In Your Corner | ✓

Thirty-Seven

"So, I've been doing some thinking."

I turn around, pulling my attention from the array of jackets in front of me, and look at my flatmate, contemplating her statement. "Uh-huh, and?"

I think if Anandi were to say something like that, I'd be a bit concerned she was thinking of torching down a building or something, but it's MJ. My concern spikes for a different reason.

MJ takes a deep breath, wringing her hands together. "I, um, I guess I've just been thinking a lot about friendships and what they look like."

Realising that this conversation is pretty serious, I walk towards her, ignoring the fact that I have five minutes to choose a jacket and get on the road. This is important. "Keep going."

She smiles at me as I sit down on the bed next to her and she rests her head on my shoulder, closing her eyes as she admits what has been on her mind. "I think my friendship with Reece has been really unhealthy."

I mean, obviously.

But it's so easy to spot it when the friendship doesn't involve you, right? Reece has been pulling the wool over MJ's eyes for years and of course it's taken time to come to and see what's actually in front of her.

"What's brought you to that conclusion?" I ask cautiously, aware that if I say the wrong thing, it might send her spinning in the other direction.

She chews on her lip, pulling away from me so she can meet my eyes. "Well, I just think he wouldn't treat me the way he does if the friendship was genuine. He's been ditching me on nights out forever and there was a brief period where he'd meet me for a coffee once I started dipping out on going out, but now he just keeps blowing me off, saying he's busy."

I try really hard to push away the fury that threatens to swallow me whole, because I don't want to snap in front of my sweet, innocent friend, but Reece has always made me so mad. "I didn't know that he'd been blowing you off."

MJ winces. "It's just been the last few weeks, really. I, uh, know you've had a lot going on and I didn't really want to, you know, add to it."

I inhale sharply, wondering whether it was Reece who made her feel like she couldn't talk about her feelings like that. "I don't care what I have going on, MJ, I still want you to tell me what's happening with you, you hear me? My world could be collapsing and I'd still want to hear about how you're getting on. Don't ever think that I don't have time or have too much else going on to listen to you."

She smiles timidly at me. "Okay. Thank you."

Satisfied that she believes me, I ask her curiously, "So, uh, now that you've been thinking like this, have you thought of doing anything?"

MJ sighs, wringing her hands together again. "I mean, I feel like it's kind of pointless talking to him about it. I'm not sure he'd even listen. Maybe I'm better off just cutting it off, or letting it drift apart, you know? Although it'd kind of be a dissatisfying ending."

I rub my hands over my temples. What I really don't want to do is give her irrational advice that encourages her to make a brash decision. "You really think he wouldn't listen to you?"

She laughs without humour. "Pretty certain, yeah."

Ouch.

I've never liked Reece, really, but it's not like I wanted it to come to this. It's pretty nasty, a friendship that you've had going on for years to just fall apart in front of you like that.

Briefly, I let myself image a breakdown in my relationship with Jonny, or Andrei, and I suddenly feel sick to my stomach. No way. Those boys are with me for life.