Rules To Live By

Chapter 7

Picture of Sarah's wedding dress on the right!

Chapter Seven

                School was starting in a couple weeks. At first I was extremely excited to be starting my last year of high school, but now all I could think about was getting my best friend to talk to me again. I still hadn’t gone to talk to Delaney yet, though that was my plan right now.

                “Ready to go?” Paul asked me. Will gave an encouraging squeeze around my shoulders. Paul was just supposed to drive me to Delaney’s and be there as kind of a mediator if there was a need for one. I thought that idea was stupid because I definitely didn’t want to fight with Delaney. Apparently Paul mentioned this to Will, so he decided to come along too. Honestly, I didn’t want either of them to be there in case Delaney thought I brought them as back up or something. But this was how it was, so I was going to make the best of the situation.

                We arrived at her house all too soon. I was the first to walk up to the door, followed by Will with his hand on the small of my back, and then Paul. I knocked on the door, waiting for someone to answer. One of her parents was home with Delaney because there were two cars in the driveway, one of which was hers.

                “I’ll get it!” I heard Delaney shout out behind the door. She opened it and immediately her cheerful expression disappeared. “What are you doing here?” she asked us, though she was looking directly at me.

                “I came here to apologize.”

                “Leah,” she started. She sounded like she was going to refuse to listen to me.

                “Look, I came here to apologize and get my best friend back, so you’re going to hear me out,” I demanded, keeping my hand on the front door so she couldn’t close it. I could practically feel Will and Paul looking at me with shocked expressions, just like Delaney was. I was rarely this harsh or demanding, but I certainly didn’t hold back when I needed to.

                 “Fine, let’s go out back,” she said. She stepped out of her house and starting walking along the path to her back patio, while the three of us followed behind.

“We’ll be over here,” Paul said, sitting down with Will at a table on the patio.

Delaney and I walked to the benches around the fire pit in her huge backyard. If I wasn’t so focused on this upcoming conversation, I probably would’ve smiled at the memories we’ve all had around this fire put.

                “First, how are you doing?” I asked sincerely, breaking the silence between us.

                Delaney gave me a weird look, like I was crazy. “Are you seriously asking me that?”

                My eyebrows scrunched together in confusion. “Well, yeah, why wouldn’t I ask that? You’re my best friend and I care about you.”

                She shook her head and let out a short laugh. “Sometimes you’re too nice for your own good, Leah.”

                “What do you mean?” I asked, more confused than ever.

                She sighed and shifted on the bench before looking at me. “I mean that I was acting so childish and stupid for ignoring you and here you are, asking how I’m doing. Like you don’t even care whether or not I’m mad at you. You just want to make sure I’m doing alright anyway.”