JEALOUSY.

* ⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚ Chapter 1 ˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆

I threw my braids back over my shoulders and adjusted my nose ring in my mirror before leaving my room and heading down to my cool living room.

I sat down flipped through the channels and when I landed on BET the sound of a car's engine revving rang through my ears.

It's finally the last week of summer, the last 7 days to stay up until the sun comes up. It's been about a month and a half since Aaliyah and I have spoken. I remember as kids we couldn't go more than 30 minutes not talking. How did we sleep at night? with our DSIs open on the PictoChat app.

Aaliyah Richardson is— well, was my best friend. We met in 1st grade when she transferred to my school, we became instant friends considering she came on my birthday and I felt like she was a gift given to me from god.

We were inseparable from that day on. Until last month that is.

Out of nowhere, Aaliyah stopped asking me to hang out. I had just assumed she wanted me to come up with ideas, but when I offered up things to do she'd say she was busy taking summer classes, but I'd see her going in the opposite direction of our school every single time. She'd come back from wherever she went with Starbucks cups, new bags, and sometimes even friends I had never seen her hang out with before.

Compared to Aaliyah, I probably seemed beneath her. I'm very grateful for all the things I have and don't want more, I'm just calling how our peers see it. Aaliyah's mother and father are well known within our community, they're both attorneys and both have a perfect winning streak with all the cases they've taken on.

Aaliyah was given everything she's ever wanted. When we were sophomores I got my mom's 2011 Kia Forte for my birthday. It was the best thing she could've ever gotten me and I still have it to this day. I drove Aaliyah and me to school every day while the car made an annoying ticking sound.

For Aaliyah's birthday her parents got her a 2020 Dodge Charger that she didn't seem too pleased about. Everything about the car was brand new, unlike my old homey car. I remember doing rock paper scissors to see who'd take off the plastic on the touch screen in the car. I won.

Even though she had her car, Aaliyah followed the same routine we had been doing for the past 3 months since I got my car, waking up earlier so she could make her way next door to my house for a ride to school. I didn't mind considering she was my best friend.

Sooner or later she stopped riding around places with me, well in my car. Maybe she just got fed up with the ticking sound? I was used to waking up later and coming downstairs to see Aaliyah and Mom laughing about god knows what at the kitchen table, but after she stopped riding with me the mornings felt lonely. I tried to wake up early a few times so maybe I could catch her, but it never worked out in my favor.

Junior year ended almost 3 months ago and we're seniors now. Yes, I have other friends, but how does anyone start a senior year without their best friend? I miss her, but I think she's over whatever I have going on. Maybe she finally realized I was not on her level. I sometimes see her Instagram story and see her hanging out with new friends she met at college fairs. Is this how it ends? She left me for college friends before we even started our senior year.

I shook my head and went back to flipping the channels before letting out a hefty sigh and retreating to my room.

A few hours later

I was unbraiding my hair when I heard my front door open and close. Usually, my mother would say "I'm home!" when she came home. The only person who came into my house unannounced was Aaliyah. A spark of hope made my heart flutter as I dropped my comb and went dashing to the door.

"Oh hey." Aaliyah played with her lash extensions to avoid eye contact with me. I saw she had her big brown MK bag hanging off her shoulder, she'd use that bag every time she came to sleep over at my house for more than a day. "I just came to get my iPad. I left it here a while ago." She said plainly as if we hadn't just gone a month not talking to each other. For some reason, I was stuck in place. I felt my hand drop from my half-unbraided braid and I almost started laughing. Whenever she forgot things somewhere she didn't even bother using Find My iPhone, she'd just go out and buy another one.

"I forgot that was here.", I lied. I knew she left her iPad on my bedroom floor that last day we hung out. She was spending the night at my house and when I woke up she had already left. "Where'd you leave it?" I tried to keep it calm.

"I think in your room." She knew exactly where she left it. Interesting. I nodded my head and began walking up the stairs. I didn't expect her to follow behind with the awkward way she walked into my house after ignoring me for a month, but she did.

"So.. how's summer school?" I asked as if I didn't know that was just a bogus lie she told me so we didn't have to hang out. From the corner of my eye, I saw her almost choke on her words before she spoke, "Good. I'm almost done." Did she just lie to my face? Well, my back technically. I just nodded my head as I reached my bedroom door and turned the doorknob.

Aaliyah followed after me and went looking for her iPad while I sat on my bed. I knew exactly where it was, but did she deserve to know that? Not after she lied to me in my own house. The first place she checked was under my bed, then on my dresser, and finally my shelf with our 8th-grade graduation pictures. She rose gold iPad sat neatly and fully charged next to the picture. I have been waiting for this perfect moment for almost 2 months now. She picked up the tablet, turned it around, and examined it for a minute, before setting it right back down where it was.

"You can keep it.", she completely ignored the fact that I charged it and left it for her to come get, "I think my dad ordered another one anyway." Her annoying duck ringtone started going off and she put a finger up before turning her head and walking into the hallway. I heard bits and pieces of the conversation— she was talking to a boy.

"Okaay Jackson. I'm gonna come over soon.", I only heard that sing-song voice come out of her when she talked to or about her boy toy Jackson Hendricks. Jackson just graduated in June, but when he went to school with us he was the star quarterback of our school, as all schools usually have one. Jackson was nice to us whenever he'd come around. I met him for the first time in 6th grade when Aaliyah had thrown a carton of milk on him for saying he liked her. I never expected them to start anything romantic or even friendly after that altercation.

A few minutes later she came back into my room and adjusted her plaid skirt. "Was that Jackson?" I asked as if I didn't already know the answer, I just missed my best friend, and if I let her leave now when would we talk again? She nodded her head yes and started fidgeting with her necklace. The necklace our parents got us both so we could match. She looked like it made her itch and she wanted to rip it off any second now.

"We started talking the day after graduation.", she started, "You know how Mika graduated with him?" Mika was her cousin. She was only a year older than us, but she didn't like hanging out with us. I shook my head, yes and she continued. "He sat next to her and when I went to hug her, he started talking to me." She stopped looking so uncomfortable and sat on my bed next to the pile of unbraided hair. I watched her unlock her phone and send a quick message before locking it and throwing it in her bag.

"I think I like him." She grabbed and hugged one of my pillows. At that moment I pushed all my feelings about her ignoring me out the window.

"Tell me more." I laid down next to her excited for her response.