Call Me Crazy

I lay back on my bed and stared at the My Chemical Romance poster on my ceiling that Friday night. “Gerard, I miss Alexis. I miss having a girl to talk to.” I spoke to the poster. It had become a habit of mine; speaking to Gerard, and wishing he could speak back. I needed Alexis, seeing as she was the one I told everything to. I guess I could call Ashleigh. I mused. I got out my phone and sent her a text asking if she could come over.

Tonight was Friday night. I should be out on a Friday night with my friends, not sitting here alone. I should be out with my boyfriend, but he explained that his mom was dragging him to a dinner party. So here I am, laying on my bed and talking to a two dimensional image of Gerard.

The week had passed slowly, yet nothing changed. Mackenzie hated my guts, along with Alexis, John, and Ben, considering they still wouldn’t talk to me. Kevin remained loyal, but I could tell it was hard on him to be in the middle of a feud. I had talked to Ashleigh and Mike a few times, but I had spent most of my time with Adam. Sure, I liked him a lot, but I wanted my friends back.

Feeling my phone vibrate, I picked it up and looked at the screen. Sure, I’ll be there in 10. I had found out quickly after moving here that Ashleigh lived down the street from me, and several other people from school lived near me in cookie cutter houses, just another reason to hate suburbia.

I heard the doorbell ring and I bounded down the stairs, tugging on my sweatpants to keep them from falling down.

“Hey Ashleigh!” I greeted my friend. She smiled and stepped inside, slipping off her Coach sneakers before following me to my room.

“You still have this? This has got to be seven years old!” She exclaimed, motioning to the purple beanbag chair. Ashleigh had given it to me when we were in sixth grade.

“No, it wasn’t that long ago, maybe six years?” I laughed, but Ashleigh sat down in it anyway.

“So why the sudden need for girl talk?” she asked from where she sat.

“That’s exactly it. I haven’t had any girl talk in a while, and with Alexis not talking to me…” I trailed off.

“Well do you know why she’s not talking to you?” Ashleigh asked me.

“She said it was because John doesn’t like Adam, that Ben doesn’t like Adam. I don’t get it,” I explained.

“What don’t you get,” She asked skeptically.

“Why they don’t like him.” I answered honestly. I was clueless and oblivious.

“You really don’t know anything about Adam, do you?” Ashleigh asked in a softer voice, almost pitying me.

“What?” I asked, the pulse quickening in my veins. “What about Adam?” Ashleigh sighed before beginning.

“Adam, well, he’s known to be a bit of a player—“ Ashleigh started.

“Well, I knew he wasn’t a saint,” I cut in. Ashleigh sighed.

“Yes, but he’s a partier. He drinks, he smokes, he fucks, and then returns to school after the weekend, and people don’t give him a hard time about it. The teachers still see him as a good kid, and they are so wrong. He’s not a good guy, Niki,” Ashleigh explained.

“I don’t care, my friends back in Green Bay were partiers, they drank, they smoked,” I tried to convince not only Ashleigh, but also myself.

“Please, I want you to be careful. Alexis may have just been warning you of this,” Ashleigh tried to tell me.

“No! If Alexis had wanted to warn me, she would have told me, not stopped all contact with me! What the hell?” I exclaimed.

“Maybe there’s something you’re missing from their side of the story,” Ashleigh said wisely, as if she had planned it all along. I sighed and looked to the window. Adam had said he was being forced to go to a dinner party with his mom. Was that a lie? Was he really just partying? Was he out drinking, smoking, and fucking?

“Niki, are you okay?” Ashleigh interrupted my thoughts.

“Yeah,” I replied, distracted, before I decided to change the subject, “So, what’s going on between you and Mike?” I asked, and Ashleigh started blushing. “Tell me!” I demanded, giggling at her reddened cheeks.

“Well you know that he asked me to homecoming,” Ashleigh trailed off, still blushing.

“Yeah, and?” I prompted, smiling as Ashleigh bounced around in the chair.

“Ahh! I never thought I’d ever date someone like Mike. Like, seriously, he’s so nerdy and geeky, but I find it so cute! And he’s just so caring and nice and I feel like I can be myself around him! It’s amazing!” Ashleigh gushed. I giggled.

“That’s so cute!” I exclaimed, hugging her, “I’m glad you found someone, and I’m glad that it’s Mike. I can trust him.” I joked lightly. Ashleigh smiled shyly, before glancing up to the clock. I looked too: it was almost midnight.

“I should get home before my mom calls the police,” Ashleigh said reluctantly, grabbing her coat and slipping on her shoes.

“Yeah, I’ll see you later,” I called after her as she walked out the door. Before I knew it, my mind was back on Adam. Where was he right now? Could I trust him?

Only time will tell.