A Melody of You: Book Five

Emma

"Ookay, punk. Like what's the deal with him? He acts like you led him on when he was the one who made all this fantasy in his head about you. You never gave him mixed signals. You were always just a good friend!"

"Exactly!" I let out a scoff as I stepped out of the dressing room. I give Lisa a little twirl and she nods in approval. I give her a playful blown kiss and she pretends to catch it before I go back to change out. "How much do you want to bet that he mentioned his girlfriend just to make me feel bad? Like I don't care, babe! I don't care. If you're tired of my care for your mental health, then I can stop."

I step out with the clothes in my arms and warmly smile at the nice lady who helped us choose our outfits. I give her mine and say, "Thanks. I'll take it."

"Of course." She quickly leaves before she awkwardly continues to listen to our conversation.

Lisa stands up from the small sofa and does a quiet chuckle. "Girl. She was listening to all our drama. I felt so bad for her."

I give her a playful shrug. "Oh well. She can have something to talk about tonight."

Lisa comes to the cash register with me and her eyes turn worried for me. I know why she has that look. She's been asking me if I'm okay. I keep telling her I'm fine. I want to believe it. I have a way of coping with my stress through laughs. What else can I do but joke around to find my sanity?

I'm actually not okay and Lisa can see right through me. Jordan came back to our facility. She got in a fight at school and she never speaks to her foster parents. Danny is in a deeper problem now that Mr. Jung is here. And Alex...he's just weird. After that night at the bar, he now tries to talk to me like we've been friends all our lives.

I need to escape. Since I can't travel right now, I might as well escape with my best friend and go on a spending spree like I don't have bills to pay. Lisa is the bad influence of this. She asked me to accompany her to the mall for some errands and I went wild. She knows how dangerous it is to take me out to the mall when I just got paid.

She answers a phone call as we step out of the store and I guide us to the food court. She warmly chuckles and her expression turns tender. She must be talking with her boyfriend. He's a nice man. The last guy she had was a loser that only made her suffer. The police got involved while we were in college. That's how we became closer.

She needed a safe space and a place to hide from that creep. I was the only friend who at least listened to her and she found comfort in that. Especially when her parents never believed her about her problems. It's easy to stay silent like she often is and reside in books to spill her hidden words on a piece of paper.

Just like that, the memory of our friendship gives me an idea for Jordan. My eyes grow wide and I take Lisa's arm. She notices my expression of an epiphany and quickly tells her boyfriend that she will call him back. She blinks with surprise and lets a smile start on her lips with me. "What's wrong?"

"I got it," I say. "I know how to make Jordan open up! Well, it's an idea."

"I thought she opened up with Danny."

"He's too busy to talk to her. He has to be extra cautious since his boss is in the States."

"Maybe that's why Jordan was upset. She was expecting him to keep his promise to visit her."

"Maybe," I say with a nod. "But I will find that out soon!"

"How? You said she doesn't speak."

I give her a warm smile and run a playful hand on her head. She giggles and I put an arm around her shoulders. "Let's just say that I got inspired by a brave and beautiful young woman who will someday change the world with her stories."