Something's Wrong With the Different Realms

Twenty-Four: Finding Hope

Isla Venus

"You seriously think we're friends just because we're forced to work on a project together?" Those words kept replaying in my head over and over again.

I couldn't shut them out no matter how hard I tried and it was terribly agonizing. Just when I thought I'd had friends and life was good, the floor shifted from underneath my feet and I felt like I was plunged into a canyon. Two of my "friends" turned out to be elves from another planet or something who had somehow gotten stuck on Earth. I did want to help them, I felt that it was my duty to since they'd entrusted me with such a secret, but it didn't mean that I wasn't wary of them. And my final "friend" had finally confirmed that he didn't give two craps about me. In fact, he even told me that we weren't friends.

I leaned over the sink and cast a glance at my reflection. A chubby face with ebony skin, acne, puffy brown-black eyes, and oily raven hair stared back at me. I lifted a hand to tug the corners of my mouth upward but my eyes still remained wary and downcast so I dropped my hand. A tear slipped down my cheek and I couldn't contain it anymore; I placed my forehead against the counter and started sobbing uncontrollably, releasing all the tears from my body.

"Isla?" a soft melodic voice called out, "are you okay? Wait, no, you're crying so you're definitely not okay. But um, do you want to talk about that?"

I cracked open the door and found a pair of concerned emerald eyes looking at me. "I... I guess sure, why not? It's not like I have anything to lose by telling you anyway."

"Here, let me get you something to drink first, okay? You can take your time to um... compose myself, you know? I mean, I'd usually like to make sure I look decent before I spill my guts to someone, you know?" Ivy let out a small laugh.

I just glared at her. "I don't care about how I look."

Ivy ran a hand through her dyed-blonde hair and tilted her head to the side, embarrassed and flushing. "Sorry, it's a habit, I'll try not to do it again. Anyway, what I mean to say is I'm going to get both of us some diet coke and while I do that, you can think about... I don't know... whatever it is you want to think about, I guess."

I nodded and Ivy shot a quick smile at me before disappearing. I closed the door of the bathroom and moved to my giant bed. I patted the comforter before moving to perch on it. Was I wrong when I said what I said? I thought to myself as I leaned back on my bed to examine the old rock band posters that I have hanging against my wall. Did Jasper really mean what he said?

"I'm back!" Ivy announced, holding two wine glasses filled with diet coke. "Usually we're not encouraged to eat and drink in our rooms but... you're sad so that should be an exception. Besides, diet coke doesn't have that many calories so that's good. Oh, sorry, habit."

I laughed and took my coke. "Thanks, and honestly I personally don't care when you talk about food and calories and health stuff, I know you're trying your best to recover from your insecurities and that's just your way of deflecting."

Ivy took a sip from her coke. "Aw... thanks! But, anyway, let's talk about you. I'm pretty sure we already spent a whole day talking about my problems and you were the one crying in the bathroom so you must have something you want to talk about."

"I was just thinking about my argument with Jasper in the café the other day. I think I mentioned it at dinner some time ago but I was still too shocked to speak much of it," I admitted. "But I had some time to think and reflect on it and I wonder if some of the things that he said were true. I mean, I think some of the things I told him were true but I'm not sure about the things he told me. But... yeah."