Luca vs. Aubrey:
Luca and Aubrey fought because of two reasons: Penelope and Julianna. Luca's problem was that he loved Julianna so much that it annoyed him seeing Aubrey be able to take Penelope's side so easily. On the other hand, Penelope was someone he knew for years, they were closer than most people in the group. Aubrey always claimed Luca never put effort in friendships, Penelope agreed.
Luca vs. Penelope:
When Luca and Penelope fought, it ended their friendship completely. Penelope told me he never made any effort in her life. Luca told me later, she was the one who didn't make any effort. I didn't know who was right or wrong, I hadn't been apart of their lives since their friendship started. I stayed out of it.
Penelope vs. Juli:
Penelope and Juli could never get a long, their different personalities couldn't clash for shit. They were never really the best of friends, dropping each other for them was easy. They just couldn't realize the mess they made around them.
Juli vs. Aubrey:
Juli and Aubrey's fight was the biggest. They were close, sometimes I thought closer than Aubrey and Penelope's friendship. Juli made Aubrey's decision easier by letting her go to Penelope, Aubrey listened. Sometimes I tried to put myself into Juli's shoes, having Emma and I stop being best friends would have been the worst thing ever. First Jeff and then Aubrey.
Penelope vs. me...
Penelope and I broke up in the first week of September. A part of me understood why she left me and the other didn't. She had a lot to deal with, especially her family. What hurt the most was finding out she was moving a state away with her best friend and their family. When she broke up with me her hands couldn't stop shaking, I knew a part of her regretted the choice when I held her hands to stop her. Tears rolled down her face uncontrollably. The feeling was mutual. She tried her hardest to justify her choice to me, that we could still be friends but it just made me feel worse. She tried to wipe the tears from my eyes but I wouldn't let her. I got up and walked away, hearing her burst out crying.
That night Penelope called me over a hundred times on my cellphone, more than Erica ever did. I gave in, she called me over and we fucked. This routine went on for days until one night at a party, she made out with a boy. I don't think she meant to do it in front of me but I still saw. It still hurt. I went home alone that night, sulking in pain.
Then at the next party I was more than just heated. I grabbed a girl and purposely made out with her, right in front of Penelope. It broke her heart and she stormed out. Her best friend slapped me and left me in shock, also embarrassment. I wish Penelope understood what I did was revenge for the night before.
After that Penelope and I rarely talked. I saw her a lot but we only looked at each other. Sometimes I wonder if she felt a strange gravitational pull because I felt it.
-
As if things couldn't have gone any worse, I saw Penelope and Preston, a guy I couldn't stand for too many reasons to list, sitting down together at a cafe. Emma was with me, she was my witness. We were both mad. As we walked away from the cafe, we spotted Katherine sitting outside her house on the steps listening to music. We figured if Penelope came out and saw us talking to her, it would be the best kind of revenge ever. And she did.
The thing was, this is what created Penelope to hate both Emma and I. This marked the day Penelope was officially done with me.
-
As I was shooting hoops alone at the park, I saw Luca walking. I told him to come over, I knew he and I weren't exactly on good terms but weeks before Penelope and I ended things, I apologized to him for not being there for him. To my luck, he was okay with me. We sat down on the cold cement rolling the basketball back and forth to each other. I told him everything that happened.
I found myself getting the most comfort from Juli and Luca. I was always too upset to get out of bed and Juli helped by bringing over soup. She encouraged me a lot to look on the bright side of things. Luca was as equally supportive. Emma was the most supportive, although we did argue a few times because I couldn't stop talking about Penelope. I stopped sharing those parts of my feelings after awhile, knowing everyone got sick and tired of it.
The most twisty part of it all was that I overheard Juli on the phone with Katherine. They were friends, Luca was in on it too. I figured Emma and I could put things past. It wasn't good to dislike people, even if you had a reason.
Katherine came over later that day, they comforted me. The shit-talking helped because I knew people were telling Penelope bad things about me too.
-
So many days later after hanging out with my new group of friends, I found Katherine and I getting close again. I was sort of mesmerized by her voice, I really liked it. I even told her that.
"So how's your boyfriend?" Juli asked Katherine.
And with that I knew, Katherine and I were always meant to just be best friends. After all, I still wanted my Penelope back. I don't know how everything turned to dust so quick but I missed her.
