Being Bad

Chapter 2: New Changes

Lia James

"What does it take for a guy to get at least a phone call?" He laughs, wrapping his arms around me in a tight hug. It reminded me of the ones we used to give each other when we were just little kids.

"I missed you so much, Mason." I sighed, burying my face into his chest, trying to let go off everything.

"Hey! What about me?" Someone said, approaching Mason and I.

"Lina? Oh my gosh!" I covered my face my shock. When my Dad called, Lina was supposed to be on a school trip to France for 2 weeks.

If you couldn't already tell, these 2 crazy kids are my best friends. They used to live in Maine with us, until their mother, Alex, had to move across the country due to a work relocation. I haven't called them, or texted them in 7 years. I just wrote letters.

"I see you're still wearing crocs. I guess old habits never change." Mason smiles, looking down at my feet. I was wearing a pair of white crocs, with Disney charms on them. I guess he's right. I practically lived in these while we were kids.

"I could say the same thing about you. I see you dating a different girl every week on Instagram. I guess being a ladies man doesn't change either."

"It isn't my fault. Girls are everywhere. Their like the government." He tells me, scanning his eyes around the airport.

"Mason, you're being weird. And she literally just got here." Lina retorted, rolling her blue eyes.

"I'm older than you, Lina. Don't tell me what to do." He replied, childishly. I always did miss his 12 year old personality.

"By 11 minutes! Why do you always use that as an excuse?"

Oh...yeah. These two dorks, are twins. Well, triplets. Sort of. When Alex was pregnant, she was pregnant with triplets, until the third one died after birth. I remember being there when Alex had told them the truth, Mason and Lina must have been 7 years old. My mother was there too.

My mother and Alex had always been really close friends, ever since elementary school. During college, Alex and my mother decided to move into an apartment together instead of living on campus, because my mother had Henry. Alex helped raise him. But when my mother fell in love with my father, she moved out to be with him. Soon after, Alex fell in love too. They always vowed that if they ever had kids, they would be best friends too. And here we are, years later. Except...without my Mom.

"I really missed you guys." I smiled at both of them.

"We missed you too Lee." Lina confirmed, smiling back at me.

"Let's take you back to our house, shall we?" Mason offers, grabbing my rolling suitcase while I still had my carry-on duffel bag.

"Sure. It would be nice to forget about some things while I'm here." I agreed, beginning to walk out of the airport.

"How are things by the way? I mean, with your Dad and stuff?" Mason asks, claiming he's heard about the news.

"He is a train wreck. I guess we all are. But when he told me to come here, he said I should leave the pain and memories back in Maine. I'm still trying, but nothing seems to work." I said, wiping a tear that managed to escape from my eye.

"We're always here to help, Lia. Your our best friend. Friends for life, remember?" Lina raised her knuckles, waiting for me to reciprocate.