Status: ongoing
Priceless
Best friends
I started walking down the hallway, deciding to go back to Stephen’s room and sleep, but as I was about to turn, a figure caught my eye. I looked back and backed up a little, studying the figure of a man that looked very familiar. He was escorting a pregnant woman to a room, the latter on a wheelchair. Finally, I saw his face, and although it was just the side, I knew it was him.
My father.
For a moment, I was glued to the floor. I didn’t know what to do, really. I hadn’t seen him since Mom found out he was still seeing his mistress, and seeing him here with this pregnant woman was weird.
It was as if things were in slow motion as his head turned to face my direction, and I reacted on impulse. I quickly walked to Stephen’s room, opened the door and got in. I fought back the tears as I closed my eyes and bit on my finger to keep myself from letting out a sob. Grow up, Bails, I told myself. You’re not a little kid anymore. Grow up.
~~~
“What do you think of this top? I love it!” Erin gushed as she picked up a red sweatshirt from the clothes’ rack and showed it to me. It was the last day of school and we were shopping at Forever 21—actually, she was shopping, I just went with her—trying to keep our minds off the fact that the boys extended their little tour and would be back home one week later than expected.
“It’s cute. Get it,” I said, knowing even if I said it wasn’t, she would get it anyway.
And that was what she did. She kept grabbing clothes, asking me if they were cute, not trying them on, but getting it. As we lined up for the cashier I widened my eyes at her.
“Whoa, whoa. You’re really gonna buy all that?” I exclaimed, touching the huge pile of clothes she was carrying on both hands. She glanced at me, and then back to the cashier again.
“Yes, I need new clothes off, fuck off,” she snapped, and that was when I realized something.
“Wait a minute...” I started, taking in how fidgety she had been over the past few weeks, and not mentioning anything about John. “Are you and John in a fight?” I asked.
“No, that’s not it!” she practically screamed at me that I flinched a little. “That’s not it,” she said again, quieter this time.
Oh my God. I blinked. “Okay, don’t tell me you’re pregnant?” This time my voice was low so for others not to hear.
“Uh, no.” She rolled her eyes. “Worse. I cheated on him.”
Her voice practically a whisper, but it didn’t stop me from being shocked. I clasped a hand over my mouth. “Oh my God, Erin! With who?”
“With Brent,” she answered, biting her lips. “Remember him? He hosted the party I went to last week. I got really drunk and you know how badly I miss John. Brent kissed me and I, of course, well I thought it was John, so one thing led to another, and there...I woke up the next morning with Brent.”
I was still shocked as I listened to her, but I took it all in. “How could you think he was John?!” I hissed. “What the fuck, Erin? Does John know? Or—” She shot me a guilty look and I knew. “You haven’t told him yet, have you?”
“Oh, come on.” She rolled her eyes once again. “You want me to confess over a phone call? Of course I want to tell him personally. But I’ll have you know, this guilt trip going on inside my head has been driving me crazy for too long I almost resorted to confessing over a text, but I want to do it face-to-face. And that...that thing with Brent meant nothing. I was lonely and I was drunk enough to think John had possibly come back, so there.”
I shook my head at her. “Gosh, Erin. I don’t even know what to say.”
“How about, ‘I’ve been there’?”
I gave her a look that made her get an invisible key from her pocket and zip her lips with it. It wasn’t too early to make jokes about me and Alex and Stephen, it’s just that she was in serious shit that needed serious talks, no space for jokes. And okay, I really didn’t want to remember that whole cheating on a nice guy thing.
“Listen, I’m sorry, okay,” she said, after a few moments of shutting up. “It was really nothing. I know you’re upset with me since John’s like, your brother or whatever, but I’m your best friend. We’ve been best friends our whole lives and I need you right now to just...be there. Not make me feel every inch shitty, because I already feel that way. I have since that second I woke up and saw Brent beside me. So please, just. Okay?”
I knew she wasn’t lying about that thing with Brent. I knew how she felt about John, and I knew she was sincere with him. I gave her a half hug and a half-hearted smile. “Sleepover at my house later,” I said. “And we’ll figure out how to deal with this, okay?”
She smiled up at me. “Yeah, we will. Thanks.”
~~~
My father.
For a moment, I was glued to the floor. I didn’t know what to do, really. I hadn’t seen him since Mom found out he was still seeing his mistress, and seeing him here with this pregnant woman was weird.
It was as if things were in slow motion as his head turned to face my direction, and I reacted on impulse. I quickly walked to Stephen’s room, opened the door and got in. I fought back the tears as I closed my eyes and bit on my finger to keep myself from letting out a sob. Grow up, Bails, I told myself. You’re not a little kid anymore. Grow up.
~~~
“What do you think of this top? I love it!” Erin gushed as she picked up a red sweatshirt from the clothes’ rack and showed it to me. It was the last day of school and we were shopping at Forever 21—actually, she was shopping, I just went with her—trying to keep our minds off the fact that the boys extended their little tour and would be back home one week later than expected.
“It’s cute. Get it,” I said, knowing even if I said it wasn’t, she would get it anyway.
And that was what she did. She kept grabbing clothes, asking me if they were cute, not trying them on, but getting it. As we lined up for the cashier I widened my eyes at her.
“Whoa, whoa. You’re really gonna buy all that?” I exclaimed, touching the huge pile of clothes she was carrying on both hands. She glanced at me, and then back to the cashier again.
“Yes, I need new clothes off, fuck off,” she snapped, and that was when I realized something.
“Wait a minute...” I started, taking in how fidgety she had been over the past few weeks, and not mentioning anything about John. “Are you and John in a fight?” I asked.
“No, that’s not it!” she practically screamed at me that I flinched a little. “That’s not it,” she said again, quieter this time.
Oh my God. I blinked. “Okay, don’t tell me you’re pregnant?” This time my voice was low so for others not to hear.
“Uh, no.” She rolled her eyes. “Worse. I cheated on him.”
Her voice practically a whisper, but it didn’t stop me from being shocked. I clasped a hand over my mouth. “Oh my God, Erin! With who?”
“With Brent,” she answered, biting her lips. “Remember him? He hosted the party I went to last week. I got really drunk and you know how badly I miss John. Brent kissed me and I, of course, well I thought it was John, so one thing led to another, and there...I woke up the next morning with Brent.”
I was still shocked as I listened to her, but I took it all in. “How could you think he was John?!” I hissed. “What the fuck, Erin? Does John know? Or—” She shot me a guilty look and I knew. “You haven’t told him yet, have you?”
“Oh, come on.” She rolled her eyes once again. “You want me to confess over a phone call? Of course I want to tell him personally. But I’ll have you know, this guilt trip going on inside my head has been driving me crazy for too long I almost resorted to confessing over a text, but I want to do it face-to-face. And that...that thing with Brent meant nothing. I was lonely and I was drunk enough to think John had possibly come back, so there.”
I shook my head at her. “Gosh, Erin. I don’t even know what to say.”
“How about, ‘I’ve been there’?”
I gave her a look that made her get an invisible key from her pocket and zip her lips with it. It wasn’t too early to make jokes about me and Alex and Stephen, it’s just that she was in serious shit that needed serious talks, no space for jokes. And okay, I really didn’t want to remember that whole cheating on a nice guy thing.
“Listen, I’m sorry, okay,” she said, after a few moments of shutting up. “It was really nothing. I know you’re upset with me since John’s like, your brother or whatever, but I’m your best friend. We’ve been best friends our whole lives and I need you right now to just...be there. Not make me feel every inch shitty, because I already feel that way. I have since that second I woke up and saw Brent beside me. So please, just. Okay?”
I knew she wasn’t lying about that thing with Brent. I knew how she felt about John, and I knew she was sincere with him. I gave her a half hug and a half-hearted smile. “Sleepover at my house later,” I said. “And we’ll figure out how to deal with this, okay?”
She smiled up at me. “Yeah, we will. Thanks.”
~~~