The Friend

Alicia

One week earlier

Life was a trip. It was unfair. Alicia wanted nothing more than to take life by the hands and shake it. Demand from it that she meet Rodney under different circumstances so that they could be together. Why did things have to turn out this way?

She was glad she met him. She would never forget him. Even though they didn't last long, if she could go back in time and meet him again, she'd do it. She didn't care if they got the same outcome as now.

Ana tapped her shoulder and Alicia leaned in. She was at an Electric event, poetry night. Normally, she loved stuff like this because it gave her inspiration, but she couldn't focus.

For the first night after she left Rodney's apartment, he had called her more than a hundred times, but the next day he didn't call her at all. It was unlike him and she was slightly worried that one of those guys got him, but she was too scared to reach out to him.

"Hey, when they ask for any volunteers, you should go up there and read something," Ana whispered.

Alicia smiled tiredly, but didn't plan on doing it. Her voice was sore from crying all night. She cried every day. The only moment she wasn't depressed was when she thought of Rodney and the memories they had. When she went to bed and relived the past or made up scenarios, she felt sublime. Reality didn't matter. Daydreams were the truth.

She noticed Dezzi go and sit on the other side of Ana and ignored them converse. Since Rodney and him fought, Dezzi kept his distance. He would look her way here and there, but he never dared to speak to her.

The event rolled on until all the scheduled poets read their work on stage. Finally, the MC called for any new poets from the audience to come up. Ana nudged Alicia, who sighed.

"Oh, c'mon! This would be a great public speaking experience," she whispered.

"I don't know," Alicia said, "I'm not really feeling well right now."

Ana gazed at her for a long time before speaking again.

"I know. That's why you need to go up there and express what you feel through your poetry. I promise it'll be really therapeutic."

Alicia studied the stage and felt the tears well in her eyes. Could she talk about him? It was all she thought about. Morning, noon, and night. Him, him, him.

Ana leaned in and hugged her, rubbing her back.

"If whatever you're going through hurts too much, it's okay. You don't have to go up there," Ana said.

"I'll go," Alicia whispered.

Slowly, she rose and raised her hand. The spotlight found her and people turned in her direction.

"We have a volunteer!" the MC said.

She made her way to the stage with her phone in hand. The MC rested the mic back on the stand. She couldn't really see the audience, but she didn't care.

"Hello," she said. "My name is Alicia Woodson and I'm going to read a poem for you."

There was an applause of encouragement as she unlocked her phone.

"I've never done this before so please bear with me...this is for someone...someone that I will never forget," she said.

She took a deep breath and read her poem:

"sunbeams and sangrias
full hearts, chaotic energies
can you see sunset flames?
scream into oblivion
or let your youth die with orgasmic wonder
let your soul burn with blood-pooled fury
I'll kill your sorrow memories
there'll be nothing but sorrow songs
in the everlasting of aching fingers
reach out, to you, I'll only belong"