Make Me Better

"Feels like it was only yesterday that I was holding you in my arms-"

"Oh god." My mom rolled her eyes playfully. My dad glared at her and smiled over at me. He had his hand on my shoulder, "I'm proud of you, Olive."

"Dad, it's no big deal. "

"You're graduating high school, it's a huge deal!"My dad was so proud, it made me happy but it was starting to get old. I wouldn't be surprised if he started to cry. We were supposed to be leaving but my mom was taking forever with getting the baby ready.

It wasn't anything spectacular. It didn't even feel like I accomplished anything. It went by pretty quick. They called my name and they shoved the certificate into my arms, before escorting me off the stage. Of course when it was over, my dad hugged me for what seemed an eternity. Mom was standing behind him, a small smile on her face.

"It's real now, buddy. You're going off into the real world."My dad smiled down at me.

The real world sucked, well mine did at least. Most people go to college and still have time to maintain a relationship. But I was stuck in college while Frank went on tour. Not that I wasn't happy for him, it just sucked that I barely saw him at all. I would call him when I had the time, but he was usually busy or really tired. So I stopped calling, I figured if he had the time, he would call me. I was keeping busy myself, and by busy I meant, I was going to school full time and I had a part time job. I wasn't at a university yet, so I was still living at home with my parents.
I hadn't talked to Frank in over a week, so I wasn't sure where he was or what he was up to. The whole situation really bothered me, and I couldn't really do much about it.

"I'll be home in a bit." I whispered to my mom, she had just laid the baby down for her afternoon nap. My mom nodded at me.

"Lindsey!" I smiled.

"Olive!" She laughed. I sat down opposite of her in the booth. Lindsey drove down from NY for a couple days, and I was glad because I hadn't seen her for a month or so.

"How's everything?" She asked.

I shrugged, "Okay, school is a bit of a hassle because I have to work most days of the week, so getting my homework done is a bit hard."

"You'll get used to it, trust me." She nodded, "How are things with the boy?"

I stayed quiet for a moment, "Umm..I don't know. I haven't talked to him in about a week. And when we do talk it's forced and quick. I've decided not to call him, because he's always busy or sleepy, so if he has time he should call me."

Lindsey frowned a bit, "Boys are stupid, they just expect you to call them, so I don't know if stopping the calls will really help. I'm the one who has to call Gee, he'll call occasionally, usually night to see how my day went, but other than that, I'm making the calls." That made me feel a bit sad. Frank never called to ask about my day, to see how I was doing, or to even say goodnight.

"Well, whatever.. You can work out your problems tomorrow."

"What?"

"Right, you haven't talked in a week. They're doing a show here."

"Oh." I felt so out of the loop. The summer before I started college was one of the best, I spent most of my time with Frank, and then a month later he went on tour. I had it set in my mind that we could totally make this work. Now its' been two months and I'm starting to doubt that I'm capable of it.

"I'll come over your place, around 6:30?"

"I have work tomorrow, actually."

Lindsey widened her eyes a bit, "Really? Or are you just trying to avoid Frank?"

"I actually have work, and before that I have two classes. I don't think I'll be able to make it." I trailed off quietly.

"Your boyfriend is in town and you're actually thinking about going to work? Come on, Olive." Ok, that made me sound a bit bad, but Frank didn't even let me know that he was going to be in town.

"I'm not going to force you to come, but you should think about it." I nodded quickly, hoping to change the subject.

Why was this relationship always so complicated?