I sit on the pavement of the prep hall after devotions, trying to get some peace of mind. The thing I love about being a boarder is that people do leave certain areas alone after a certain time, and after asking the matron for the key to the prep hall in order to clean after dinner, I decided to stay out a little bit before heading back inside. Kendall avoided eye contact with me at devotions, as well as Nadia not even showing up. I can only imagine what's going on in their heads individually, but most importantly; the dynamic between them on their floor.
"Room for two?"
I look up to see Lynn, her box braids framing her tiny face as she stands in front of me, an oversized tee and shorts covering her figure. I scoot over a bit, and she sits by me, whistling a bit. We relish in silence for a while, and before I know it, my head rests on her shoulder as tears stream down my face silently. I don't know what's making me more emotional; the fact that I have a friend to lay a shoulder on, or the fact that I'm fucking up in every aspect of my life.
There's nothing that I seem to do right; it's hard trying to please everyone when I have a very different perspective of happiness.
I sniffle as a hand is placed on my thigh, with Joanna crouching, cocking her head to the side. I attempt to laugh as she grins at me, her hand resting on my cheek. She joins me on my left, her hand now resting on my thigh as I sob silently into the night. I don't speak, I just...cry.
I need just that.
Joanna wraps her arms around me, her head resting on my shoulder as she occasionally caresses me, with Lynn patting my head at times as well. Lynn hums quietly as my tears dry on my face, my soft cries coming to a standstill. It's nice to have a friend.
Oh Lord, it is nice to have friends.
"Thank you," I whisper, Lynn's humming halting. "Thank you."
"Hey, what are friends for?" Jo asks softly. "We've got you, always."
"And I've got your backs," I reassure them. "I promise."
Jo rubs my bare arm. "You're getting cold."
"It is pretty late," I reply. "I just needed time."
"We know," Lynn breaks her silence. "We all need a break for a little while."
"How do you do it?" I ask them. "How do you guys make love so easy?"
"It's not easy," Jo answers. "What makes it worthwhile is knowing that at our core, we deeply care for each other."
"And that no matter how bad we argue, no matter how far it seems that we're drifting apart, the ability to come back at the end of the day knowing that we want each other is what keeps us going," Lynn continues. "When you want someone, you're willing to accept their flaws, and they're willing to accept yours too. No one is perfect, Yasmina."
"No matter how hard you try to be perfect," Jo adds. "It's the beauty in our imperfections, and how they compliment our perceived perfections, that makes loving someone...thrilling."
I ponder on their words for a moment, remembering how Kendall and I got to be together in the first place.
"Love will never be easy, will it?"
"Easy can be defined differently according to the person," Jo says. "Your definition of easy when it comes to love is different from mine."
"I always thought Love would be a straight line," I whisper.
"My God, Yas, are you even straight?" Joanne snickers.
I slap her knee. "You're annoying."
"Oh please, I'm out here talking like a straight movie character man," She jokes. "It's giving rock bottom."
"Bikini bottom, in fact," Lynn adds.
We laugh, Joanna's hand resting on my thigh. Lynn puts her own palm on top of Jo's, and I roll my eyes, knowing what they're trying to do.
"Do we have to?"
"No, we don't have to," Joanna murmurs. "I mean, if you like having people's hands on you without—"
I place my hand on top of theirs, shutting Joanna right up. We all lift our hands, balling them into fists and placing them on top of each other's.
"I bring the thunder," Joanna starts.
"I bring the rain," Lynn continues, whistling.
"And I'm the wind," I finish, chuckling as we throw our fists down.
"Friends," we chorus. "We won't end."
We stand, embracing one another as the night grows even colder. Like I said;
It is such a privilege to have friends.
YOU ARE READING
We're Still Human
Teen Fiction****Sequel to Ordinary Human Beings **** Yasmina Nothando Thompson seems to have it all figured out. At Riveria Boarding School, she's the captain of the basketball team, a respected prefect, and she's finally found her place with a supportive group...
