Only lonely & ***ed up

Anna woke up at her usual time, with her furry alarm clock by the side of her bed. “Hey, baby, c’mon, get in bed. We’re sleeping in today,” She patted the space next to her on the bed so her dog would come up.

After a while, her sister Grace’s head popped up on her doorway telling her, “Hey, had fun last night, huh?”

Ben barked, as if he was trying to answer that question for the girl. Anna put her hand up making a positive sign and said, “How would you know? Talked to mom? ‘Cause I haven’t see you in like three days or something…”

“Ooh, no no no. You’ve been tagged on facebook. And may I say you need to step up your game and wear something nice next time, miss? How many times do I have to tell you there’s no way you’re getting a boyfriend looking like that?” Grace said playfully.

“Boys are stupid!” Anna blurted out. Why was everyone interested to get on her case lately? They were going to drive her insane. “And, to my defense, I look cute all day everyday! Go ask mom!”

“Mom doesn’t count,” Anna was opening her mouth to object, but her sister continued, “Nor does dad or grandma, for the record. Give up already! And tell me next time so I can help you out. It’s okay if you don’t want to get it on with a new boy, but that doesn’t mean you have to give up on yourself, sis”

Anna exhaled and carried on to her morning routine, threw her favorite shirt on then grabbed her glasses and laptop and relocated to the kitchen to get some breakfast, talk to her mother and, of course, check on the photos her sister mentioned.

As soon as her laptop turned on, she entered the site address and noticed the red flags warning her of the notifications. Looking through the pictures, she smiled, it was good to reunite with her good friends. Soon enough, her sister appeared again and decided to be nosy and check what Anna was doing. She pointed out, “Look, there’s Gabi and Kenny! Did you talk to her? I haven’t heard about her in so long!”

Anna looked closely and there Gabi was, chatting between this guy she faintly remembered being the boyfriend and… mystery guy! She turned her head to her sister and asked, “Do you happen to know who this other guy is?”

“I have no clue… WHY?” Grace answered, ending up with a mischievous smile.

“Oh, nothing, just wondering… I’ve been seeing him a lot lately.” Anna tried to end the subject.

Grace smiled big and said real loud, “Look, mom, Anna has a crush!”

Trying to fake disinterest, Anna replied monotonous, “She’s messing with me, mom. Pay no attention.” But she was certain she had at least a slight blush on her cheeks, because she felt like her face was burning up.

“Tell us all about it, sweetheart,” Her mother replied from the living room.

“It’s nothing, really, mom. I’ve been seeing him around town. One day I’ve never seen him and the next day, he’s everywhere. He’s really handsome and his smile is to die for… But you guys are making me uncomfortable, so I’m retiring to my bedroom.” And with that, she gathered her things and walked.

Before she closed her door, Grace yelled, “Call Gabi and ask her about him! If you don’t, I will.”

Anna jumped on her bed, face down, and groaned into her pillow. Ben was right there, sensing her change of mood. She said, “Do you see that, Benny? Nobody leaves me be. It’s frustrating!”

Deciding not to take chances and letting her big sister maker her look bad, Anna decided to text Gabi. She thought it wouldn’t hurt to ask for information.

Anna
Hey, Gabi! Long time, no see, right? How have you been? Apparently you were at this party yesterday and we didn’t bump into each other, how crazy. But then I was checking pictures and there you were… And not to mention you were right beside this really cute guy I have a crush on! Care to give me some details about him? (he was wearing a plaid shirt) xx

She inhaled and exhaled deeply. The damage was done.

~~~~~

Anna’s phone chimed. She looked at it, one text message it said. She frowned and thought about not reading it. Before deciding anything, it chimed again. There was no escape, so she unlocked it to see them.

Grace
I was just kidding! But I’m glad you did try. I’m so proud of you right now, tiny thing.

“Give me a heads up next time you want to play your sick games with me, you stupid!” Anna yelled from her bedroom, dreading to read the next text, it was from Gabi.

Gabi
Annie! I can’t help but laugh because I’ve been meaning to get that boy a girlfriend for so long and he refuses to let me play cupid. I’m so happy right now I’ll burst!

“No. No. No. I’m so dead right now. Why, Benny, why did I do this to myself? She wants to play matchmaker with me. No way, I can’t deal with this!,” Anna said exasperated patting her dog’s coat.

Some time later, Grace came into her room unannounced with a smile on her face. “You know who I’ve been talking on the phone?,” She said wiggling her eyebrows.

Anna groaned again, bracing herself for what was coming next. “I can tell by your smug face that it was Gabi, so spill.”

“Stop being so dramatic, sis. She was telling me all about mystery boy. If you were feeling smitten about him already, you may pee your pants after you know the things I do about him,” Grace proceeded to tell her younger sister.

Anna kept her stare at her sister, waiting, “Well, aren’t you going to tell me then?” she asked.

“No way! Gabi wants to do it herself. Expect a call from her… Soon! I’m off to see Stephen and be sure to check on mom, okay?,” And with that Grace left.

It felt like hours passed to Anna, anxiety crawled up her bones. Suddenly, her phone started ringing. Gabi’s name flashed on the screen.

“Hey, Gabi!,” Anna tried her best in a cheery tone.

“Hey, Annie, how are you? How’s college? Are you working?” Gabi asked tons of questions.

“Classes are fine. I haven’t seen you there in ages! And I’m not working, unfortunately, it’s been a pain to get interviews and they’re always turning me down. Ugh” Anna said.

“Then send me your resume and I’ll try to hook you up with something… But let me get to the point of this call: are you really single?,” Gabi asked seriously.

“I mean, yes, I am. It’s been a while… But that’s not the point…” Anna trailed.

“Good. I mean, you and that guy kept breaking up and next thing I know is that you were back with that douche. But, yeah… That’s great. Do you remember, Kenny, my boyfriend? I was just talking with him and we agree you are the best match.” Gabi interrupted.

“Whoa, Gabi. Calm down. I just wanted to know the guy’s name so I could stalk him a bit online and admire his beauty from afar.” Anna said in a serious tone.

“No, Annie. I have it all in my head. John – that’s his name, by the way, I should’ve started with it, right? – is a really nice guy. He’s 21, super smart, polite, talented, has a good job, treats his mother right and you mentioned it: he’s good to look at. It won’t hurt to meet him. I bet he’ll be up to it.” Gabi rambled.

“That’s great and all, but I don’t think it’s a good idea.” Anna said.

“It’s a done deal, expect a call from me again soon. Really soon. And no buts, Annie. We’re going to have fun!” Gabi said before hanging up.

Anna muttered incoherent words under her breath.

~~~~~

“Hey, mom, would you like some of that ice cream I brought you earlier this week? I could use some right now and was wondering if you wanted too?” Anna asked.

“Yes. That would be great honey. Put on some for the both of ways and drag your cute butt here to tell me all about the boy. I’m curious, you know?” The older woman said.

After pouring the both of them some yummy fruity ice cream, Anna plopped down on the couch next to her mother and started talking, “It’s not a big of a deal. I’ve seen him everywhere and I just wanted to know his name, maybe knowing something about him… I just wanted to admire him from a good distance. Nothing more. By the way, his name is John, he’s 21 as well, he’s supposedly nice and smart and funny. He’s really good looking, mom. Way out of my league. But Gabi is already trying to set a date or something and I’m freaking out, mom!”

“Oh, sweetheart, you’re the prettiest girl there’s out there. You’re also the smartest and you have a kind heart. Don’t look down on yourself. And you have to move on eventually. Here’s a good chance. You don’t have to take things further, just go there and meet him, maybe it’ll turn out to something more, maybe not, at least you put yourself out there.” Her mother said.

“But, mom, it’s so hard. You know how that guy cheated on me, and lied, and treated me like dirt… I can’t do that again. It’s too much to handle. Why bother if things will end up badly in the end?” Anna blurted with tears forming in her eyes.

“You need to stop living in fear. Loving someone is something beautiful and it does you good, darling. Sure you get hurt, sometimes. What happened to you was bad, but that doesn’t mean it will happen again.” Her mother patted her back reassuringly.

The both of them stayed silently, just enjoying each other’s company.

But the words her mother said kept ringing on Anna’s mind.

~~~~

The following week started with bad news: Anna’s mother came back from the doctor’s appointment telling that her treatment was not having the results expected, so they had to change it all. The doctor decided they needed to have a harder approach, and her mother would start a new round of chemotherapy in a week time.

Anna tried to put on her poker face but she knew deep inside she failed miserably. She was beyond concerned. The worst part being there was nothing she could do to make things right or easier on her mother. Some things were out of her hands.

The days passed slowly in a kind of blur. But as promised, Gabi called again, “Hey, Annie. I heard the news about you mom, don’t worry, everything’s going to be alright. Just wait and see.”

Anna sniffed. Gabi continued, “I wish I could cheer you up and say we’re going out sometime soon but John’s being a stubborn child and refuses to let me set a date! Can you believe, that? And he lives only like two blocks from you, it’s not even difficult to pick you up”

“Oh, yes, I believe it. Don’t fuss about it, Gabi. He’s too good looking and seems to have his life all figured out. He’s way out of my league and I’m too boring for him. Just… Forget it. I intended to know his name just to swoon over him from a distance. It’s John, it’s all good.” Anna reassured her friend.

“Don’t be ridiculous. He’s just… skeptic about people in general right now. But he’ll come around, you’ll see. Kenny says hello, by the way. But if you say so… Call me if you need anything. Bye, Annie,” Gabi ended the call.

Anna sighed. She was warming up to the idea of having something (or rather someone) to take her mind out of the troubles swimming through it, but she was not even entitled to dream about that anymore.