this is the start | gilinsky

Chapter Forty-Four

As I lay in bed in my room all I can do is think about Omaha. I haven't missed New York. Not one bit. It sort of sucks to be back. I don't dare tell that to Mom though, she'd be devastated. Ever since we got back last night she's been telling me how much she's missed me, and how much it sucked here without me.

"Kimber missed you too," Mom had said. 

Kimber was my sort-of-not-really friend. We barely talked and when we did it was only for me to help her do something stupid like steal some liquor from the store down the street, or sneak into someone's pool at night. I'd usually turn her down, but for some reason she always asked me.

"Does she know I'm back?" I asked. Mom shook her head then told me I should go talk to her. I said okay then went up to my room. I haven't come out since.

Now that I think about it, Kimber actually could be a really good friend if I'd just open up. She's a cool girl. She reminds me of Sam. I miss Sam a lot, more than I thought I would. Omaha changed me for the better, but I feel like I can't really be the new person I am here in New York because my lack of a social life. Kimber could be my key to keeping my new found openness to things. 

I wonder what she's doing right now. Probably something exciting. I found myself wishing I was with her, maybe then I wouldn't be wallowing in my sorrows. I could tell her about Gilinsky, she'd most likely have some good advice. Boys tend to like her so she has experience.

I pull out my phone from my pocket and scroll through my contacts. I stop as I see her name. Kimber the Koolest. She put it in my phone for me a while back when we were doing a project together. I laugh to myself because knowing Sam he would've put the same contact name, instead his would've been Sam the Sexiest, or something like that.

It takes me a while to finally build up the courage to text Kimber because I keep thinking she wouldn't want me texting her. All I say is hey, but it's a start.

She replies quicker than I assumed she would, AYE! Marley, my girl! How are ya? How's Omaha treatin ya?

I'm surprised she's this enthusiastic. I can't even remember if she liked me this much while I was here. It seemed like years ago.

Just got home last night actually

Why'd you come back early? Something happen?

How the hell did she know?

Yeah, sort of...

I'll be over in 5!

I smile to myself as I lock my phone. She's literally a female version of Sammy. It confuses me how I hadn't realized how nice and cool she was until now. I must've been stuck in a pretty deep rut before. Kimber is inside my room in a matter of minutes. She climbs up and in through the window. How badass is that? 

"You gotta show me how to do that." I laugh.

Kimber stands staring at me for what feels like forever, although it's probably only been like two seconds. She looks me up and down, smiling. Nodding her head, she falls next to me on my bed. "Damn, Mar, Omaha treated you well." I cringe. It had been treating me well until about a couple days ago. "You're like a whole different person."

"That's a good thing, right?" I ask.

"Hell yeah it is!" Kimber claps her hands and pushes herself up. "So talk to me, Ma! What's up?" 

"A lot," I tell her. And then I explain everything that happened to me, from start to finish. I try to make it as detailed as possible so she knows exactly what she's up against. As I'm telling the story she's looking at me like I'm the Queen of England, I can't tell if she's amazed that I actually loosened up, or if she's judging me. I go with the more positive option. It takes about an hour to tell her everything and we've moved out of my room into the kitchen, we're eating chips as I finish my last sentence, "so that's why I'm here now."

Kimber nods her head slowly. "Wow." 

"Wow?"

"Yeah, wow." She repeats. "That's some intense shit."

"Watch your language," I hear Mom say as she walks out of her room to where we are. She pops a chip in her mouth then grabs her purse off the counter. "I'm going out, behave yourselves." She's gone in less than a minute. 

Kimber grins. "Let's go." 

"Where?" I walk over to the fridge and see that there's no milk. I frown. 

"It's a surprise." She teases. I glare at her but can't help but smile. 

"Alright." I close the fridge door and let her drag me out of the house. 

"I'm glad you went to Omaha," she tells me. I nod. Even though I'm not to glad about the recent turn of events that went down, I have to agree with her. If I hadn't gone, there's no way in hell I'd be letting her take me whever she was going to take me right now, and where's the fun in that?

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Sammy's POV back in Omaha

"Jack Gilinsky, get the fuck up," I growl, pushing him off my couch.

"What? Why?" He hisses swatting my hand away.

"Get up." I repeat. "We're going to get you your life back."

"The hell does that even mean?" He mumbles, finally turning around so I can see his face. 

"What do you think it means?" I ask, grabbing onto his arms and pulling him up. 

"I don't know that's why I asked you!" He yells, pushing me off my him. He stands up and straightens out his shirt. His hair is a mess but I try my best not to laugh.

It's been like a day and a half since Marley left and everyone's pretty bummed but Jack's been acting like a big baby. He hasn't even seen or talked to Leigh since Marley caught them sucking face in his room, which sort of surprises me. Truth be told, I did think that he was gonna try and forget Mar by throwing himself back at Leigh, but he hasn't even called her. I'm starting to think that he's not going to be getting over Marley anytime soon, and being his friend I have decided to take matters into my own hands.

"We're going to New York." 

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Chapter Forty-Five coming soon! Thanks for reading! Much love, gilinskyshigh