Keep Me Together

“I don’t expect you to feel sorry for me,” Miri said in a whisper and stared at Elenia with big, tear filled eyes. “I just didn’t know who else I could tell.”
Elenia walked slowly over till her bed and sat down beside Miri. She took a hold of her hand and held it in silence.

“I’m sorry, Leni,” Miri whispered and held onto Elenia’s hand with all her strength. “I’m so sorry, and I miss you.”
“You were the one how pushed me away, shut me out and made everyone else hate me as well,” Elenia stared at the red rug on the on the floor.
“But I thought you were lying then,” Miri defended.

“Yeah, and you wanted my boyfriend really badly,” She said sarcastically and grimaced.
“Elenia,” Miri pleaded. “Please don’t hate me.”
Elenia sighed and pulled her hand through her hair. “I want to hate you so much. I wish I could hate you as much as I hate Derek and Kenny, but I can’t. You know, you used to be my best friend. The one I thought I could rely on, but you decided a popular boyfriend was more important than me, Mirella.”

“But then again, I never was your best friend; Livvy was your best friend,” Miri said lowly.
Elenia flinched but smiled weakly. “You’re probably right, although you were a damn good place holder. You kind of filled the emptiness.
“What do you think Olivia would have done?”

“She would have stood in the middle and forced us to be friends again and put to the past behind us,” Elenia said and wiped her tears. “And that we had to stay together and help each other.”
“I miss her too, you know,” Miri said and put her hand on top of Elenia’s hand.

Elenia met Miri’s eyes for the first time since she sat down at the bed. “Have you talked to your parents?”
Miri shook her head. “No. And he didn’t make any… bruises. I really don’t want to tell anyone.”
“That’s okay. I didn’t either, but the pain was too hard to handle by myself.”

“I tried to speak to Derek, but Kenny’d already spoken to him, told him a bunch of lies about me getting him drunk and then seducing him,” Miri shuddered. “Derek broke up with me and yelled things I don’t want to repeat.”
“Derek is blinded by the friendship,” Elenia said, “He see Kenny as the person he think he is, not the evil bastard he really is.

Miri agreed. “Elenia, I promise I will make everything okay, if you just give me another chance. I won’t spoil it.”
Elenia didn’t know what to answer. She missed Miri dearly, but she was still scared off what could happen.
“Leni, we need each other,” Miri said with a kind smile and put her hand on Elenia’s cheek.

“Okay, Miri, but you have to remember; I can forgive you but never forget.”
“That’s all I’m asking.”
Elenia smiled at her cousin.

Something popped into her head, something she hadn’t given one thought, until now.
“Hey, Miri, do you know about Harry?”
“What about him?” Miri asked and furrowed her brows.
Elenia cleared her throat and searched her head. “That… That he’s not going to college!”

“Oh, that,” she said as a sheepish smile crawled its way onto her mouth. “That’s because he’s a shape-shifter and has to stay and protect us from evil vampires.”
Elenia’s mouth dropped. “So you do know?”
“Yeah I do, he’s my brother. I became suspicious because of his odd behavior and he and my folks decided to tell me. You on the other hand know because my uncle imprinted in you,” Miri grinned at her.

Elenia blushed slightly. “I didn’t get to know before last summer.”
Miri rolled her eyes. “I didn’t know until a month ago.”
“Do you think it’s weird, me and Seth, you know, being destined to be together?” Elenia asked her insecurely.
Miri fell silent. “It would have been weird if the legends weren’t real and you two started dating. But this is different, right, you are destined to be together. But don’t even start to think that I ever will call you Auntie!”

Elenia burst out in laughter and Miri joined in. But Elenia’s laughter quickly turned into tears.
“He left because of me,” she cried to her cousin.
“Harry said he left to visit some old friends,” Miri said sadly.
“No,” Elenia shook her head. “He left because I had sex with Austin.”
“You and Austin?” Miri gasped. “I assumed you only were friends.”

“We are now, now when he has changed and found out about the imprint. I’m officially off limits,” she proclaimed.
“But, could you ever love Austin?” Miri wanted to know.
“No, I can’t love him as more than a friend. But he’s a good guy, he promised to stick by me anyway.”

The two girls were cousins and former best friends, but it looked like they become good friends again. They decided to have a sleepover at Elenia’s house, to seal the new friendship. Also, Miri didn’t want to be alone, she was afraid of horrible nightmares.

But Elenia slept heavily, feeling relieved. The only thing she could wait for now, was Seth’s return. And she had a plan for that.