Coincidence & Consequence

Chapter 5

Amelia Rose sat in her bed, rereading the texts she had received. Why was she still in denial? It was time to get her life back together a while ago, but she had chosen to ignore it. A few bad friends and she had shut people out forever?

Leaning back onto her pillow, she thought about the so-called "right people." Will she ever find a good friend? Was this self consciousness what was holding her back? And now is it too late? Amelia Rose didn't even know how to make a friend! She reluctantly pulled her phone back out.

A.R.: I'm sorry for being so cold. I thought about what you texted earlier and realized that it is probably time to let things go. Can you help me with one thing though?

Chris: Yeah sure! What's up?

A.R.: How do you make friends? How do you talk to people? How do you reconnect and find the "right people?"

Amelia Rose took a deep breath. She didn't know if she was asking for too much...

Chris: Just try. Find someone who has similar interests and start up a conversation. The only advice I can really give you is to observe and to have the bravery to start up a conversation. You don't have to answer this question, but why did you stop hanging out with other people?

Amelia Rose had to think before answering. When exactly did she begin?

A.R.: I was bullied when I was younger because my family is not financially well-off. When I finally had a good friend, she changed. She needed help, but didn't ask for it. I helped her without her consent and she got very angry. She began to say mean things about me and spread lies. But she ended up moving, so it's all good now.

Amelia Rose breathed. It did feel good to talk about it a little, but she didn't want to go into much detail. For now, she would start with this.

After reading her friend's texts, Christine frowned. This felt familiar but she didn't know why. Shaking her head from the confused thoughts, she typed back a comforting reply.

Chris: That sounds difficult, I'm sorry!

A.R.: It's totally fine. Thanks for the advice!

Christine smiled. She put her phone down on her bed and trudged down the stairs, rubbing her eyes.

"Hey Christy! How are you feeling?" her mother popped her head out from the kitchen.

"You okay?" her father added, coming up behind her. She gave them a confused look.

"Of course! Why wouldn't I be?" Her parents breathed a sigh of relief.

"Oh I was so nervous I was too harsh on you!" the latina woman moaned. Her father put his arm around her and nodded.

"We didn't mean to make you upset! We know you are having a difficult time..."

Christine rolled her eyes slightly. This always happens. Her parents finally either take some of their control off her life or they ground her, then they feel bad and blame everything she did on her "difficult time." She was fine, and she tried to explain how she was feeling to her parents, but they overreacted.

"It's okay! I'm fine. I understand why you wanted me to take a break in my room. Can I go hang out with my friends?" Her parents nodded, relieved. Then, the morning schedule was back on. Her father made breakfast and her mother rushed to work with her oversized coffee cup spilling over the edge. Christine sighed. WIll her relationship with her parents ever change? Will she finally talk with her parents?

Grabbing her purse, her phone, and ten dollars, she swung open the front door and yelled a quick goodbye to her father. After walking a few paces down the road, she stopped in her tracks. Sitting down on a nearby bench, she pulled out her phone and glanced at the messages she sent to her online friend. She leaned back into the bench and sighed. How much longer could she keep lying to herself and her parents?