Joane finally came back home when I told her I missed her. I was really done with the situation, but with Josh being my best friend and Joane being my sister, of course I'd get dragged into it. "Mom says she's been calling you all week. Call her back, man." I begrudgingly tell her after my mom had sent me a flurry of furious texts.
Instead of a reply, I hear quiet sniffling under her covers as I shut the door. And it startles me. The Hargroves children never cried, and when we did it was because of unbearable pain, or heartbreak.
"Joane?" I say, my voice softer and more concerned now. As I grow closer to her bed, the sniffles grow louder. I find myself sitting on the edge of her bed, she's still under the covers. The blanket reveals Joane, with a fresh, tear-stricken face. "Are you okay?" I ask, anxiously. She shakes her head 'no.'
"What's wrong."
She sighs deeply, "I'm a mess." She admits quietly. I smile softly in pity at her. What she said was true. Her makeup ran down her face, her eyes were red. I couldn't tell if it was because she was crying or because she was high out of her mind. I decided on the latter.
"You're not a mess. If you're a mess, then what am I?" I say in the hopes of making her feel better. She laughs, not with me, but at me. "Josh and Seb hate me. And if it weren't for us being sisters, you'd hate me too." She tells me, her voice cracking more with every word.
"Joane - Sebastian and Josh don't hate you. Trust me. I talk to Seb everyday." I tell her, she tilts her head to the side in confusion. "You see Sebastian everyday? How come?"
It's the perfect chance to tell her now, right? I contemplate whether I should, and perhaps I contemplated too long. Because I find Joane waving a hand in my face.
"Hello? Earth to Kay? Did you hear me?" She giggles, her tears were still evident. But I'm sure she was done crying.
"Um...Sebastian and I...." I stutter to find the perfect words. "We're...together."
Joane's face goes blank, and she lets out a laugh of uncertainty. "What? Like...a thing? Together-together?" She asks as her voice goes higher. I nod, trying not to burst out in laughter at her fifth-grade brain.
"Wow. I missed a lot..." She remarks. I see no sign of jealousy or dissapointment in her eyes, which doesn't sound good for Sebastian. And I shrug, "I guess."
Well, that's over and done with. Right?
-
"So she didn't seem jealous? Like at all?" Sebastian asks me. "No. She was actually calmer than Josh."
Sebastian and I had decided to meet at a cafe after my classes and his work, then later tonight we were going out with his friend.
I hear Sebastian groan loudly. "Mission failed?" I joke dryly. All I recieve from him is a dirty look, "This is serious. What's the point of dating you if she doesn't care?"
Ouch, that hurt more than I thought it would. Suddenly, a wave of anger passes through me. I rise from my seat and slam my hands on the table we were sitting at. "Then make her." I say with attitude. I briskly start walking away, back to my car.
"Where are you going?" Sebastian asks as he trails behind me like a lost puppy. "Home."
"A-are you still going out with me?" Sebastian asked. I don't know if he meant it in terms of our relationship, or if it was about tonight. Either way, I wanted to do both.
"Yeah." is all I say as I unlock my car door.
"Wait- Kay!" I finally stop doing whatever I was doing. "Are we...good?" He asks, hope laced in his words. What was I supposed to say to that? I had no right to be angry in the first place.
"Yeah. Of course."
-
I have this friend, and her name is TIffany. She's one of those popular girls at school. But she wasn't a bitch, like most 'popular' girls tend to be. She was nice and actually a good person. She's those types of friends where you don't see them much, but when you do, the bond you have with that person are still the same. We were wandering around the mall with a cup I'm sure she had better things to do, but I called her to meet anyways.
"So, what's up?" She asks. Tiff knows about the insanely huge crush I have on Josh. Which is why she asked. "Boys. That's what."
She bounces and becomes all bubbly inside. "Sweet! You got a boyfriend. Damn, how many secrets have you been holding out on me, Katty?"
I roll my eyes at her ridiculous nickname for me. "It's not that. I just...I don't know." I trail off, unsure. We stop at a Brandy Melville in Tiff's request.
Tiffany skims her fingers through the clothing racks. It only took her one wrong move in her hand to reveal the bruises inflicted on it.
"Don't tell me you're still with...Dicko." I whine, my eyes were still glued on her wrists, which were still purple under the concealer.
Tiffany lowers her head and sighs. "This is the last time. After this, no more chances." She says, as a-matter-of-factly, but I know she's not sure.
Tiffany and her boyfriend Dylan, or as I affectionately like to call him, Dicko, have been on and off for three years.
They used to fight - all the time. I don't see Tiff as much as I used to, so I'm not sure anymore. Though by the bruises on her wrist, I'm starting to realize they still do.
The two of them reminded me of my parents when I was younger, way younger. Of course, my dad doesn't hurt my mom anymore, mostly because he doesn't have enough energy to care. Now, he just lets his hair gray out.
The thing that scared me the most about Tiff and her boyfriend wasn't that he hurts her like this. It was that no matter how toxic they were, they still managed to get back together. To me, that isn't love, because you're just hurting them more, right?
YOU ARE READING
I'M NOT HERE | s.stan
Fanfiction"we were in love as long as the song lasted" in which sebastian and kay start fake dating to get the attention of their respective crushes, but things don't always go as planned. [sebastianstanau]
