"DO YOU HAVE AN EXTRA BLUE PEN?" sofia wanders into my room on a tuesday night.
"yeah check my dresser drawer, the top one." i answer.
"you keep your pens in your dresser?" she says opening it up.
"i'm not the most organized person, okay?" i jokingly respond.
"what's this?" i hear sofia ask and i see her pull out a picture frame.
oh.
"that?" i say, memories flushing back to me and overwhelming my conscience.
"yeah, who's the girl?" she questions.
sweat pours from my head uncontrollably, and my breaths begin to cut short.
sofia turns to me, noticing my sudden change of emotion.
"val are you okay?" she asks, obviously concerned.
"uhm i just need to sit down." i say, slowing walking towards my bed with sofia's hand on my arm.
"something happened—before i came here. like right before." i begin.
"i never talked about it, what happened. barely even with my parents. they didn't want to hear it." i continue, trying to calm down.
"i'm here for you." sofia says, tranquilizing me with a genuine look.
i sigh.
"i was riding with her, and—"
sofia's phone goes off, ending my sentence.
i bite my lip, but realize maybe it's too early for me to talk about the situation, so i nod to her to go answer it.
i release my breath from its heating cage, and look over to the dresser where the photo remained. i pick it up, taking more deep breaths. my head rolls back, cracking my neck to let go of building pressure.
i don't know what's different from when i saw the picture before, maybe just that this time i knew i would have to talk about it.
sofia returns from her call, rubbing my shoulder.
"i'm sorry." i say as sofia embraces me in a hug.
"you have nothing to be sorry for, okay?" she reassures, smiling big at me.
"yeah." i say, although i feel bad and like i'm keeping a secret.
"i have to finish studying." she wraps up our conversation, reminding me that the PSAT's are tomorrow.
luckily, i was too late to even sign up for them. which i'm glad about, because i'm not a good test taker anyway. but that also means i will be alone in my dorm all day, since practically everyone in my grade and other grades are taking them with a few exceptions.
i turn to my phone on the nightstand and pick it up, reading 8:58. my day wasn't very eventful because of school, but i'm just exhausted. maybe from the stress of the past 10 minutes, but i just collapse into the bed, my eyes falling shut. the only sense that remains is my hearing, which tells me sofia came in and clicked my light-switch off.
my harp alarm prompted my day, relaxing yet unexpected from my soft slumber.
sofia's already up—of course, but then i remember that i didn't even need to wake up today because my classes were cancelled. what a waste of time. i guess i could at least make the most of my early morning.
"val are you up?" sofia says walking through the bathroom door.
"yeah i forgot to turn off my alarm."
"well i got to run, having an early breakfast before exams, so see you." says sofia exiting back into her bedroom and out her door.
i think of what i can do today, but i'm pretty much out of ideas. the school field isn't to entertaining, and i'm not a big sports girl anyway. and i'd rather not spend my day stuck in a library studying on my day off.
i see a notification light up my phone screen and tap to open it.
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i smile at sofia's photo from last saturday, then realize; i can spend the day in boston!
okay this is perfect. i'll be alone, but i'll actually get to explore without being stuffed at majesties, as much as i love it.
i head towards the front entrance, before realizing i need to call an uber. i step aside into a bathroom and open the app. suddenly i'm exited out of the app, and it won't let me back in. fuck.
my account got suspended. this is not good. there's no public transport that comes out to mills, and my parents don't let me get other apps like lyft.
"you've got to be kidding me." i say out loud from frustration.
the third stall flushes, and claire blooms happens to step out of it.
"you okay?" she smugly says as she steps towards the sink.
"mhm, just my uber account got suspended so my plans today are practically out the window." i spill to her.
"and what interesting ideas did you have in the first place?" she snarks.
"i was gonna explore in boston, i'm not taking the PSAT's." i explain.
"neither am i." she pauses.
"boston's not the most interesting city, you know." she practically brags.
"sorry for trying to get to know the area. not all of us can spend our long weekends with new york's elite." i say.
"and how do you know i go to new york." she sarcastically smiles, turning to me.
"i just figured. because of sav." i hover over her.
"hmm. i was gonna head to charlestown; rhode island for the day." she practically brags.
"have fun, i'll be here if you need me." i joke, rolling my eyes.
"you know i could always drive you." she unpromptly invites.
