We're Still Human

Chapter 10: Where the Water meets the Earth

Kendall sits me down on her bed as I wipe my tears, sniffling. Today was the first time I let Nadia really get into my head, and by the looks of it, it won't be the last.

She goes to close the door before heading to her desk and putting her blazer on the chair. She reaches inside her desk, walking back to me with a packet of chips and a can of Solo for me. I take the chips and put them on the bed as she kneels in front of me, our eyes finally meeting.

"I'm not going to ask you to tell me what happened tonight if you don't want to," she starts. "Just know if you need someone to talk to, I'm right here."

Our eyes are locked on each other, and for the first time in a while, I see contempt and dismay in her eyes, which brought tears to my own. She gets a bit closer, trying to wipe the stray tear that fell down my cheek, her mouth slightly agape. She doesn't deserve this. She deserves so much better.

She deserves the truth.

Kennie stands, turning around to get me a napkin, so I clear my throat, taking my chance with her back turned.

"Nadia and I used to be best friends as well," I admit. "We knew everything about each other. The ins and outs, it was perfect until it wasn't."

Kendall doesn't turn back around, her head facing the ground. "That explains how much she gets to you."

"Our parents know each other, they're friends, so of course it was natural for us to be friends or even have a relationship," I reply, fiddling with my fingers as I reminisce. "We were carbon copies of each other, and to some extent, I thought we'd always be that way. Best friends, of course."

"Oh."

"At least that's what I thought," I add. "When... when I had a crush on this girl named Jasmyn, she was the first one to know because I trusted her. I didn't think she'd judge me for it at all, and honestly, she was pretty receptive to it. She did know that my mom wouldn't be too keen on having a female crush, so she's the one who advised me to get a boyfriend as a guise while I went out with Jasmyn. In my childish mind, I thought it was a great idea, so I went to Jasmyn not knowing if she was into girls or not, and started hanging with her."

I sigh, closing my eyes as I remember 15 year old me playing with her.

"Nadia and I still spent time together, as well as Lerumo, my other best friend. It was significantly less time though, but I didn't think much of it because Nadia never used to complain or talk much. But with time, Nadia got distant, and I got closer to Lerumo, as well as Jasmyn."

I open my eyes to see Kendall pacing around the room, obviously a bit anxious to see where this was leading.

"After weeks of no contact with Nadia, Jasmyn stopped talking to me. She would pass me in hallways, and at first it bothered me, but when I'd get stares in the hallways and classrooms from people I didn't know, I knew something was wrong. I ignored it though, and one day, Jasmyn called me into a closet to talk. That was the worst fucking day of my fucking life," I end in a whisper. "I was upset, I wanted to know why she wasn't my friend anymore, I wanted to know, but instead, she asked me if it was okay to kiss me. I said yes...and we kissed, then one thing lead to another and...I ended up making out with her in the janitors closet. For a few seconds, it felt like heaven, then the next thing, it got stripped from me as the door opened to Nadia taking a picture.

Jasmyn was in on the plan.

I don't know what shattered my heart worse; the fact that Jas did that to me, or the fact that Nadia, someone I trusted so dearly, went out of her way to hurt me. It was the first time I truly felt like a part of me was broken. The first time I stopped believing that someone would like me for...me.

It came no surprise when I heard rumors swirl around, and when Nadia posted the picture. I never knew why she did all this; why we went from the best of friends to the worst of enemies within seconds. It felt odd to me. How a person can change and shift. The picture reached my mom, and from Nadia's ears to my mom as well, and I was shunned by my mother for the longest of times. She tried to get me to play it off like I was just exploring myself or something, and once she couldn't bear all the supposed heat she was getting in Sydney, we moved here, for a fresh start."

I wipe the tears off my face, looking at the floor. I can't finish this tale, I don't know how to finish it. And part of me thinks it's useless to even try; Kendall knows enough. My tears might mean nothing to her, I guess this is where the water does meet the Earth.

Surprisingly, Kendall kneels in front of me and helps me wipe my face.

"Yasmina, I want you to know something," she whispers. "No matter what happened in Sydney, what happened between you and Nadia, it is not a reflection of who you are and where you are now. You're in a new chapter, and I promise you, I love and accept you in every aspect. I promise to do this till the end, Yasmina. Nadia and Sydney may have rejected you, but I am here to tell you that Melbourne, and everyone you've met here, accept you. You are loved, Yasmina." She smiles a bit. "I love you, and no one can ever change that."

I get on the floor with her, so that we're at the same level. I hug her, my arms wrapping around her tightly as she continues to whisper that I am loved in my ear. We lay on the floor together, with her continuing to whisper that to me, until we drift off into a hearty slumber, right there on the cold floor.