Meet You There

Meet You There - Chapter 17

Chapter 17

HEY, DO YOU WANT TO HANG OUT TODAY? I texted Maribella the next morning.

  I hadn't slept well, waking a few times to weird dreams that didn't make any sense. By 4 A.M. I couldn't get back to sleep at all.

   I ate breakfast and was watching a TV show, like a zombie, when she texted back.

    YEAH! WHAT DO YOU WANT TO DO?

   I ACTUALLY JUST NEED SOMEONE I CAN TALK TO, I told her.

   OH, IM ALL YOURS. I CAN BE THERE IN AN HOUR?

   Feeling a bit relieved that she was okay with just hanging out, I sent back, SOUNDS GREAT.

   I got dressed and scrolled through my social medias for a bit, while I waited. Josie and Polly had been drinking and taking selfies the night before. My dad posted a photo of his new surfboard. I had deleted both Lily and Sheldon off of my friends list, but once in awhile - because of a mutual friend from California - Lily's face would be there on my phone, staring back at me. This time, it was a girl named Grace's account, and her and Lily were sitting at a beach campfire, laughing like they were having the time of their lives.

   I closed the app quickly. This was why I hated social media. It just reminded me of the things I'd left behind.

   Caleb appeared in in the doorway of the living room a few minutes later, looking even more like a zombie than I felt.

   "Morning," I smiled at him.

   "Hey," he said, groggy.

   "Late night?" I asked.

   "Yes, very."

   I watched him walk to the kitchen and pour a coffee, then he came back to join me on the couch.

   "I'm sorry I acted so weird yesterday," I said, right away. I had been thinking about it a lot.

   "I understand. It was a surprise, even for me," Caleb nodded, sipping his black coffee.

   "She seems great," I went on.

   "She is." He nodded, then narrowed his eyes at me. "So, who's this boy you're seeing?"

   I did not expect this from him right away. "He's a friend. He lives in the building, and goes to my school."

   "Friend?" Caleb was smiling, but I could tell he didn't believe me.

   "Yes."

   "Okay. I just wanted to say I don't care if he comes over, or whatever. I'm actually really proud of you for making new friends so easily."

   I smiled back, because his reaction to this was pretty awesome. "Well, I'm already figuring out who my real friends are." My phone buzzed. "Speaking of... Maribella's here."

   "Are you two going out somewhere?" Caleb asked, yawning.

   "No, we are hanging out here today," I said right away, texting her back.

   "Oh, great. I have to get some groceries later, but otherwise I'll be around," he finished.

   Maribella and I settled in on the couch a little while later, after I showed her around the apartment. I opened a bag of pretzels that I found in the cupboard, and put it between us.

   "So, what's going on?" she began, tucking her long hair behind her ear.

   I swallowed hard, suddenly a bit freaked out. "You want to know everything?"