Paper Thin

Chapter 3

"You want to know the truth?" she cried hysterically," The truth is this friendship is over if you can't trust  me about this."

I gasp. This so could not be happening.

"You don't mean that, Zo." I say, my mind going blank. "You can't mean that."

"Yes," she shoots back at me."Yes, I do"

And with that, she stormed out of my house, taking our friendship with her and leaving me stunned and speechless.

1 hour earlier

I wake up to the sound of my beeping alarm. Groggily, I sit up, it was 2:30;  Zoe would be over in a few minutes. Reluctantly, I drag myself out of bed and resolve to finish up some homework while I wait for her. Soon enough I hear the front door slam, heralding Zoe's dramatic entrance. Within 2 minutes she is in my room and instantly flopped down onto my bed the same way I had an hour earlier.

"So how was the mathletes?" I ask.

"I aced it," she says, sitting up to grin at me. "I think I'll make it onto to the team."

"That's great."

"Okay," she sighs. " Enough about school. Want to paint nails? I am beginning to hate the color I have on; it looks like puke now. Why did I think pastel green would be a good look?"

" Because you're Zoe and you're crazy," 

 So I trade my trig book for a nailbrush.

We are like that for a while, talking about everything and anything, just being Zoe and Tiffany, the way we've always been. Tiffany and Zoe. Zoe and Tiffany. Sometimes I begin to wonder if it's all just one word. We read magazines, gossip and, of course, paint nails but behind all this, there's something I need to ask her and for the first time ever I am scared of how she might react.

" You okay?"

Her voice interrupts me from my train of thoughts. Automatically, I nod my head.

"Yeah, totally."

But Zoe doesn't let up.

"No, something's bugging you?" she persists. "Come on, spit it out."

I sit up and turn around to face her all serious now.

"Zoe, can I ask you ask you something?"

"Anything."

"Why do you hate Will so much?"

The question hangs in the air and the room suddenly seems far more smaller that it had before. Just as I expect, Zoe goes all stiff and frozen just like at lunch. As if she suddenly remembers that I am here, she pastes an empty smile on her face.

"I don't hate him," she says, like she's trying to get herself to believe it too. "Why would I hate him?"

" Well, you and Will went out for a few months and then - poof - out of nowhere you breakup," I pointed out. "I mean it's a breakup, of course, it's going to be awkward and stuff but Zoe you need to move on. I don't why you broke up but I do know that there is no way you can get better if you continue to hate him so much"

"Drop it, Tif, I can hate him if I want. How does it affect you?"

I look at her, shocked that she could even ask me that.

"Of course, it affects me because I can tell it's hurting you which means it's hurting me. That makes me hate him for whatever he did to you." I let out a long breath. I knew this would be hard.

"Please, just drop it," Her hazel brown eyes are pleading.

Any other day I might have dropped the topic but I just couldn't seem to today. It had been a year and Zoe still went all frozen and cold whenever she even heard his name. She wouldn't let me talk to him or associate with him in any way and for her sake I did it. But, she just couldn't go on like this, she was hiding something and I just couldn't pretend to ignore it anymore. 

"No, Zo," I say. " I can't. You said I could ask you anything."

I step closer to the bed, closer to her. I need her to understand me. Because somehow I might be able to help heal the wound that festers so deeply in her heart. I am her best friend.

"I just can't keep on hating him." Our eyes lock. A battle between brown and green. I don't think I want to,"

This statement seems to make whatever she has left snap. She leaps up from the bed, her eyes narrowed and her face screwing up in rising anger.

"What I mean is I need you to tell me the truth," I say, trying to remain calm. " What happened between you two?"

For a second Zoe looks she might cry, like she might crumble and tell me but then her face hardens and she looks at me with an expression I never would have expected. Betrayal.

" Tiffany, you're my best friend. The truth doesn't matter. It doesn't change anything. Ok?" her face is pleading, " Just trust me on this."

I almost say yes. Yes, that we could just drop this whole matter and go back to hating Will. But I can't because now I am sure that something happened, something she's scared to tell even me. Zoe was one of the strongest, most confident people I had ever met, what could be so bad that it made her so scared?

"No, Zoe," I shake my head. " Whatever happened, it changed you and if you don't tell me then I can't help you."

Her face falls for a second but then her eyes are glinting with anger and ..... fear?

"You want to know the truth?" she cries hysterically," The truth is this friendship is over if you can't trust me about this."

I gasped. This could not and should not be happening. Zoe was my best friend, my rock. She was that person I could always count on, trust to keep all my secrets, hold me together me together when I couldn't. This was the girl that had once made me pinky swear that we'd always stay best friends no matter what, that had always said we would never keep secrets from each other. But now her secret was tearing us apart.

"You don't mean that, Zo." I said, my mind was blank. "You can't mean that."

"Yes," she shot back at me."Yes, I do"

And with that she stormed out of my room in her stiletto high heels and with every step she took our friendship crumbled away, leaving me stunned and utterly speechless. I pinch myself to make sure I'm not dreaming but I didn't wake up.

Because I definitely wasn't dreaming.

Hello, everyone! Hope you liked this chapter. Wow! You guys got 200+ reads for this book so I am beyond stoked but a little bummed about the whole Tif and Zoe bestie break up. They were such perfect friends. Sooo what you all thinking? What do you think happened between Will and Zoe? Post all your theories in the comments. Anyway, the break up had to be done but don't worry there's still more to come. You guys are the best. Love you all. Don't forget to vote and comment.

xoxoxoxoxooxoxoxxoox

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