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24

«it's like a puzzle»

Mandy
The way to the party is really cringe, and I'm feeling like I'm stuck in a waterbubble. I hear Shawn and Amy talking, but I don't hear, about what. I look out of the window and watch the landscape flying backwards.
Aaliyah gave her best, to put me in Shawn's car, and I could hear at the end, that she was kinda annoyed by Shawn's and Amy's behaviour. I guess, she could get it totally, that Shawn didn't want to talk to me because of all the fanfiction-stuff, I'm apparently writing. But Aaliyah didn't seem to understand, that a best friend could behave like that against her best friend. She looked multiple times at me, but I didn't say anything, cause what should I say? – "You're absolutely right, I don't get it, too?" Or much more absurd: "You're absolutely right – and I absolutely get it, that she's acting like that"?

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[@AalyahMendes postet one (1) new story]
Aaliyah Mendes' Story @AaliyahMendes [00:14]

Sittin' by the fire, learning about life.

Had a great evening with my friends and my brother @ShawnMendes ❤️.

***

Mandy
Did I say, that the way to the party was cringe?! Well, the party itself was way more cringe. I guess, I never was in a more wrong place in a more wrong situation, than this evening.
Everything turned out different, than I thought, and I just didn't get to open my mouth, to say the truth. Cause everytime, I looked at Amy, I felt, that I can't – that I shouldn't – destroy her luck. Even though, it's only temporary. I mean: Look at her! She's standing there, with a glass of wine in her hand, just as red, as her cheeks, and she's shining. She's surrounded by the other people – a lot of young and hip looking twens, those are all in a good mood and are chatting and chattering with each other. We're here at a nice-looking bungalow in the suburbs of Toronto, with a fire in the garden, those flames are enlightening the sky, that I can't differ between the sparks flying to the sky and the stars blinking on it. I am sitting in a corner at the fire, with a lemonade in my hand, and I feel like a child, that got the permission, to spent some time on the party of the grown-ups. Nobody's speaking with me, and while I am still trying to proceed and to realize, what happened this evening, I don't recognize, that Aaliyah took place next to me.

Over the moderate music sound, she says: "Hey."

I turn my gaze away from the flames and stop staring into the red and white light. "Hey."

Aaliyah looks back and forward from my glass to the fire and then to Shawn and Amy, those are talking quite loudly with the other people and mostly with each other. "Are you okay?" She says, somehow careful.

I look at her questioning. "What do you mean? Why wouldn't I be okay? – It's great here, I really like the party. Thank you for inviting me, again. If I hadn't said that, yet."

"You did. Twice. But I meant: Are you okay with the way, your friend and Shawn are treating you?" She hems. "My brother's normally not that unpolite. I am sorry for that. He just has only eyes for your friend. He's really kinda lucky, I guess, to finally meet her in real life."

I can't say anything about that. I really can't. So instead, I just nod.

"But even though, he's happy, and your friend may be too, there's no reason to treat you like that. She should be more interested in how you're doing, I think", Aaliyah says, examining.

I shrug.

I expect her, to now stand up, but she stays. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Of course." I expect her to ask things like: "Why is Amy such an unpolite friend?" Or something like that, but instead, she says: "Why do you like my brother's music?"

I stare at her, very surprised. Didn't see that coming. Instead of a fast, unthought answer, I stare for a moment into the flames. They are really beautiful, with all their colours, the orange, the shimmering white, the red, warm and friendly, and the little parts of blue.
"I guess, it's just as the fire here," I finally say, searching to find the right words. "His music makes me feel warm and comfortable. It makes me feel welcomed, and it makes me feel kinda home. It helped me when we once moved to Canada, and it helped me when I had a bad heart-break. I always used to find comfort in music, and his songs – his music, his songwriting – it is simply something else."

Aaliyah doesn't say something for a little while. Then, she clears her throat. "Wow. I don't hear that much often."

I look at her questioningly.

She smiles slightly. "Mostly, people just say, that he's great, or that they just 'really really' like his music. Ya know?"

I smile slightly back. "I don't know, if he is great, cause I know him only through his music and maybe from one or two youtube-videos. I don't think, that such stuff can tell anything meaningful about how he's at home with his family or with his friends. I just really like the Shawn, I can identify through his songs. But songs can't show the whole picture of someone right? – They are more like an unfinished frame with a picture, that is like a puzzle, ya know? – The more you hear from him, the more he's telling things about himself – the more you get a picture. – But the frame, and the missing puzzle parts – you can't get them from his songs or from youtube. You really need to get to know the real Shawn Mendes."

I thought, I'd got to know the real Shawn Mendes a little bit when we were writing with each other. I really thought that. But today proofed me wrong.
Everything today went wrong.

For a long, a very long moment, in which I can only hear the music playing, Aaliyah is staring at me. Then, she says: "I really can't tell, if you're a fan, or not. I really thought, you were – I mean all the fanfiction-stuff, but now-," she stops and glances at me questioning.

"I'm a fan of his music, for sure", I smile a bit, trying not to think about how this whole evening went into the false direction – how Amy is now chatting with Shawn over there. "I'm a fan of his music, yes. And of what I could see for now, it's easy to be a fan of him, too."

"Good answer. I like that." Aaliyah takes a sip of her drink, looks at the fire for a bit, and then she stands up. She knocks off the grass. For a second, she seems to hesitate, but then, she says: "Let's exchange numbers. Just in case, you or I need someone to talk? I know it's a bit crazy, thinking 'bout all that fanfiction stuff. But I ... I have a good feeling about you, and it would be quite nice to have someone new and someone who doesn't cry all the time, when Shawn's name is mentioned." She looks me seriously in the eyes. "But you have to promise me, that you won't give my number away, and that you don't write in any fanfiction about that."

Well, that's surprising.
I can't but smile. Maybe, this evening is not gonna end up that bad as I thought. For now, I made appearently a good impression on Aaliyah – and maybe tomorrow, when I told Shawn everything he will be nicer towards me, and everything's gonna be fine. "I promise."

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AN:
The rights of the picture used in this chapter don't belong to me!