The Friend

Alicia

She returned home in a daze. Cheetos, Robitussin, cookies, a loaf of bread and more bunched up in her arms. Maxine was sitting in the living room, on the couch, watching TV still.

"Here you go," Alicia said, dropping the snacks near her.

"Thanks. Want some?" Maxine asked.

Alicia didn't answer. She went to the wall mirror by the kitchen and began looking herself over. Rodney Greene, crazy Rodney Greene had walked all the way to her home at 1 in the morning to speak to her. Had said he couldn't stop thinking about her. She couldn't believe it. Oh, look at her hair. Her outfit. She couldn't go back out to see him like this...but he was waiting. He wanted to talk.

The strange, handsome boy that entered her life like a storm wanted to talk. She felt as though any second now she would have a meltdown. Like a wired robot, she started for the door when Maxine stopped her.

"Where are you going?" Maxine asked.

"I—I realized I wanted something downstairs now."

"Oh, you could have some of mine. I don't mind sharing."

"No, it'll only take a second. Be right back," Alicia said, leaving before Maxine could say another word.

She saw him as she walked down the hall. He was watching her come to him. When she was close enough, he opened the door and she stepped outside. She whispered a soft thanks as he faced her. She thought about Maxine in the next second and how it was weird that Rodney and she were meeting one another, but she casted that thought aside. For the last few weeks, she thought about him first thing in the morning and first thing at night. And now he was here.

"Thank you. I know it's late, so I appreciate you meeting me," he said and she nodded. "...how have you been these past few weeks?"

She wanted to talk about what he said earlier, but thought maybe she shouldn't push him yet. She stared into his chocolate-brown eyes. Though she was happy about the library, her job and life left her feeling hollow. She missed the summer days with him when they'd just run into each other and hang out.

"I'm fine," she lied.

"Really?" he asked and she nodded. "That's good to hear."

"What about you? How have you been?" she asked.

"I don't know. Like nothing matters," he sighed. "I just keep thinking about all the time I spent with you this past summer and how fun things were back then."

So they were thinking the same thing. She should've been honest.

"I just can't stop thinking about it," he half-smiled nervously.

It was interesting to see him be nervous. Normally, he acted arrogant and untouchable. This new side of him made her want to reach out and shield him from the world or whatever was making him uneasy. But there was something about his words that made her think what he said earlier wasn't what he meant.

"You're just thinking about the fun times we had earlier? You can do all those things still, you don't need me to be there. Just go with your friends—" she said.

"No, it isn't just the moment or the place," he said quickly. "It's the fact that I was with you that made it fun for me..."

She turned away from him because her face felt hot. Awkwardly, he looked away from her too. A car passed by to fill up the silence as Alicia rambled her head for how to respond to him. She should just be honest, but this was Rodney she was talking about. She's never had a man like him interested in her. She had to have been dreaming.