For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction, and for these two, their lives have been planned down to a science.
For Wylan Olson, being yourself can be very stressful. Since she was young, her emotions have always been backwards. The e...
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I was still fighting it. The time was coming up on the third month, and I was ready for everything to blow over, for him to accept that he had lost. He had finally given me what I thought I wanted.
After a couple of weeks, it became apparent that he probably had a thing with Lorelei. Every time I saw him outside of school, there she was, daunting over him. I'd found myself staring at him once from an isle in the grocery store wondering what I should've done to be her. He would still ask me how my day went sometimes, but the question was always unanswered.
It hurt to see him so happy, but it was something I'd brought upon myself. My phone number changed, and when I got home, I locked the door immediately.
After a while, Farah came over. She was waiting there at my door, and my breath almost left me. "What?" she asked as curled up in a rocking chair.
I clenched my hand into a fist as she sat there waiting expectantly for a response. "What do you want?"
She shifted where she sat, and I leaned against the porch railing. I didn't suppose she had come to pray for forgiveness. "I heard he slapped you," she began, twiddling her thumbs.
I nodded my head. "Oh, did he brag to you? Doesn't matter, that's water under the bridge, Faye." I shrugged and she sighed.
"Why still call me Faye when I was a horrible friend to you?"
I shrugged. She had a point. "I do what I want when I'm on my porch. Now is there something you really need, or are you trying to waste my time?"
She sighed. "I want my—" I laughed.
Even though I felt like punching her in the throat. I seriously hoped she wouldn't say what I thought she was going to say. "Oh, go ahead and finish." She cringed at my words, and I rubbed my hands over my face. She was clearly in pain thinking about a way to progress. "What do you want your best friend back?" I asked her after a long pause, and she began sobbing.
She nodded her head, and I stood there staring at the stranger before me. "Malory called me, after you left, and she told me everything. She told me that they'd been doing it for a while, and I just needed to find it in myself to tell you I was sorry. I don't know what I was—" I shook my head.
"Stop talking. Just be quiet for a minute," I commanded as I stared at Poppet chasing a butterfly in the front yard. She was running happily after the insect, and I turned back to Farah. "I understand, Farah. I do, and I forgive you. I know what you were thinking. You were thinking I just wanted to ruin your relationship." She nodded as she sniffled. I shook my head. "I wish I had a baseball to throw at your face right now. I guess slapping you would be more comical though, wouldn't it? Plain genius even, but I won't bother with it at the moment."
"Can we be friends again?"
I twitched. "What would my friendship do for you, Faye? Clearly, it meant nothing to you then. Am I supposed to go along with things as if the next Nathaniel Zheng won't change them for the worst again? I forgave you, I didn't ask you to come back." She looked like she wanted to cry again, and I nearly felt pity for her. "Straighten up, you and I both know there's nothing for you to cry about. You chose this. No, we can't be friends—at least not right now. You don't just renew your warranty when it's clearly expired. Show me better, and we can get better, but I've spent too much time investing myself in things that clearly wouldn't come to fruition, Faye. I might cry when I'm happy, and I might laugh when my heart gets ripped out by the people I hold the closest, but trust me I'm not a fool twice."
