First

Five

"You said you won't party, nice joke, Yvonne." I say to her while trying to take her to the car. She is pretty drunk. 

"Summer, let's stay for mo-more five mi-minutes."

"No. A big fat NO."

"Please." She gives me those puppy looks even if she is drunk but I ain't falling for it.

After meeting the squad, she and I went downstairs to grab a drink. A DRINK. I know she contradicted what I just said, she had around seven drinks. I tried stopping but she didn't listen and never will. 

After having those drinks, she just threw herself on the dance floor and started dancing madly. It took me around two hours to wait for her to calm down. When she finally did calm down—a bit, here I am, dragging her to the car. 

She is a real pain in the a*s. God knows how I will survive with her. Or worse—will I even?

When we reach our building, Mrs Johnson was there and she smiled at us. It seems she is impressed and happy because we respected her rules. I tell her good night and go up to my room with Yvonne. She didn't even question Yvonne for being drunk. I guess all these are actually very normal. 

When I reach our room, I put her into bed and just collapse on my own bed. I didn't even realize when I fell asleep, I just did. And the next moment I realize what's really happening, I hear someone sobbing and crying real bad. 

I look down from my bed and Yvonne isn't there so I glance around the dark room with sleepy eyes to see where she is. When my sleepy eyes finally failed to search for her, I come down from my bed which is the upper one to get a better look when I finally see Yvonne sitting on the sofa, crying.

"Oh my god, Yvonne! Are you okay? What happened?"

She seems startled to see me and wipes her tears away real fast.

"Summer, I'm sorry I woke you up. I'm okay. You go to bed and sleep, I'll be there soon."

"For hell sure, I ain't going back to sleep and for f**k sake, you aren't okay. Tell me what happened girl! I'm here for you. Talk to me."

After I told her those words, she just collapses on me and starts to cry really bad. Seeing her like this hurts me too. Not only because she is a good friend of mine but also because she isn't a person who cries over small things. She is a strong person and doesn't let anyone overpower her and hurt her. She doesn't even let anyone touch her weaknesses. 

But tonight, she looks so vulnerable in this dark room that it instead hurts me more. I could see the pain behind those green eyes flickering in the faint light of the corridor. I don't know what it is that made someone so strong put their guards down and let themselves be vulnerable. Something someone like Yvonne would have never done. 

I know I have known her for less than forty-eight hours which isn't enough to qualify me to speak about her in this way as if I've known her for a very long time but there are times when you just click with someone whom you have just met. Yvonne is one of those people to me. 

In just a short period of time, she made a place for herself in my heart and our friendship was something to be cherished forever. It might not make sense but to me, it does so perfectly. A true friend is something I never had until I met her. These two days with her proved to me that friendship is priceless but only with a person who knows how to be a friend. 

Behind her rebellious and cheerful and always smiling look, there was something that was troubling her. I could see that. Tonight. Right now. 

"Yvonne, tell me what happened. I'm here for you. Always. I'm willing to listen and trust me—whatever is it, I won't judge you even if it's really bad."

"I don't know how to handle myself anymore Summer." She says sobbing.

"What made you think that?"

She moves away from me and sits back, wiping her tears.

I nod, signalling her to go on.

"Today, when I visited my home..." She trails off and starts crying again. 

I hug her and comfort her for five minutes straight.

She again moves away from me and signals me that she will continue.

"When I reached home, my stepmom told me to take my car but something seemed off about her. She wasn't in her usual state. She is a very lively and a very cheerful person but today, she just wasn't herself. After my mom left, I was devastated but when dad remarried his childhood sweetheart, Daphne Ross, my life changed—for the better. My stepmom, she fixed me. She gave me all the motherly love I thought I lost it forever. You see, I owe her a lot. She is close to both me and my brother but she is closer to me. People label stepmothers as a part of the satan family but I think it's bullshit. Of course, there might be stepmoms who are devils but mine is not. So I refuse to accept that. I love her more than anything in this world." She trails off again but this time she controls her tears.

"Today when I went back home, I met mom at the entrance door. As always, waiting for me. I hugged her and she told me that she missed me. But I could make out that something was wrong with her just from her tone. You see, I know her very well. I ask her what's wrong but she just brushed the topic away by laughing and saying that nothing was wrong. After much convincing, she started to cry. The way she cried broke me." She cries again. "She hugged me and told me between tears that she has stage four cancer. She knew it since the last two months but didn't tell me or anyone because she didn't want us to worry.Dad is coming back home in two days and is taking mom for treatment. Dad and my brother Felix got to know about it a few days back because they had to know but she especially didn't tell me because of how my reaction would be. I can't believe she hid that from me." She cries again, but more heavily. 

I gasp after hearing the news and starts to console her when she says, "That's not only it." I nod, signalling her that I'm listening.

She takes a deep breath and she wipes her tears. Then, she calms herself down and controls herself in case another breakdown hits her soon. She looks like as if she was going to tell me her biggest secret.

"Yesterday when I told you that I'm repeating the first year again because I didn't do quite well—that wasn't the complete truth. Yeah, there is truth in it but not completely. I didn't think we will get along so well so I didn't tell you the whole truth and besides, the complete truth is a little too personal so how could I tell you? You were just a stranger to me at that time."

"Of course, I understand,”

"Okay, so the truth is that—" She takes a deep breath again. "Last year, when the squad and I were in our first year we were really good friends. We still are but things changed with someone particular from the squad—Jason. With Jason."

She trails off and doesn't speak for a minute.

"What happened that changed so suddenly? Tonight, I also noticed the way you guys behaved towards each other."

" I know. I know you did,"

She pauses again. After a minute, she tells me that she will continue.

"Last year during Christmas party at Jason's place, the squad and I were hanging out. We were all drinking and everyone got drunk, except for me and Jason. Only Elijah wasn't there for the party because he had some other party to attend. You know, he is a rich kid with a billionaire dad but they don't get along at all."

Hearing his name again sent chills down my spine but I try to stay focus. 'This guy will be the death of me'

She continues anyway,

"After every other person in the room with us passed out from the drink except for me and Jason, we got bored so we thought of going outside to get fresh air. The party was over by then. Everyone went back. The squad and we were the only ones left. It was normal for us to stay back because we usually did it. I just had to inform Mrs Johnson about it and everything was cool."

I nod, indicating that I'm listening.

"He asked us way before the party started to stay back after the party. We all agreed. So when the party was finally over and everyone left and above all that, the whole squad passed out, me and Jason had nothing else to do and that's why we decided to take a walk. As friends. But during the walk, our talk became a little too deep. After a good five minutes walk, we weren't talking about normal stuff like the college latest rumour and all. It was getting–you know, way too deep. Families and our past struggles and all those. We both found solace in each other that night and realized we just clicked but never really realized it before. We opened up a lot about each other. He was the first person I opened up to after my stepmom. I was shocked because I didn't really share all those personal stories and past struggles with people very easily but I just did—with him. So easily. He also opened up a lot and I learned we both have a messy past. That way, we just—you know, connected. The next thing I knew what was happening, I found myself kissing him back. Even when I realized what I was doing, I didn't stop him. I could feel that even he did it without realizing it but didn't stop too. One thing led to another and that night..." She sighs. "We didn't have s*x. We made love. The next morning when I woke up, I found myself not at all, regretting it. Suddenly, someone pulls me to the other side. It was Jason." She says, smiling. "He hugged me tightly and the way he hugged made me sure that even he didn't regret. I was so relieved. We stay like that for a while and later on decided to skip college. The Dean called us the next day to ask why we skipped but we already had excuses for each other. We didn't even care if he suspected we were lying because the time we spent together by skipping college was worth it. He was worth it. That's when I realized I was in love." She sniffs. "But every good thing is meant to end. Just like that, even our story seemed to have run its course. After a few weeks, he just stopped talking to me. I didn't know what I did that made him ignore. The squad was fine with me except for Jason. He just stopped doing everything. You know, he just stopped. Suddenly and immediately, we became strangers in just a few weeks time. It was like we didn't even know each other. We just completely stopped talking. It hurt me so much. I hated and despised him for breaking my heart. I asked myself 'how can he be such a good actor?'. I couldn't understand why he played with me. I couldn't understand why did he fake his feelings for me if he just wanted s*x. I couldn't understand how can he make a simple s*x fully driven by l**t seemed so much like making love. I was heartbroken. After much time staying heartbroken, I realized I couldn't let those destroy me and that's why I decided to leave this thing behind me and move on. I couldn't though. I still can't for your information anyways. I am still in love with him and I hate to admit it. After some months, I was totally cool with whatever happened. I had no hard feelings towards Jason because with time, I started to realized that what he did to me was just how he was. I tried to be the bigger person and stayed cool with him. But I couldn't make myself bear the fact that I will have classes with him because of some similar courses so I flunked, purposely and forced my parents to let me repeat. This is the whole truth." She sniffs again.

I don't say anything. I just lean in and hug her, consoling her and telling her indirectly that it's okay.

"Earlier this evening during the party after we met the squad, I told you that I'll be right back and went off for a pretty long time for which you scolded me pretty bad. Remember Summer?"

"Yes. What about that?"

"Actually it was Jason who called me and that's why I went. He wanted to talk about what happened between us. After all this time. He told me that he was scared because..." She trails off again and starts to cry again.

I keep on hugging her and tell her, "Shshhhh Shshhh. It's fine."

 She sniffs again and continues.

"He told me that he was scared because he fell in love for the first time with me and he didn't know how to handle the feelings which were so foreign to him. He told he was scared to hurt me because he was inexperienced and that's why he thought leaving everything behind in the past will be the right decision to make. He said he is so sorry for hurting me like that and asked me to do a favour by trying to forgive him. I started crying immediately after hearing all those words and he comforted me just like old times. It felt so good to be in his arms again. I felt safe, you know and happy. He told me he is still in love with me but he won't tell me to come back because he knows I'm not ready to go back or worse—I might have moved on. I didn't answer anything. But I wanted to tell him so badly that yes I wanna be with you too but didn't have the guts. I told him I forgave him and I just got up from there and ran away. I washed my face in a washroom down the hall and came directly to you."

"Yvonne, you are so strong. You looked fine when you came back from home even after hearing terrible news. You could've said that you changed your mind but no you didn't, you didn't let yourself be vulnerable. But deep down, I know your mind isn't here with you because you are thinking about your mom since then. Even after hearing such words from an old love, you seemed fine. You are so strong, girl. Teach me how to be as strong as you. Trust me, everything will work out and I know that God won't be unfair to you this time. Trust God and believe that your mom will be okay soon. It's not impossible for her to win this difficult battle because she loves you and will fight for her life for you and your family. She will make it." I assure her.

"I hope so too. And Summer, remember when I told you to try staying away from Jason?"

"Yes, I do. I remember everything dude,”

She laughs.

"Well, don't think I said all that out of jealousy that you might jump on him after you meet him. I was genuinely concerned for you after what he did to me but I admit, a little little little teeny tiny bit of jealousy might have been there. Please don't judge."

I chuckle.

"Stupid human, you are overthinking. That hasn't even crossed my mind and now as you have admitted that a little little little teeny tiny bit of jealousy might be there—my answer is I'm not surprised."

"You aren't ?"

"Uh-huh," I share my head.

"It's common sense because you are still in love with him."

"But what I said about girls here were all true. All are slutty and bitches, excluding me."

"Uh-huh," I shake my head.

"Including you too," I say, laughing.

"You are so mean!"

"I don't care," 

She hits me on my arm playfully and I hit back and we both start laughing.

"I was just actually concerned about you and that's why I warned you about the girls here."

"I know that girl," I say and I hug her and we stay like that for a long while, finally understanding our depths of friendship and how we both just get each other.

I thought I made a true friend here but tonight I realized that not only did I make a true friend here but also made a special bond. A bond that can't be broken. No matter what happens.