Emily groaned in annoyance and started picking up her notebooks and loose papers. She opened up one of the folders to stuff them back inside when she noticed an envelope tucked inside that she didn't remember receiving. I guess David stuck this inside here when I wasn't around, she thought to herself. She proceeded to open it up and started to read the letter. Moments later after reading it a wave of shame and guilt had come over her. She then started to cry, and loud enough for her brother to hear her, so he rushed over to her room to see if she was okay.
"What's wrong?" David asked, now standing in the doorway. "Do you want to talk about it?"
She didn't respond right away and was looking down at the floor. He suddenly felt unsure of what to do, so he came up to her and tried to hug her. Emily immediately rejected his attempt and stomped on his foot, pushed him out of her bedroom then slammed the door in his face. This upset him, so he sat in the corner of the hallway, crying and rocking back and forth. Eventually she came out of her bedroom to apologize, but David had not fully recovered from the incident yet and wasn't thinking clearly, so he accidentally slapped Emily in the face.
"Hey, I'm going to take a walk outside," Emily said as she headed towards the door. A few hours had passed by since their fight, so all was forgiven and forgotten. Since coming across that letter, Emily thought it would be best for her to make things right with Hannah. The sooner I get this done, the less guilty I'll feel about this, she thought to herself.
David didn't look up from the counter, but he nodded. "Dinner will be ready around eight o'clock," he said as he rinsed off some carrots to throw into the steamer. "Don't be late."
"I won't," she said.
"I won't," she said.
Once Emily was out the door, she thought about Hannah once more. Guilt and shame was clouding her mind; she really wanted to make things right and apologize for her actions. She only hoped that Hannah would want to listen.
It took her thirty minutes to get to Hannah's house, and just as she pulled up into the cul-de-sac, she noticed that Gavin's car was in the driveway. Just as I suspected, she thought to herself. The last thing she wanted was to have Gavin hate her as well, so this meant that she would have to pull her best friend away from her boyfriend just for a few minutes. Emily was now standing on the front porch waiting for someone to answer the door. She had knocked and rang the bell twice. Five slow minutes came and went and she was starting to feel nervous. If Hannah wasn't here, then she would have to come back another time, and she wanted to settle this now. Emily knocked on the door once more and tried to peek into the side window. After two more minutes of waiting she headed back towards her car when Gran had answered the door. "Hi Emily," she said in a weary voice. "What brings you here, darling?"
"Is Hannah around?" Emily asked nervously. "I wanted to talk to her about something."
"She's out with Gavin right now. They decided to walk over to the park," Gran said, suddenly feeling weak in the knees. "Please, why don't you come inside? She should be back soon. Would you like something to eat or drink?"
"Oh, no thanks," Emily said, noticing how frail Gran looked. It seems that a lot has happened that she didn't know about. Gran was now sitting on her walker, struggling to not fall asleep in her upright position. Emily laid a hand on her shoulder and said, "My brother is expecting me to be home for dinner, but it was good to see you. Take care of yourself."
"Thank you, dear," Gran said in a weak voice.
"Here, let me help you get to the couch," she said.
Gran offered a faint smile and held onto Emily's right arm to steady herself. Once she made it to the couch and sat down, Emily returned the walker to where she was sitting then headed out the door.
Perhaps Emily waited at the wrong time to make amends, but she still didn't want to waste any time. She tried calling Hannah's cell phone and didn't get an answer, so she left a voicemail and sat on her bed for thirty minutes. She then decided to check in on her brother, who was sitting in the living room. He had left the TV on just for some background noise while playing a game with a friend online. Emily was chuckling to herself as she watched him speak frantically into the headset and punch the keyboard. Whatever it was David was playing, it seems as if he is enjoying it very much.
Hannah was in the living room reading a book when the doorbell rang. Now who could possibly want to stop by at this hour? she thought to herself as she made note of the time. The clock above the fireplace read eleven forty-five. When she opened the door, her body froze up. "What are you doing here?" she asked in a stunned tone. Hannah had no idea why Emily was standing on her front porch, looking like a puppy who was about to pee on the floor. "I don't mean to be bothersome, but I just want to talk," Emily said. Hannah silently nodded and moved out of the doorway, motioning for her to come inside. They made their way back to the living room couch and sat down in silence for a long moment. Both of them felt a little nervous and unsure of how to start the conversation, but Hannah eventually broke the silence by asking, "So what do you want to talk about?"
"First off, I just want to apologize... for everything," Emily said. "I've been a terrible friend to you. I don't blame you for hating me, but I just feel very guilty right now. The problem is that I wasn't allowing myself to feel that way in the past. Is it possible that you can give me another chance?"
Words couldn't possibly fix this now, Hannah thought to herself. All she could focus on was her own anger and sadness. She could tell that Emily really meant it this time, but she just couldn't get herself to move on. Her head was spinning with memories of their past arguments. "....I'm such a loser," she finally said, feeling ashamed. "Why would I want to be friends with someone like you? Why should I give you another chance? I don't deserve it, and neither do you."
"Stop!" Emily interjected. "I know I messed up, and I don't know... Perhaps you're right about not giving this friendship a second chance, but please... Could you at least forgive me?"
Hannah was starting to choke up and her body was shaking. She looked down at her feet, avoiding all eye contact. "I can't..." she muttered. "You abandoned me."
"But I'm here now. Please, Hannah. Look at me," Emily pleaded.
Hannah wasn't willing to cooperate. She continued to look down and eventually she started to sob. Emily immediately grabbed the pillow from behind her and gave it to Hannah, who fell face first into her lap. While she was crying, Emily gently rubbed her back and kept reassuring her in soft whispers. Being in this position made her think back to their sleepover from two and half years ago. Both girls felt helpless in this moment, and even though she was trying her best to be here, Emily knew that this wouldn't be enough for Hannah. Once she stopped crying, she stood up off the couch and went to search for her phone.
"I suggest that you talk to me before calling your boyfriend," Emily said, automatically knowing where Hannah's mind went.
"I'm sorry, but I just can't," she said. "Thank you for coming over here, though. You should go home now. I'm sure David is getting worried about you."
Emily sighed in defeat and made her way towards the door.
It was now going on one-thirty in the morning and Hannah felt restless. The fact that Emily went out of her way to profusely apologize was just mind-boggling to her. However, she was solid in her decision and didn't want to get hurt again. She could only hope that Emily would understand that. Minutes passed slowly in the night and Hannah couldn't get her mind to shut down, so she reached for her phone and called Gavin. He responded after the first ring and asked how her day was. She briefly told him about her talk with Emily then asked him how his day was. He told her that he had spent time with his brothers and mother at the lake. They stayed there for a couple hours then went to a local seafood shack that serves the best fish 'n chips. Afterwards they went kayaking and sat on the sand dune, watching the sun set. He wished Hannah could have been there to witness that with him. Hearing Gavin say that brought a smile to her face. "It sounds like you all had fun. Perhaps you should let me come with you next time," she said with a half smile on her face.
There was a pause before Gavin spoke. "I love you," he said.
She smiled and responded back, "I love you, too. Will you be at school tomorrow?"
"I plan on it," he said. "Try to go to sleep now, love."
"Alright." Hannah ended the call after that and soon went to sleep.
Gran offered a faint smile and held onto Emily's right arm to steady herself. Once she made it to the couch and sat down, Emily returned the walker to where she was sitting then headed out the door.
Perhaps Emily waited at the wrong time to make amends, but she still didn't want to waste any time. She tried calling Hannah's cell phone and didn't get an answer, so she left a voicemail and sat on her bed for thirty minutes. She then decided to check in on her brother, who was sitting in the living room. He had left the TV on just for some background noise while playing a game with a friend online. Emily was chuckling to herself as she watched him speak frantically into the headset and punch the keyboard. Whatever it was David was playing, it seems as if he is enjoying it very much.
Hannah was in the living room reading a book when the doorbell rang. Now who could possibly want to stop by at this hour? she thought to herself as she made note of the time. The clock above the fireplace read eleven forty-five. When she opened the door, her body froze up. "What are you doing here?" she asked in a stunned tone. Hannah had no idea why Emily was standing on her front porch, looking like a puppy who was about to pee on the floor. "I don't mean to be bothersome, but I just want to talk," Emily said. Hannah silently nodded and moved out of the doorway, motioning for her to come inside. They made their way back to the living room couch and sat down in silence for a long moment. Both of them felt a little nervous and unsure of how to start the conversation, but Hannah eventually broke the silence by asking, "So what do you want to talk about?"
"First off, I just want to apologize... for everything," Emily said. "I've been a terrible friend to you. I don't blame you for hating me, but I just feel very guilty right now. The problem is that I wasn't allowing myself to feel that way in the past. Is it possible that you can give me another chance?"
Words couldn't possibly fix this now, Hannah thought to herself. All she could focus on was her own anger and sadness. She could tell that Emily really meant it this time, but she just couldn't get herself to move on. Her head was spinning with memories of their past arguments. "....I'm such a loser," she finally said, feeling ashamed. "Why would I want to be friends with someone like you? Why should I give you another chance? I don't deserve it, and neither do you."
"Stop!" Emily interjected. "I know I messed up, and I don't know... Perhaps you're right about not giving this friendship a second chance, but please... Could you at least forgive me?"
Hannah was starting to choke up and her body was shaking. She looked down at her feet, avoiding all eye contact. "I can't..." she muttered. "You abandoned me."
"But I'm here now. Please, Hannah. Look at me," Emily pleaded.
Hannah wasn't willing to cooperate. She continued to look down and eventually she started to sob. Emily immediately grabbed the pillow from behind her and gave it to Hannah, who fell face first into her lap. While she was crying, Emily gently rubbed her back and kept reassuring her in soft whispers. Being in this position made her think back to their sleepover from two and half years ago. Both girls felt helpless in this moment, and even though she was trying her best to be here, Emily knew that this wouldn't be enough for Hannah. Once she stopped crying, she stood up off the couch and went to search for her phone.
"I suggest that you talk to me before calling your boyfriend," Emily said, automatically knowing where Hannah's mind went.
"I'm sorry, but I just can't," she said. "Thank you for coming over here, though. You should go home now. I'm sure David is getting worried about you."
Emily sighed in defeat and made her way towards the door.
It was now going on one-thirty in the morning and Hannah felt restless. The fact that Emily went out of her way to profusely apologize was just mind-boggling to her. However, she was solid in her decision and didn't want to get hurt again. She could only hope that Emily would understand that. Minutes passed slowly in the night and Hannah couldn't get her mind to shut down, so she reached for her phone and called Gavin. He responded after the first ring and asked how her day was. She briefly told him about her talk with Emily then asked him how his day was. He told her that he had spent time with his brothers and mother at the lake. They stayed there for a couple hours then went to a local seafood shack that serves the best fish 'n chips. Afterwards they went kayaking and sat on the sand dune, watching the sun set. He wished Hannah could have been there to witness that with him. Hearing Gavin say that brought a smile to her face. "It sounds like you all had fun. Perhaps you should let me come with you next time," she said with a half smile on her face.
There was a pause before Gavin spoke. "I love you," he said.
She smiled and responded back, "I love you, too. Will you be at school tomorrow?"
"I plan on it," he said. "Try to go to sleep now, love."
"Alright." Hannah ended the call after that and soon went to sleep.
No comments:
Post a Comment