How To Build A Flower Shop

Chapter FOUR

'Can't you look past it and go see Nick?'

Jamelia crosses her legs on her double bed and shifts around to get comfortable.

Her room is fairly big. The walls are white and her carpet is a light beige colour. She has a big wardrobe and a vanity table at one side of her room. On the other side there's a small armchair with a fluffy throw blanket on it with a couple of clothes atop, and an acoustic guitar beside it.

Jamelia is very musical, playing the lead in the school play last year; her role was Sandy from Grease. When Jamelia was younger she watched Grease every day for one whole year. She loved the movie that whenever her parents tried to turn it off, she cried, so they gave in. Therefore, when Jamelia heard Grease was the school play last year, she had to audition. She knew she wasn't the best actress out there, but she did her best it. She knows all the words to every song. Insisted Bobbi to audition, too, but for another role of course, however, Bobbi has stage fright – she said Jamelia was out of her mind for the suggestion.

Jamelia's blue eyes search Bobbi's for any emotions.

'For this, no.'

Bobbi hasn't exactly told Jamelia what happened between her and Nicholas last night. Only told her they had a fight on the drive home, too embarrassed to say what really happened. A voice is nibbling at the back of her mind saying, you're too innocent and afraid to even make-out with your boyfriend. How pathetic is that? You're seventeen, come on! And it irks her. Wonders if she overreacted and made a bigger deal out of it than it is. 'It's called making-out.' Nicholas' words ring in her ears. Maybe that's all it was and she did overreact. She was uncomfortable and didn't like him touching her, yet she thinks it's lame because of it. Bobbi expects Jamelia to laugh at her if she told her.

'Listen, Bobbi, I've been your friend for donkey years now so I know you can be stubborn-'

'Hey, I didn't exactly tell you what we argued about, so how do you know if I'm at fault or if he is?'

Jamelia, rational about the topic, half smiles in understanding but takes another turn. 'Okay, so if Nick is to apologise, you'll be too stubborn to accept it and move on from it. And you're too stubborn to apologise.' Gives her a knowing look when Bobbi's eyebrows furrow, about to disagree. She continues, 'I know what you're going to say, believe me Bobbi I know you more than you think. You always wait it out until you realise you have to do your part.' In a softer tone she says, 'You've got to try stop turning off your feelings like a light switch.'

Like a volcano ready to erupt, Bobbi retorts. 'Oh- well- what do you know? Who are you to tell me if I can or cannot fight with my boyfriend? How can you give me relationship advice when you've never even been in a real one?'

Squeezes her eyes shut once the words come out, immediately regretting it. She's frustrated that Jamelia is right and it's something she can't help but do sometimes. Other times she doesn't know she does it. Except now. She knows it was wrong and she didn't mean for those words to fall out her mouth.

Jamelia mouth is agape, thrown Bobbi's way is a dirty look, and she folds her arms over her chest.

Ashamed and remorseful for being childish, Bobbi keeps her head down -doesn't want to see how Jamelia is looking at her- as she gets off the bed and at the door she rubs away an angry tear before leaving.

What is wrong with you? That was pathetic, she thinks, having an internal fight with herself as she walks out of the apartment.

**
It's another typical day on Monday: Bobbi stays in bed a little longer than usual with her mother on her mind. She can't go to school. Doesn't have the energy and she isn't in the right frame of mind to concentrate. Jamelia, Nicholas, and Gracious Gardens busy her mind; it's all so overwhelming. Many emotions run through her at once, and like they're all floating above her she chooses one and sticks with that, curling herself into a ball –she picked sadness- because it's all too much. Besides, sadness was like a bigger and heavier cloud glooming over her, pressing down on her that she couldn't ignore it among the other emotions.