Played By My Best Friend

Chapter 7

I sat in the empty bathtub in my pjs whilst staring at the black screen of the phone in my hand. 

The weight that had settled in my chest hasn't lifted since this afternoon. In fact, it's gotten even heavier as time ticks by.

I tapped the phone in my hands repeatedly as I debated on what to do.

The internal war that was going on in my head made me restless.

Do I apologize?

But do I even have something to apologize for in the first place?

I mean he did lie to me.

I huffed in annoyance.

Alex and I had an inside joke.

"I must've been drunk when I befriended you," we would often say to each other when one of us was driving the other up the wall.

"I definitely could not have been in my right mind when I befriended this idiot." I thought bitterly.

I ran my fingers through my hair, massaging my scalp to try ease the throbbing.

Throwing my head back, I suddenly remembered what my dad has always taught me.

Don't let your ego get in the way. 

I bit my lip as I contemplated my options.

Did I want to let Alex slip away just because of my stupid ego?

Hell no.

Am I going to let my ego get the best of me and take away one of the best friendships I've ever had in my life?

I closed my eyes before giving myself a pep talk.

"Okay, you can do this, Em. You can do this." I breathed in and out slowly, calming my nerves.

People would probably laugh at how ridiculous I was being. It's just texting my best friend. What can possibly go wrong, right?

But the fear of being rejected was overwhelming.

What if he didn't want to be my friend anymore despite my apology?

My finger hovered over the send button.

Only one way to find out.

I pressed the button and the message went through.

E: I'm sorry.

E: You're right, I had no right to be mad.

I put my phone away and stared at it as if it might explode any second.

It took 5 minutes of waiting and staring until Alex replied and my phone vibrated.

My hand shot out as quick as lightning and I opened up the text.

A: I'm sorry too.

A: I shouldn't have gotten mad at you like that.

I breathed a sigh of relief.

E: Does this mean we're good, then?

A: Yeah.

A: We're good.

It felt like I was able to breathe again after feeling suffocated for the later half of the day.

E: Can I ask you to promise me something?

A: What?

E: Promise no more secrets?

E: I don't want to suspect you. I wanna be able to trust you.