Bastiana has a loving family, two amazing best friends, and a secret.
Over summer vacation, Bastiana and her besties do their best to focus on their bucket list in order to distract them from all the secrets they're keeping from one another. When a...
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"You ready to go?" Abi says as she pokes her head into my bedroom just after 8am.
"Yep!" I say, grabbing my phone. "Where are Car and Dil?" I ask as we walk downstairs.
"Dil is at a sleepover and Car is still asleep, but I left a note for her." She explains.
"Sounds good." I fidget with my hands as we walk out the front door to Abi's car. "It's been a long time since we had a BSB." I say softly.
"Yeah." She nods as we get into her car. She buckles up and turns to me as she starts the engine. "It's good to have you back, Tiana."
"It's good to be back." I smile softly at her.
The drive to Benny's is quiet. I stare out the window, watching the familiar sights blur past us. Coming home after a month away is a strange feeling. Everything looks the same, yet entirely changed all at once. The feeling in the air seems to have changed, or maybe I've changed in some infinitesimal way.
When we get to the diner, we walk in and quickly find a small booth. There aren't many people here yet. It's a Sunday morning, so it won't fill up until the churches start letting out around 10:30.
"I know we usually do pancake Sundays, but this is nice, too." Abi says after we order coffees.
"Yeah. I knew mom was missing shifts to pick me up, and I also wanted to spend some time with you, so I figured this could be a two-birds-one-stone type of thing." I shrug gently. "She gets an extra shift and I get a chance to talk to you."
"Talk to me? Something on your mind, Tiana?" Abi asks, tilting her head to the side.
"Well..." Our waitress comes over with our coffees and sets them down in front of us. "Thank you." I say softly as she walks away, then I turn back to Abi. "There is something I need to say, but let's order first." I say as the waitress comes back.
Abi orders an omelet and I panic order biscuits and gravy while playing with my silverware. The waitress finishes writing it down and walks away. Abi starts doctoring her coffee while I stare into mine and tap the handle softly.
"What's eating at you, Tiana?" I look up and her eyebrows are scrunched, eyes narrowed in concern. "You've been quiet all morning and I can tell when somethings up with you. Just tell me."
"Okay." I breathe deeply and look up at her. "I need to tell you something, but it isn't going to be easy. For either of us, probably. But I really need you to listen and hear me out before you say anything. I just... I just really want a chance to try to explain myself. Okay?"
"Okay..." Abi says slowly, eyeing me warily. "You're scaring me, Tiana. Are you okay?" Her eyes run all over my body, as if looking for wounds.
"Physically? I'm fine." I shake my head. "Emotionally is a whole other can of worms." I scoff, shaking my head lightly.
