Roads That Cross...

...with Friendships

Out of all the things Ámbar had ever had to do in her life, this was definitely one of the hardest.

The porcelain of the white cup in front of her still felt a little warm from the coffee she'd finished drinking a few minutes ago. She curled her hands around it just to have something to do with them, and stared at the empty bottom of it as a momentary escape from the awkwardness of her situation.

"So... that," she finished, words failing her a little now that she'd gotten to the really important ones. "Basically, I just wanted to say... that I'm sorry." She brought her gaze up. "I owed you an apology."

Sitting on the chair opposite from her, with a half-finished cinnamon roll on her plate of identic white porcelain, was Jazmín, staring at her with her arms crossed and her mouth of a frown.

"Uh huh, about?"

Ámbar blinked. Hadn't she just spent like ten minutes specifying about what?

"For mistreating you when we were friends," she repeated slowly. It should've been more than clear.

Jazmín maintained her serious posture. "Uh huh, what else?"

Ámbar's brows drew a little together. "For... lighting the rink on fire?" She threw a guess, unsure of what she wanted from her. "But you know that was an accident."

"Yeah, I know. What else."

Is she trying to make this hard for me or what?

Ámbar was genuinely confused because it didn't seem like Jazmín wanted her to grovel (and Ámbar wouldn't, absolutely not, she'd walk away if she demanded it). She was looking for something, and Ámbar tried to think of what it could be, what to mention that she hadn't already, but she didn't—

Ah. There was something. Ámbar sighed begrudgingly. She was hoping they wouldn't have to talk about this topic but it was fair.

"Okay." She straightened in her seat. "It was very wrong of me to approach Simón when I knew you liked him. I even mocked you for having a crush on him. I must've looked like a hypocrite, or just a straight-out bitch, but I promise you that I wasn't really planning on dating him at the time; the whole thing took me by surprise, I really didn't think I'd fall in love with him—"

"Ugh, not that!" Jazmín complained, finally dropping her stoic face.

Ámbar gave her the look equivalent of a question mark.

"Are you really gonna keep pretending like it wasn't you who bought dislikes for my video during the Vidia competition?"

Ámbar's shoulders dropped. "Ooh, that..." she exhaled with understanding. Her relief lasted five seconds though because the guilt came in. She looked away. "Yeah, no, it was me, you were right."

"HA!" Jazmín pulled her tablet out of her designer bag. "Would you mind saying that one more time for the camera, please?"

Ámbar gave her a look. "Jazmín."

"Well, that was a very low blow!" She put her tablet away. "I could've had a professional career, you know? With my song and my solo album, I could've become a star, signing autographs left and right, the whole city full of billboards with my face on them..." Her dreamy smile turned into a scowl in her direction. "But now we'll never know, and that's on you."

Ámbar stared.

With... With her song... The one that said the same thing over and over and had that little dance move like cat scratch...

"...I'm sorry," she managed to say with a straight face. "I just... I was mad at you for turning on me with Delfi."

"If we did that it's because Delfi and I were tired of putting up with you."