Sincerely Anonymous

01

As Anna continued down the dark path ahead of her, she couldn't help but think of how her night had just gone, her boyfriend of three years had told her he was moving away. They had planned to live together next year when they both turned eighteen, but now, that plan was a little more difficult. He had told her that he wasn't coming back here, he was staying in the new town and hopefully attending a school there. When she had suggested her moving there to live with him next year, he had fallen silent and changed the subject.

She knew what was going to happen. He was going to leave, tell her how much he loves her, but that the long distance won't work out. She wished she would've ended it tonight but she hadn't because she had that little sliver of hope that he would stay with her. The wind sent shivers down her arms and she pulled her arms tighter to her body, across her chest. She didn't want to lose him, he was everything she had been looking for. If he was gone she would have to reconnect with her old friends and try to make amends for not speaking to them for so long.

She knew that these people were probably different now, they probably had new friends, some probably went to parties more often, some could even be into drugs. Anna didn't care though, she wasn't about to be abandoned and left lonely. If she messaged her old friends and they didn't respond, she knew she'd have to step out of her comfort zone and make new ones, but it wasn't at that point just yet. The more Anna thought about this, the sadder she felt. The cold didn't help her mood either. She took out her phone and searched through her contacts, debating on who to call.

There was Emma, she was a sweet girl when they had talked on a regular basis and hung-out every now and then, but who was Emma now? Anna's thumb hovered over the call button for what seemed like forever. The wind howled through the trees, and small drops of rain were becoming visible on the phone screen. Anna sighed and pressed the call button. The phone rang a couple times before a girl answered.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Emma?" Anna asked, her voice coming out softer than she thought it would. Why was she nervous?

"Yes....who is this?" Emma questioned after a long pause.

"It's Anna, I don't know if you remember me,-"

"Anna!" Emma exclaimed, causing Anna to move the phone away from her ear for a second. She winced and put the phone back to her ear. "Why are you calling we haven't talked in years? Are you alright?"

"Actually, I'm not alright. Boy troubles. I know we haven't talked in years and it's not fair for me to just jump back in....but I really need some friends," She explained. She heard Emma sigh, then the line fell silent. Anna bit her lip, praying for a good response.

"I'm going to a party tomorrow night, want to come?"

Anna couldn't help but let the smile spread across her face. She did a little skip of joy, she had a chance to make things right. "Sure! Just text me the address and time?"

"Will do, it's good to hear from you again, have a good night," Emma said. The line went dead and Anna shoved her phone back into her sweater pocket.

She was genuinely happy Emma had invited her to a party....until realization set in, she didn't like big groups of people. There was no way she would survive a party. Anna slowed her walking down again. She started to think, if she blew this off, she could lose the chance to have her friend back, but if she went, there was a chance she would panic and leave. What would she wear? She didn't own any party clothes, no dresses or skirts, no fancy shirts or jewelry. She had to go, there was no other option, besides making new friends but Anna didn't find that very easy.

Anna could see the end of the path now, meaning she was getting closer to home. She almost didn't want to go home, every since her parents divorced her home was a wreck. It was never clean and her mom was hardly ever home. She didn't know where her dad was anymore, if Anna got a card in the mail from him, her mom would remove the envelope for her and disappear with it. Her mom knew if she threw it out in kitchen garbage can, Anna would most likely just remove it and try to find where it came from. Her sister had moved away as soon as she could, but sent letters every now and then to let them know she was still alive and doing well.

The path came to an end, and a paved road showed up, street lights lighting up the road. Anna turned right and continued down the sidewalk, she passed a man walking a German Shepard and an old couple that was out for an evening stroll. She found something comforting with these people, they were all like her, exploring and making the best of the night. Although it was drizzling, there were still stars in the sky and the moon was full. The night gave Anna this feeling of safety, when she looked at the stars and saw the shapes they formed she felt her entire body relax.

Some nights she would lay and watch the night sky, there were hardly any birds flying across the sky, nor were there any airplanes. It was just the stars. Ever since her dad left, she had felt like the outdoors helped her cope with everything, the air was calming, the crunch of dry leaves or babbling of a creak distracted her from her own mind. It was nice to escape sometimes, and tonight Anna was glad she took the path home because a distraction was all she really needed.