Man Overboard

4. Be Strong When Things Fall Apart

My hand hovered above the apartment door in a knocking position. I was still hesitant about this newly formed friendship with Tom. It just seemed too good to be true in a way. He was so nice to me, a person he barely knew. During this past week, he had called me every day just to check up on how I was doing, leaving me a voicemail whenever I couldn't come to the phone.

He had been so persistent that I come over today to his band's practice. But now I wondered if I should even be here. I didn't want him to feel like he had to do this, to befriend me. Part of me wanted to cut all ties with the boy who had saved my life and forget about him, and stand at the edge of the cliff for one last time. But another part of me wanted to keep going for just a bit longer, for reasons I couldn't entirely explain. There was just something that made me want to trust in Tom and give him a chance to show me that I would be fine. It was that part of me that believed him last Monday when he said he cared about me. And it was that part of me that won my current inner argument, and I knocked on the door.

I heard a few shouts and giggling coming from inside the apartment before the door opened. Mark grinned at me with a lit cigarette hanging between his lips.

"Willow!" he greeted, my name sounding slightly off as he talked with the object in his mouth. "Come in!" Mark stepped aside to let me in.

"Thanks," I said as I walked into the house. Mark closed the door behind me and we stood in the small entryway of the apartment.

"Tom's in the shower," Mark informed. "But once he's out we'll head over to Scott's."

"Oh," I replied, surprised. Tom had conveniently left out the part where the practice was actually at Scott's house when he had invited me, probably because he knew I would've declined if I had known.

"Yeah," Mark took a drag from his cigarette. "He's always running late. So, do you want a cigarette while we wait?" Mark raised an eyebrow at me as he took out a pack of cigarettes from his shorts' pocket.

Before I could reply, a feminine voice that I was pretty sure wasn't Tom, whined, "You never offer me cigarettes." I looked around the apartment for the source of the sound. A blonde head popped up from the couch. The girl must have been lying down earlier, which would explain why I hadn't seen her when I walked in.

Mark rolled his eyes at me. He looked over to the girl. "That's because Mom would kill me." He turned back to me. "That's my annoying little sister, Anne," he explained as he pocketed the box of cigarettes.

"That annoying little sister," Anne huffed, walking over to me and Mark, "is the reason blink exists." She jabbed Mark with her elbow, causing him to scowl and rub his arm. Anne then turned her attention to me and stuck out her hand. "You must be Willow."

I nodded and shook her hand. "Nice to meet you," I said politely.

"You go to Rancho Bernardo, right?" Anne asked. I froze. She must know me from school. This apartment was the one safe place in my life. No one here knew about the rumors about me, but now that was going to change.

"Uh, yeah," I managed to answer.

"Me too," Anne smiled. "I think I've seen you around before."

"Yeah, maybe," I agreed, though I had no recognition of her. I smiled tentatively when she didn't bring up the rumors or my reputation. Maybe Anne didn't know. Rancho Bernardo was a pretty big school after all. "You're a senior?" I asked.

"Yep. You are too right?" I nodded.

"Oh look at that, new friends," Mark smirked, taking a drag from his cigarette. I wanted to laugh at his declaration. If only making friends were that easy, then I wouldn't have had to go through high school all alone. But Anne just smiled at me, like she was thinking the same thing as Mark.