“Oh my god! You hooked up! You hooked up with someone in Germany and that’s why you won’t talk to Garrett!” she yelled, taking in my guilty expression.

“Yes, okay, I dated someone, but that has nothing to do with my lack of communication with Garrett.” I rolled my eyes and looked out the window at the familiar surroundings.

“You dated someone who wasn’t Garrett? When the fuck are you two going to get your heads out of your goddamn asses and realize that you aren’t fooling anyone. Jesus! The two of you are insufferable when you’re separated and I really hate him when you’re not around. He’s just such a stupid little twit. He’s too, too Garrett. And you just get this ridiculous wimpy look that shouts that you have no self-esteem and it’s really quite absurd.” She grunted and eventually turned down a street, stopping in front of an apartment building that looked completely unfamiliar.

“Where are we?” I asked, confusion seeping in and clouding my mind.

“Home sweet home. You and your idiot best friend live here. He’s not home. There’s a spare key under the door mat.” She mumbled, grabbing my bags from the trunk and placing them on the pavement. “I would totally stay and help you, but I really have to help my mom.”

“How do you know where the spare key is?” I questioned quickly.

“It’s Garrett. It’s going to be in the most obvious spot. If not, then you’ll just have to wait for him to get home.” I rolled my eyes as she smirked.

“Which apartment is it, do-do bird?”

“Oh, right,” she laughed, reaching into her car and into the glove compartment. “I knew there was a reason I kept this in my car.” She smiled sheepishly and climbed back into the driver’s seat. “I missed you. Everyone did. So go, good luck.” I picked up my bags one by one, lugging them into the building and up the stairs to apartment 233C.

I had a feeling a lot had changed in the last few months, and I didn’t think I was going to like it.