The Colors In Her Voice

☆Chapter 09☆

"I'm so glad that we are finally getting to hang out with each other!" Bethany exclaimed happily and clapped her hands for an added effect. If I was being honest then she seemed a bit comical with a huge smile on her face, all the while jumping on the sidewalk instead of walking like a normal human being. Not that I minded. I just shook my head in amusement at her theatrics.

"Yeah, me too," I agreed, smiling at her and tucked a piece of strand behind my ear. "It is actually awesome to have a friend. I mean, I thought that I'd be all awkward and shy but it's actually nothing like that." I laughed in the end and Bethany just grinned. 

It was the truth, I had almost expected everything to seem bleak and bland, especially with Bethany because she made me feel timorous but she didn't exude any such sign. 

Maybe I would be enjoying it just because I'm new to this and that some time later, I'd rather go back to my isolation phase.

"All creds to me, honey," she said, flipping her hair sassily.

Bethany had suggested that we both hangout together after the school got over to remove all the obstructions impeding us to trust each other. It's been a week since we became friends so she laid out her idea of going somewhere. 

According to her, it's a viable plan to forget all the grudges held in the past. That and we don't really get much time to talk during the school hours. We decided to take a walk because she assured me that it would be just a 15 minutes walking distance from our school grounds. It was a good thing that she was trying.

"Sure." I crossed my arms across my chest and we chatted about some random stuff. 

She had told me that we'd be going to eat in a nice restaurant to toast - not in a literal sense - my first friendship.

"Your friends don't mind about you not hanging out with them much nowadays? You know, with you sticking with me most of the time and all? What I mean to say is that... they are all really close to you. Don't they like... feel bad?"

"Actually, nah. They're all cool. In fact, we're all just a bunch of school friends," she said, air quoting school friends. "In my defense, they're all a pair. Like everybody's in a relationship with someone or the other in the group itself. I'm the only "whatever number" wheel in my circle. It's fresh to find someone who's not a pair. Dylan's been acting weird lately." She looked at me, rolling her eyes. "Plus Ashley and Serena are really busy with their cheerleading practice," she continued, passing me a genuine smile. "I finally get to braid your hair and paint your nails." I gave her a horrified look and she bursted out into a fit of giggles. "Just kidding, girl. Just kidding."

"Thank God!" Soon, we were in a round of raucous laughter. I found it hilarious that we would do braids and paint nails for each other. The picture in my head was nothing short of preposterous. We both looked like two airheads laughing and walking the streets of the neighborhood. People were giving us funny looks and that is me putting it very modestly. "You know, it's really weird to think that you can be normal too."

"What do you mean?" Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "I don't think that behavior was normal," she joked but I ignored it subtly.

"Like, how you used to always hate me and um, you know, started the 'April Fool' thingy?" I finished awkwardly which seemed to tense her. Her face dropped instantly and she pursed her lips.

"I'm not so proud of that," she whispered guiltily.

"Yeah well, we all have our moments," I said, shrugging as if it didn't really affect me much but the truth was, it did. "But I still wonder why you would do that? I mean I was just a kid, you were just a kid and..." I trailed off, not knowing how to finish my statement.