Picking Up The Pieces

Picking up the pieces. It’s all I ever do. I am so sick of being the one people run too. I love helping people it’s something I’m good at, but just once I’d like to be the one someone helped. Don’t get me wrong I have the best friends ever, but God I’m so sick of being the one to pick up all the pieces of my friends broken hearts and doing my best to put them back together.

I sat in my room pondering my situation. I was texting my best friend, Garrett. I could tell something was wrong, I knew him like the back of my hand, but he wouldn’t tell me what was wrong. I sighed pressing send on my latest text. “Gary, I know something is wrong, please tell me.” I set my phone on my table waiting for a reply, and turning up my stereo which was blasting Taking Back Sunday.

“I’m fine, Emmy I promise.” He sent me.

I rolled my eyes. “I won’t give up until you tell me.” I knew what it was. That skank he was dating, Alicia. She was up to something. I hated seeing him hurt, it broke my heart into a million pieces. I love Garrett, more than anything. More than a friend. Just once, I wish I could be the girl that was causing his agony. That I was the reason he couldn’t sleep at night., because he was thinking of me. I wished it was me so bad, but it would never be me. It couldn’t be. I was just his best friend, and that’s all I would be.

“I have to go. Dinner date with Alicia.” Garrett sent me.

I just groaned and threw my phone back onto my side table and laid back on my bed, listening intently to the lyrics of one of my favorite TBS songs. “I’ve got a bad feeling about this.” Adam repeated. I really did have a bad feeling about this. She was no good for him. She slept with every guy she could get her hands on. She thought because of her long blonde hair, and her bright blue eyes along with her long legs and short skirts she was the shit. The Queen Bee you could say. Me? I thought she was a snobby bitch who I wanted to push off a cliff.

I woke up to the sound of my phone going crazy on my desk. “Hello?” I asked half asleep.

“Emmy..” I heard Garrett’s voice choke out on the other end. He was crying.

My eyes grew wide. “Gary, what’s wrong?” I asked standing up.

“Just, come open the door..” He mumbled.

I hung up my phone and ran out of my room and down to the stairs and opened the door, wrapping my best friend in a hug. Garrett wrapped his arms around me, holding me close to him. I could smell her on him, it made me want to puke. I just pulled him into the house still holding onto him. We headed up to my room and sat down on my bed. He laid his head on my shoulder, crying quietly. I knew he loved Alicia I didn’t know why, but he loved her. I couldn’t judge him ya know? You can’t help who you love. I just wish he would’ve seen what she really was so he didn’t get hurt. My best friend was crying on my shoulder and I could only guess why.

“Gary?” I asked quietly and he looked up at me. “What happened?” I bit my lip, not wanting to hear how that skank ripped his heart out.

He sighed and wiped his cheek, don’t you think this should be the other way around? Him comforting me? Yeah me too. Anyways. “She cheated on me, I went to pick her up at her house and when I got there she was doing some guy on her couch.”

I could see the hurt in his eyes. I wanted to gouge her eyes out. I mean what the fuck. That pissed me off so much. No one fucks with my friends and gets away with it, especially Gary. I sighed holding in my “I told you so.”

“Can I stay here tonight Emmy? With you? Please?” He asked, looking deep into my green eyes.

I half smiled and nodded. “Always Gary.”

He smiled a bit then got up and walked into the bathroom. I ran downstairs and popped a bag of popcorn and grabbed our guilty pleasure movie. Mean Girls. He only watched it with me because he knew it was one of my favorites, but we just always seem to watch it when we feel shitty. I grabbed us some soda’s and walked back into my room.

Garrett had changed into the shorts he left at my house for occasions such as this, and took his shirt off. He was lying in my bed waiting for me to return. I half smirked at him and handed him the popcorn and set the soda’s on the side table. I was already in my pajama’s. I popped the dvd in and pressed play, crawling onto my bed and leaning up against the wall.

I pulled the blanket up and wrapped it around myself, and Garrett put the popcorn between us. We finished off three soda’s each, two bowls of popcorn a huge bag of Sour Patch Kids, both only grabbing the watermelon flavored ones. We watched That Thing You Do, Fightclub and a few other movies after Mean Girls.

When we finally fell asleep it had to be close to four am. When I woke up, my face was cuddled into Garrett and my arm was across his chest. His shoulder my pillow, and his arm around my shoulder/neck area. I wiped the sleep from my eyes and looked at the clock. Noon. Awesome. I quietly slid out of my bed trying not to wake Garrett, he had a long night, he deserved to sleep. I walked into my bathroom and turned the shower on.

After a quick shower and putting my wet hair up into a messy bun on top of my head, I slid on a black tank top and white shorts. I put on some light make up, black eyeliner and black eyes shadow to match my jet black hair. I walked out and saw Garrett still sound asleep in my bed. He looked so cute, so peaceful. I didn’t want to wake him, so I didn’t. I snuck downstairs and made us some breakfast, my parents were already gone. Not that I cared. I never really saw them, and they never really paid attention to me anyways. I brought two plates filled with bacon, eggs and toast upstairs, along with two glasses of orange juice. I set them down on my desk and walked over to Garrett.

“Wakey Wakey Gary. I made us eggs and bacy!” I cheered in his ear.

He groaned. “Go away.”

I sighed and poked him. “Just get the fuck up and eat. It’s already one.”

He grumbled and got up. I smiled and handed him his plate and juice. He half smiled and thanked me. I nodded and sat next to him, eating my food. It was quiet. Too quiet. I was about to say something but he got to it first.

“I wish just once I could find the perfect girl, ya know? One who knows me, and loves me, for me. Doesn’t want to change me. Just loves me.”

My eyes looked at him a bit shocked that he just out and said that and then dropped to my plate. I couldn’t even begin to think of a reply to that, well I could. Your perfect girl is sitting right next to you Garrett. Why can’t you see it? Why can’t you see that I love you for you. That I know you. That would never want to change you, who wants to see you live out your dreams and have a wonderful life, together with her.

I finally snapped out of my daze when I noticed Garrett was talking to me. “You okay Emmy?” he asked, looking a little concerned.

This was it I couldn’t take it anymore. I had to tell him. I didn’t want to do it so soon after that bitch breaking his heart but you know what? It was time for him to know the truth. Time for him to know that I loved him, more than anything. That my heart is missing a piece, because I lost it when I put his back together so many times before. I shook my head and set my plate down on the floor next to my juice. “No Garrett, I’m not okay. I will never be okay, not until I say this. You have no idea how much it hurts to hear you say what you just said when I’ve been right here since we were 14 years old. I love everything about you, I’m always there for you, I know what you hate, I know what you love, I know how to cheer you up when no one else can. I’m the one who’s been there to pick up all the pieces of your broken heart, and every time I did it you took another piece of my heart with you. I’m in love with you Garrett.”

“I’ve hated every girl you’ve dated in the past solely because they had you and I didn’t. Your smile, that adorable smile. The way you laugh, the way you smell, how it feels when you give me a hug. I love it all. I love you and I can’t just sit here and listen to you talk about the girl you wish you had when she’s been here the whole time, waiting for you.”

I looked at him, waiting for him to say something. His eyes were the size of quarters, shocked. “Emmy, I..” He started.

I shook my head, mostly to stop the tears from coming. “If you say we’re best friends I will kick you in the nads.” I said with the most serious face I could ever pull off saying that.

He chuckled to himself quietly, setting his plate down and turning to look me straight in the eye. We stared at each other for a few moments. I wanted to kiss him so bad, but I just couldn’t grow the balls to do it. He started to lean in, my heart began to race. I felt like it was going pop out of my chest it was going so face. I think he knew me too well because he put his hand over my heart and laughed a bit.

“Take a deep breath, Baby girl.” He whispered, his mouth to my ear.

I closed my eyes, taking a few deep breaths to calm myself down. He kept one hand over my heart. I felt his fingers run down my arm, sending chills through my body. I could feel his cool breath close to my face, I could smell it too. Two words, tic tac. Thinking of that made me laugh slightly.

“What?” He asked, again in a whisper.

I smirked a bit, not knowing if I wanted to say it or not. “Uh, well, your breath, it kind of smells like butt.”

His eyes got wide and his lips formed into a small grin. “Fine then, no kiss for you.”

I shook my head. “No no, please..please..” I looked at him with my pretty puppy dog eyes. Pleading for him to kiss me.

He smiled slightly, leaning in again. “Breathe.” He whispered, his cool breath tickling my neck. I nodded as he pressed his lips to mine. This his was electrifying. Amazing. My first kiss. I had never wanted anyone else but him. I had been asked out before, but I always said no. I’d make up some excuse, but it was always because I wanted Garrett. I knew the moment I saw him I wanted to be with him and the moment he kissed me, I knew I was done picking up the pieces, because they were mine to keep, and I planned on keeping them together.