What Doesn't Kill You Makes You Stronger

"You're joining us for dinner right?" Brittany asked me as she walked back into her living room.

"I already told you he was Britt! And he invited his friend to come too!" Milan called from the kitchen. Next to me, Leah started to laugh.

"You just invite your friend here to eat without even asking them?" She said in between giggles.

"Well, the girl's been living with me and she's incapable of cooking her own food, she's as broke as can be so she can't go out, so I really had no choice." I inform her.

Right away I knew I had said the wrong thing because with one hateful glance at me, Leah ran out of the room.

"Way to go Adam." Brittany told me before she followed Leah into another room.

"Not cool man." I heard Looch call out to me. Rolling my eyes, I walked into the kitchen to talk to him.

"What the hell did I say wrong?" I asked, leaning against the counter.

"Dude, you don't go telling your girlfriend-"
"Ex-girlfriend." I cut in. "She didn't take me back. She's still my ex-girlfriend." Milan rolled his eyes and continued by saying,

"Fine, you don't tell your EX-girlfriend who's pregnant with your child that you have another girl living at your house. That's just fucked."

"C'mon, does she really think that I would cheat on her?" I groan.

"Dude, I thought that you were fucking another woman until you told me that she was your nineteen year old friend." Looch pointed out.

"Ugh, I'm screwed." I moaned.

"No shit." Looch said as he stirred whatever was cooking on the stove.

"Dude, Brittany's got you whipped." I stated, referring to my friend who was cooking dinner.

"Oh, shut up. You were like this with Leah too." He said.

"Yeah, but I wasn't this bad. Like, I didn't cook dinner or anything." I said with a laugh. Looch started to say something, but my cell phone cut him off.

"Hold that thought." I said as I walk into another room to answer my phone.

"Adam, what's the address to your friend's house again?" Avery's voice asked before I could even get a full 'hello' out.

"Oh, uh..." And then I told her the address. I heard her repeat it before saying to me,

"Thanks, I just got into a cab now so I'll be there soon. Are you sure that your friend doesn't mind?" I rolled my eyes and said, "I'm sure.

"Okay, see ya in a bit then." She mumbled.

"Yep, bye." And then I hung up. Living with Avery was not exactly what I thought that it would be. Sure, she had only been here for a day, but already it was not as fun as I expected and it was very awkward. When I said yes to the whole living arrangement, I was expecting the person that I would be living with to be the fun-loving, amazing best friend who more or less became my sister. Not this girl who only spoke no more than two syllables a day. Not the depressed and rude person who moped and groaned all day. I was also not expecting how much of an impact seeing her with only one arm had on me. Sure, I had seen pictures, but seeing her in her new body in real life shocked me. It was proof that what had happened really did and that what everyone was saying about her was true; she was not the same person that she was so many years ago. I do remember shedding a few tears that night she she came when I went to bed.

"You son of a bitch bastard! How could you get into another relationship when there's a girl in this world who is pregnant with YOUR child!?!" a voice yelled, taking me out of my daze.

"I'm not in a relationship with another woman! I would never do that to Leah!" I defended myself to the very pissed off Brittany.

"Then who the hell is that girl staying at your house?" Brittany demanded.

"She's an old friend who transferred to go to the Uni. but couldn't afford a place of her own so she's being forced to stay with me-not that I mind though. And she's coming here because I'm not home to cook her dinner and she has no money to go out." I explained for the second time that day.

"Why can't she cook for herself? And who says that feelings won't develop between the two of you? Because I've seen childhood friends fall in love with each other." Brittany asked, her sharp look toning down a bit.

"Ew, that's gross. She's only nineteen and she's like my sister'; that would be weird. And she can't cook for herself because she's disabled and unable to." I told her.

"Oh..." was all Brittany could say. A brief silence followed, but it was quickly broken by the shrill sound of the doorbell.

"That must be Avery." I said as I walked towards the door.

"Hey, glad you could make it." I said with a small laugh as I let Avery in. Avery just glared at me and walking into the house. I groaned to myself because I had a feeling that this little dinner wasn't going to go over to well.