IN LOVE WITH YOU [SLOW UPDATES]

21

~PHI~

The eighth wonder of the world. I saw it today. Naina wearing a short dress. But before I could pull her leg, things went berserk.

Why do I even care?

I looked at the street, where her heels clanked a minute before.

I was dressed like a superhero, but what was I? I could neither speak out to Naina nor support Pam at her tough times. I did not even deserve this cheap rip off of the ‘Superman’ costume.

“Where were you?” Pam asked as I stepped inside the party house. I wanted to go back home now, align my thoughts, and then talk to Naina.

“Just outside..” 

“Here, have this..” Pam handed me a blue plastic cup. I peered inside it and politely shrugged her hand off. Every inch of the house was littered with colorful plastic cups, boxes of pizza, and even vomit at some places. How could someone give away their house to get it destroyed by their so-called friends?

I hated such parties, the same parties which feature in almost every Hollywood teen movie, where the bad guy meets the good girl or vice versa, now that people are evolving from stereotypes. I thought these parties were just a movie thing, but they were real, to some extent. 

I made my way and sat on the couch, the same couch where Naina sat a few minutes before. The pirate guy was nowhere to be seen. How was she even talking to that lame guy?

“You okay? You look lost.” Pam sat beside me, bundling her cape to one side.

“Yeah.. I’m just tired. Why don’t you chat with the others.. you know, enjoy a little,” I said. I really didn’t want her to sit idle and think much. She should stay distracted for some time.

“No..no.. I’m fine here.” She paused and pursed her lips. “Phi.. I never really said it out loud, but I’ve never had a better friend than you.”

I didn’t know what to say. Any decent human being would do what little I did for her, or even do more than me. 

“You know, just today I talked to Dad. He said that there is no chance he would let that woman near me.” She continued talking a bit more about her mother.

Her mother, who was more of a drug addict than a mother, was the sole reason for wrecking Pam’s life. She was free, released from jail now, probably living with some shady person. Almost a week back, Pam had another series of panic attacks. The reason was a phone call from her mother, asking her to reconcile. Another wound in Pam’s heart, which had almost healed with time, turned fresh. 

I felt sorry for Pam. She was not only deprived of mother’s love but was also made to deal with an obnoxious drug addict mother.

“Don’t think about all that, just enjoy the party.” I said, holding her hand.

She nodded, and a little smile crept on her face after a long time. 

My red superman shoes clicked on the street in sync with the music as I walked back to my apartment, after dropping Pam at home. I was staying at her place since she got the attacks, leaving my room abandoned the entire time. I needed to do some chores, pack my bag with extra sets of clothes, and then get back to her place. 

I wish I could tell Naina everything. There’s so much misunderstanding between us. 

I reverted from the main road to the narrow alleys, just to get away from the dancing crowd. I needed silence. My thoughts were a frenzy, a combination of what Naina said today and Pam’s panic attacks I had witnessed. I needed silence.