“Friendship is certainly the finest balm

for the pangs of disappointed love.”

~ Jane Austen

 

“Are you shitting me Erin? They did that and you did nothing. I swear to god, one day, that bitch is gone to have that smug smile wiped off her face. I hope to hell I’m there to witness it!” Charli shouts at me through my computer screen. She is pretty much the best friend I will ever have. She used to live next door, the side that isn’t Evan, I mean. We used to be thick as thieves, until her dad got a job in New Zealand and her family moved away. Now we have weekly Skype dates on a Saturday, I get up at stupid o’clock so we can talk with the stupid time difference and yes, cupcakes are mandatory.

“There is absolutely nothing I can do to stop her making my life hell. I don’t know why she hates me so much, but she does. I just try to stay out of her way.” I shrug, taking another giant bite of my red velvet cupcake. Mmmmm.

“For god’s sake, Erin! Get angry! Get even. Just something! You can’t just let this crap keep going.”

“Can we please just drop it? I told you, this week has been exceptionally different from my normal life. Normally, I can slink in to the shadows and stay off her radar.”

“Oh yeah, the new guy. What was his name again?”

“Mason. Mason Knight.”

“Oh my god, Erin you’re blushing! Why are you blushing? What didn’t you tell me? Is he hot? Is he into you? Are you into him?”

“Jeez Charli, calm your tits; he’s just a guy, but yeah, I guess he’s hot.”

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you blush before. Does this mean you’re finally over Evan ‘the dud’ Walker?” She squeals, clapping her hands. Her short, red hair fans as she bounces excitedly.

“Stop it, Charli. Evan is nice, you just don’t know him like I do.”

“What I know, babe, is, he’s nice to you when everyone else is gone; That does not make him nice, that makes him a jerk. If he was really a nice guy, he would have stopped Tegan, rather than laugh at you!”

“She’s his girlfriend, Charli,” I whine. “Of course, he’s going to take her side. I know you don’t get it, but just stop. Please.”

“He took your virginity, Erin! He creeped over to you all upset, he used you, then skulked back to that bitch the next day! He isn’t a good person, and I really wish you’d see this.”

“Stop it. I don’t want to fight with you about this – again.”

“Fine. I never really understood your crush on him. You’re so different; he stifles you. You need someone who will let you discover who you are. What you need is your very own Mr. Darcy.”

I roll my eyes at her. “As much as I wish Mr. Darcy existed, I have a feeling that if I hold out hope for him, I’m going to be severely disappointed.”

“Don’t you speak such blasphemy of Mr. Darcy! You’ll hurt his feelings!"

“Yes, ma’am,” I giggle

“Don’t you ma’am me,” she yawns. “Now, then twinkle toes, I need to crap some shut eye; One a.m. here already. I need some beauty sleep.”

“Hardly, but yeah, I suppose I better get up; cupcakes for breakfast aren’t exactly the healthiest start to my day."

“No, but they’re the best start! Night, sweet cheeks.”

“Night, Crazy,” I say before shutting my laptop and flopping back on my pillows and sighing. I miss her every single day, but I get why she can’t come home. Her parents are amazing, but she gets her crazy from them, for sure. Her dad was in the military before he went into private security. I have no idea what he actually does, but needless to say, he’s protective of his only daughter, so she doesn’t get to just fly over here, and it’s not like I could ever fly there.

One day.

A knock on my window startles me from my daydreaming. I look up and see Evan perched on the tree branches outside of my window. I sigh before pulling off my covers and going to open the window for him. This isn’t something new, but it’s been a while since he came to see me this way, and I’m still sore at him for the slushie shower. He might not have been the one to do it, but he didn’t stop it either, and that makes him as bad as they are. I’m not quite ready to forgive him yet, but I know I’ll forgive him eventually; I always do.

He has the decency to look sheepish as he climbs in my window. I climb on top of my bed – glad my pj’s and knee high socks cover me. He rubs the back of his neck and grins shyly at me.

“Get on with it, Evan. I don’t have all day for you to say you’re sorry for Tegan. Again.”

“I really am sorry though, Erin. I didn’t know what she had planned. I don’t understand girls. What she did wasn’t cool.”

“If you were really that sorry, Evan, you wouldn’t have stood there and laughed at me along with everyone else; a real friend would have told them all to shut the fuck up, and would have helped me. You know, like Mason did. He hardly knows me and he did that, but you, who has known me my entire life, just stood by and watched. What she did wasn’t cool, but neither were you.”

“I’m sorry, Erin. I don’t know what else I can say,” he pleads and I sigh, losing hope.

“Sometimes, Evan. It’s more about what you do than what you say. If you’re really sorry, next time someone decides to slushie me, maybe stop it? Or at least help me out, you know, in public. Not just apologizing to me in my bedroom.”

“I’ll do better. You’re my friend, and I’ll speak to Tegan. I don’t know why she has such an issue with you.”

“You are why she has an issue with me, dofus. She doesn’t like that we’re friends; even if you do barely speak to me.”

“So, we’re still friends?”

“Of course we are, dummy. Just be a better friend, okay?”

“A better friend than Mason Knight? I don’t know what it is you see in him anyway; he’s so different from you – from all of us really. I mean, do you really believe that whole, mysterious, bad-boy vibe he’s laying out?”

“I hardly know the guy. He speaks to me in class and that’s about as far as it goes – other than him helping me when I’m being humiliated in the quad, of course.”

“I already said I was sorry,” he groans. “But he still seems pretty friendly with you. Do you know much about him? He doesn’t seem like such a good guy. Not from what I’ve heard anyway.”

“Is that really why you came over here? To ask me about the new guy? You’re not even sorry at all, are you?” I seethe.

“You know that’s not true! You’re one of my oldest and closest friends. You know stuff about me no-one else does. Getting dirt on the new guy is just a bonus.”

“Get out, Evan. Right. Now.” I’ve had enough of this already and I’ve not even had breakfast yet.

“Fine, I’m going. Just remember what I said.”

“Out!”