Indigo
WHEN KADE LEAVES, I’m on the couch, watching She’s the Man for the millionth time. I catch Scarlett lingering against the wall awkwardly in my periphery, almost as if she’s waiting for me to acknowledge her or something. I turn around, my eyes meeting hers. She clears her throat. “Um. Are you okay?”
“Yeah.” I nod. “Thanks, by the way.”
She doesn’t go away after that, though. Just shuffles awkwardly on her socks as she considers me. “It shouldn’t have gone that way.”
I glance up at her questioningly.
“What I mean is,” she says, like it pains her, “If you need help, you shouldn’t have to hesitate before asking me.”
I nod slowly, because really? The girl had made it abundantly clear that she hated my guts and she ignored me every possible chance she got. If I was going to be a burden to someone, Scarlett was the last person I’d choose. I didn’t really hate her back, but I learnt to make myself sparse around her.
Like she’s choosing her words carefully, she speaks again. “I’m sorry if I made it seem otherwise.”
In awe and slightly confused, I nod tightly, and I can’t help the smile that tugs at my lips at her clear discomfort just from being nice. Maybe she isn’t that bad after all.
She frowns, noticing. “I don’t think you’re getting what I’m trying to say. I—You were—it’s like, how terrible of a person am I that you couldn’t ask me for help, you know?”
“It’s fine, Scarlett,” I say, chewing back my smile. “Really.”
Her gaze falters, only for a second before she rolls her eyes. “Plus, if you die, it’ll be too hard to find a roommate, and I’ll have to move out.”
I can’t help the dry laugh that bubbles out of my throat. “Okay. I’ll try my best not to die.”
She nods grimly, disappearing back into her room. I go back to watching when a moment later, my phone lights up with a text. I tap the space bar on my laptop to pause the movie, pulling up my phone squished under me to find that it’s from Mae.
Uh…why do I have five missed calls from Scarface?
Come over, I type back, I’ll explain.
Twenty minutes later, Mae’s on the couch next to me, perfectly cropped black hair landing on the shoulders of her pink cardigan. Chocolate milk box in hand, I’m explaining a very summarised version of the events of the day, taking small sips from my stupid little straw during the gaps in my stupid little story. By the time I’m done, my friend’s eyes are wide, filled to the brim with disbelief.
“Indigo,” she says, swallowing. “I’m sorry.”
I shrug, pulling the tan-brown blanket around more around my body so that you couldn’t tell the difference between me and a kangaroo. “For what?”
“For not being here.”
“It’s fine. It happened pretty fast. What you should really be sorry about,” I pause, giving her a pointed look, “was leaving me alone yesterday, you little—”
“Oh? That?” She sucks in her cheeks and gives me a half guilty look, daubed with nonchalance. “One, I wouldn’t have left you if I didn’t trust Eli. He’s a nice guy. Two, your deadweight ass wasn’t budging from the bed and I wanted to go home. Three, Eli used to have a thing for me in high school and I didn’t want to stay in the apartment for too long and lead him on. Four,” Her gaze is slow. “Jem seems a like a nice guy, too. It’s like the universe wants you two together, and who am I to interfere, am I right?”
YOU ARE READING
Fragile Little Things ✓
RomanceIndigo Gallagher was born with osteochondroma, a condition that leaves her physically fragile. Between shifts at her granʼs flower shop and her tumultuous relationship, all she wants is to get through her second year of pre-med unscathed. Although...
