Living With Animals

Chapter 11

Claire's P.O.V.
(It's the same time as the last chapter ended at)
~*~*~*~*~*~
"Hello?"

I don't respond.

"Hello?"

I don't respond again.

"If whoever this is doesn't respond, I'm hanging up."

"Hey," I immediately gawk, my voice hoarse.

"Who is this?"

"It's me."

"Who is 'me'?"

"Claira. Or Claire, I mean. Claire Johnson."

"Claira? Why are you calling me?"

"I know we haven't talked in years and are still pissed at me for stealing your crush but I need someone to talk to. Ruby's gone. That leaves me with no one."

"What about Cash?"

"He told me he loved me, we started dating, and I broke up with him not even 30 minutes ago because I found him cheating."

"Mason?"

"We had to move to LA. My parents got framed for murder so now we're staying with one of her friends and her kids. He went to a party with them."

"Why don't you ask one of them?"

"Because besides Bronnor and Hudson, the boys can all be very inconsiderate at times and I don't want to talk to them about breakups. Plus they are all either at a party, daycare, or baseball practice." I wince at the words as I say them.

"So talk to one do the girls?"

"They have 7 boys and no girls. And my best friend that I made here, went and kissed my boyfriend."

"Damn, tough life."

I let out a weak laugh.

"I really just need someone to talk to, Lilia." She sighs.

"Fine, tell me."

"Okay, but this is a lot to take in. First of all, my parents are in jail waiting for trial so they can plead guilty because they were framed."

"Okay."

"Second, the guy that I fell in love with before I even met him, just cheated on me."

"Okay, that doesn't sound too bad."

"It's gets worse, Lilli."

"Hit me."

"My leukemia is back. And it's worse. I actually lost my hair this time, the chemo is so intense."

"Fuck. Tell me this some sick joke."

"It's not."

"I wish it was."

"You and me both."

We sit there in the silence for a moment then Lilia pipes in.

"I'm miss you Claire. I really do. You were my best friend, and I may have overreacted a bit. I mean look at me now. I've been going out with him for 7 months. I miss you so much. I want to see you and I want to hug you. I don't even know why I left you and Ruby. When you two got in that accident I blamed it on myself.

"I had stopped being friends with you just two days before that and I know you two were extremely sad. I watched you cry when I said I didn't want to hang out with you. And when you got in that accident I thought maybe it's cause you were distracted.

"I also thought that if that wasn't the case and you just didn't see them, that maybe if I had not stopped being friends with you, I would have gone to that party, and would have seen the car and could have stopped it all." I hear her sniffling across the phone.