Best Friends, Remember?

The written

It was November the ninth when Genevieve Coleman first visited her parents’ graves. Joanna and Theodore Coleman were good people and their death was, indeed, a huge loss. The day Genevieve came to the graveyard, behind their family church, with Giselle’s company, she cried a lot. Because of everything. Losing parents. Long separation with her sister – being her best friend at once. Losing Jared…

The rain was dropping from the sky and it combined with tears on Genevieve’s cheeks. Her face was all wet and red because of crying. She had a hoodie on her head, and Giselle was holding an umbrella for her. They both hid under it and hugged themselves warmly.

Giselle was really wonderful. Genevieve has always had an excellent and flawless opinion about her older sister. She was strong-willed, reliable, and unconditionally honest. You could ask her a very uncomfortable question, and she was always able to answer truly, but properly to the situation. There was no place for exaggeration or some bull s**t. One hundred percent honesty. That is why Genevieve could feel probably better than she had thought – with a sister like this every bitter situation had a chance to be sweeten a bit.

When they came from the graveyard, Giselle treated Genevieve with a hot dinner and had some too. When the had sat down the table and took cutlery in their hands, suddenly, the doorbell rang. The sisters exchanged looks.

“And who can that be?” astonished Giselle.

“Hell if I know” responded Genevieve, with a spoon hung in the air.

“I will get that, finish your dinner” recommended the older sister, but the younger one did not want to obey this time and decided to watch out.

Giselle and Genevieve stood up and came closer to the door. On the other side of it there was a tall, serious, but friendly black-skinned man wearing a smart suit. Giselle frowned her eyebrows, looked at Genevieve, who was standing next to her, and opened the door carefully.

“Yes?” she said.

“Hello. My name is Finch. Are you Giselle and Genevieve Coleman?” started the man with a deep, low, but warm voice.

“Yes, we are” responded Genevieve.

“I am here to read your parents’ will” Finch informed them.

“Oh… then please, come inside” Giselle invited and let Finch in. He took off his scarf and hid it in his jacket’s pocket, which he also took off. Before stepping inside, he took an amazed look at Coleman’s sunroom. When Giselle closed the door Finch said:

“You have a nice sunroom. It must be beautiful in summer, am I right?” he complemented the place to brighten the atmosphere little bit up.

Both Genevieve and Giselle thanked for the compliment with gentle smiles on their faces and headed Finch up to the living room, where they were supposed to discuss their parent’s testament.

“So…” started Finch; “shall we?”

“I can’t believe our parents thought about that so early. There were still quite young” commented Genevieve.

“I would probably do the same, Gen. I would be afraid something bad would happen” answered Giselle.

Finch took out his glasses, put them on his nose, cleared his throat, and having a sheet of paper in both his hands, he started reading:

“Joanna and Theodore Coleman’s Will. To start with, I, Joanna Coleman, would like to donate all my educational pieces of work to London Eye Community Day Care Centre, in which I have worked for twenty years.

I want them to go to my co-workers with whom I had a pleasure to work: Lily Sullivan, Brenda Young, and Sarah Eastwood”

When Finch read those words, Giselle smiled and turned to her sister. She was also smiling. Genevieve took her older sister’s hand and squeezed it with a feeling. Meanwhile, Finch continued:

“I, Theodore Coleman, would like to bequeath my car to my older daughter – Giselle Coleman”

Giselle rose her head up after she had heard that part of the will. She widened her eyes in shock and disbelief. She shed a tear, saying:

“Huh… I always wanted that car… And we have joked about that with dad. He kept saying: over my dead body. And he was right again…”

“Our wealth, we both would like to divide between our daughters, equally. All the formal details they need to know will be discussed with our lawyer and accountant, but we deeply believe our girls would share bequeathed items fairly”

“I guess it’s my turn,” thought Genevieve, when everything else had been discussed. But, surprisingly, Finch closed hid the sheets of paper he was holding in his hands in a suitcase he carried with himself.

“It was a pleasure to meet you, ladies. I hope everything is clear to you”

“Yes…”

“No!”

Said girls at the same time.

“I beg your pardon?” asked Finch.

“I mean… Mister Finch, isn’t there anything else?” asked Genevieve with hope.

“And… what is that thing you are looking for? Waiting for?” Finch wanted to know.

“A part about me? Anything? I don’t care about money, but they had to write something about us… not in the financial context. Did they leave anything like that? Do you happen to have it with you?”

“I’m sorry, madam, but I’m afraid not. Maybe you can write to your parents’ lawyer about that. Or ask other members of your family. I’m sure you will figure this out”

“Yes, mister Finch, thank you,” said Giselle; “let me see you to the door”

After Finch walked out of their house, Giselle and Genevieve thought about what their parents’ will said. They both got their wealth. Misses Coleman’s co-workers got her works. Giselle got the car. And what about Genevieve? Thinking about that problem made her really exhausted, so when the sun was about to set and the sky turned orange, she decided to go to her room.

“Going to sleep already? I was going to watch some Netflix. Maybe you wanna join?” offered Giselle, but Genevieve shook her head and said:

“No, thanks”

“Are you okay?” asked Giselle.

“Yeah, sure, I’m fine. I’m just tired, you know… Maybe I’ll watch something with yo tomorrow. When I chill a bit”

“Yeah, of course, I understand. Goodnight”

“Night…”

And she disappeared behind the railing.

When she closed the door to her room, she looked around her room and tried to process the whole day. Truly speaking, it was no a phenomenon, until Finch’s visit. How could her parents forget about her? Or maybe they didn’t and notaries made a mistake somewhere? Somehow…

“Oh, God…” sighed Genevieve hard, covered her face with her hands, and throw herself at her bed. When she felt the soft material under her left cheek, she reminded herself of Jared. She realised how much she missed him, so she started crying. Genevieve hasn’t told Giselle about Jared, yet. She was too afraid. For then, she was going to leave it as her teeny-tiny secret. Although it was a big thing. Her first love… At least, that’s how she thought. But it turned out Jared thought differently.

Genevieve recalled their sour conversation – this terrible fight, she thought – and desperately wanted to forget about it right away. But she couldn’t. Her feelings for Jared were too beautiful and too true.

She thought she could unpack herself finally, so she took her backpack and started to put all the things she had had in it to their places. As a big surprise, not only she didn’t find the paper after the weird chocolate she had shared with Jared in Mist Hill, she found her headphones again. They were in her backpack the whole time. But she could swear, that they hadn’t been there when she has been looking for them! That situation felt so weird, that she left the unpacked backpack and sat on her bed. After thinking a moment she decided to spend her evening somehow. Instead of going to sleep, she took her favourite pink blanket, an MP3, found headphones and at the end – went to her wardrobe. At the bottom, under the drawer, she has hidden the dress she had got from Jared on Halloween night. She sat on the windowsill, put her headphones on and lay the dress on her knees sentimentally. She played one song over and over again. When she fell asleep, the song was still playing.

Put your head on my shoulder…

“Good morning” Giselle greeted Genevieve when she had appeared on stairs.

“Morning…” she muttered, but not with rude intention.

“Someone had a bad night” commented the older sister.

“You have no idea” responded Genevieve, trying not to close her eyes while drawing some tea.

“Okay…” laughed Giselle; “may I have some too?” she asked.

“Sure”

Genevieve started preparing the tea, while Giselle was looking through the newest newspaper.

“Huh!” she appalled Giselle.

“What?”

“Look” she commended and passed the newspaper to Genevieve; “read the headline”

“BAD THINGS HAPPEN TO GOOD PEOPLE. What is that supposed to mean? Have you read all this?”

“No, go ahead, I’ll listen”

“Another citizen living in London has been murdered… Oh my God… It all happened November the ninth in the evening when Henry Finch was coming home after a professional visit at his clients’ property…”

“It means us!” said Giselle worried.

“s**t… He was just about to enter his flat, but an armed aggressor (with do not know the gender) attacked him with a knife. He or she had cut his throat and left Finch lying on the pavement next to his door. The body has been found the next day in the morning by Finch’s neighbours from the block. All the details about Finch’s death circumstances have been reported at the police station by an anonymous citizen.”

“I wish I knew by whom…” sighed Genevieve.

“Me too…” admitted her sister; “but…” she continued; “don’t you understand it?”

“Understand what?”

“That’s so simple, sis. Someone is hunting for us”

“What the f**k is wrong with this world?!” shouted Genevieve with disbelief and anger.

“Language” Giselle upbraided her younger sibling.

“Oh, stop, I’m an adult already…”

They sat in silence and tried to connect the dots.

“What are we supposed to do?” asked Genevieve.

“Nothing”

“What? What do you mean nothing?”

“Face it, Gen. If someone wants to kill us, that won’t be a problem for

a professional”

Her sister gave her an unpleasant look.

“That’s how the truth looks like. That’s how adults life look like. You should get used to it… my little adult” said Giselle tenderly and patted her in her shoulder. Genevieve smiled cutely and hugged her sister.

“You better finish that tea before it’s cold”

“Yes, sir!”

On November the seventeenth, Monday, it means a week, and one day later, Genevieve, after her sister’s insistence, finally decided to come back to school. She knew, that people at school would be divided into two groups. Namely, those who would feel sorry for her, try to be her support, cheer her up and act nice just because it’s right. And the second half of those, who would spread awful and ridiculous rumours about her and her family and call her: a freak, weirdo, orphan, and so on. Maybe someone would put an unbelievable suspicion about Coleman sisters killing their parents? There would always be that one mean guy who probably thinks that. Even if it’s a terrible and blatant lie, which Giselle and Genevieve don’t deserve to be spoken around them.

Oh, well. World. There’s a lot of no-good sons of bitches out there…

So on that first day it was very difficult for Genevieve to adapt. Every teacher had felt sorry for her and wanted her to accept their condolences. Students were okay, though. Genevieve hadn’t noticed anyone being rude. Luckily. That would only make her feel even worse and worse than she could, even if she thought that was impossible.

After she had finished all her classes on Friday and surviving a whole week back in high school, Genevieve headed home. She knew there would be home alone because she had found out from Giselle that she tried to apply for a job. That’s why she travelled from a place to place to finally decide where to work. That afternoon she meant to be in Leeds, having her interview for an office worker in the marketing industry.

Genevieve went in to the house. She laid her bag on the table next to the door and decided to have a chilling Friday. It wasn’t so easy to chill, of course, after such an experience she had gained recently, but she tried her very best to keep calm at least. She drew some tea and sat down with

a book.

Suddenly, the domestic phone rang. Genevieve was not a little surprised. Her family rarely used the number from that phone and it was usually only for official use. For an emergency she kept it in her bag, just to inform her parents about something from school, for example. Nevertheless, Genevieve stood up, put her cereal on the table, picked the phone, and put the earpiece next to her ear.

“Halo?”

“Genevieve?”

She exactly knew whom that voice belonged to.

“Jared?! How did you get this number? And why the hell are you calling?”

“Genevieve, listen to me. I got this number from your bag you had with yourself the whole time”

“Of course, you did” mocked Genevieve.

“That’s really not the time for that” Jared warned her; “you will have to listen to me carefully”

“I’m all ears” responded she.

“But first thing first… I should never leave you. No matter what. We should stick together”

Those words really shocked Genevieve. She shed a clear tear and stood in silence.

“Are you there…?” asked Jared.

“Yeah… I am…” responded Genevieve after a hesitation.

“What I said… it was a lie. But said only to protect you. To protect you from the cruel reality. That was the biggest mistake of my life” he continued.

“You said about what?”

“That I… don’t love you… I do. I really do. I love you, Genevieve…”

Genevieve smiled widely and chuckled cutely. Jared heard that chuckle, so he laughed himself too.

“Is this funny?” asked amused Jared.

“Kinda…” answered Genevieve, but that wasn’t a mock. She knew Jared wasn’t lying. It was an enormous relief.

“Do you still love me?” asked Jared.

Genevieve cried one more time and after flicking happily, she said:

“Yes”

Jared felt a huge relief too. He thought, that if he had told such a terrible thing (which was obviously a lie) to Genevieve, she wouldn’t want to listen to him. He was wrong. Just like she was, when she thought loving Jared was a mistake.

* * *

“So, here’s the thing, Gen, I’ve come back to Mist Hill and you’ll never guess, what I’ve found out” reported excited Jared.

“I have no idea. Tell me”

“Okay, but, let’s have this talk personally. I’m almost in London, I can see the London Eye from the place I’m standing at” he said, so Genevieve responded:

“Sure, where?”

“How about Westminster Bridge?” suggested Jared.

“Sure. I’ll see you there”

“See ya”

After Genevieve had put the phone down, she started to jump like crazy. That was a real euphoria. Jared, even if being on the crowded road, jumped energetically with his fists closed. That was a real euphoria.

Genevieve and Jared met each other at the planned place. They both smiled truly and were deeply glad they could see each other after so long. They hugged each other warmly as a welcome gesture. They exchanged some nice words, complimented each other and even kissed. Their anger at each other just floated away and to say it, never returned.

“Hey, how are you?” asked Jared with true care.

“Good, thanks” responded Genevieve politely.

“Was your sister cool with that you are leaving home?”

“She’s away. She’s trying out some new job aspects. A long story, trust me…”

“Okay…” laughed Jared and they moved on to the point of the meeting.

“What is your big discovery?” asked finally Genevieve.

“So… I… but wait, you have to promise me, that you won’t laugh or take me as a fool or a psycho”

“I promise” swore Genevieve and took Jared’s hand. She truly trusted him and her intention was, indeed, to take every Jared’s word seriously.

“I came back to Mist Hill. I was just feeling lonely and was the only recent place I had felt like a real home. Not the one I had… never mind. I was heading back, when I saw a grey spot on the ground. It was a rectangle. I got closer and noticed it was a concrete slab. I wiped the dirt from its description and couldn’t believe my eyes”

“What did you see?” asked Genevieve, so thrilled.

“The slab said: JOAN WATTS, died in 1978”

Genevieve widened her eyes and said:

“Wh… What? So Stan lied about his wife” she assumed.

“What do you mean?”

“He told me… you know, when we first met, that he was heading his wife to make her a big surprise”

“You never told me that,” said Jared with a little sense of insult in his voice.

“Sorry, there was no proper occasion for that. Okay, never mind. Anything else?”

“Oh, yeah…” scuffed Jared.

“I think I can handle anything right now?”

“I don’t know about that…”

“What do you mean?” worried Genevieve.

 “Next to that grave, there was other grave… And it said: STANLEY WATTS, died in 1980”…