The Deal [(SLOW) EDITING]

CHAPTER EIGHT

EDITED 20/03/2019

•••

I wake up with the urge to text Jack. I don't let myself do that. We had a fight yesterday because I didn't answer any of his calls because as a college student I was in class and studying and didn't have to time to talk to him, or anyone else. He didn't understand. He never understands. I push my phone aside and get ready for the day.

I wear my gym clothes, grab my gym bag and leave my dorm. I leave my phone behind. I move out of the door and out of the building running. It was suffocating in there and I just realised it. I run my way to the gym. It's surprising how every thought I had in my mind was gone. My brain is empty. All I am thinking about is <run as fast as you can>

I arrive at the gym and I am already breathless. People stare at me but I don't care. I give my membership card to the lady behind the front desk. She smiles at me, runs the card through a machine checking it's authenticity and gives it back to me. I take it smiling at her. I walk away. I find Josh at the back of the gym. He is training someone else.

"5 4 3 2 1, we're done. Good job." The young boy on the floor releases a huge breath before standing up. He makes a handshake with Josh and says goodbye. Josh turns his attention to my small figure. His hazel eyes light up. Josh is a quite big man as the majority of personal trainers. He is around thirty years old if I'm not mistaken; has a wife and a daughter. He has been training me since I started going to uni. I stopped going a few weeks after Jack and I started dating. That told me nothing at that moment, but it does now.

"Hi." I greet him walking closer to him. I feel my cheeks heat up. He laughs.

"Little M! Long time no see!" He exclaims moving his hand forward so we can handshake. "Are you back at it?"

"I want to."

"What are you waiting for then? Lay down and do crunches for 40 seconds. One two three."

•••

"I went to the gym today. First time in like 8 years." I laugh sitting up straighter on my bed. My hair is wet and my body is trapped behind my lilac pyjamas. They have stars on them. Nancy is sitting on the opposite edge of the bed with her freshly dyed red wet hair falling on her shoulders. She applauds.

"Congratulations babe! How did it feel?" She asks before checking her phone. When she brings her attention back to me I reply.

"It was exhausting; I almost passed out and puked but I survived." I let out trying to contain my laughter. Nancy couldn't. She bursts into laughter and my mouth gaps open at how loud she is laughing. "Dude, chill!" I tap her legs laughing awkwardly.

"I was thinking about Emily the other day." The atmosphere takes a weird change. The air tenses and so do we. I look down at my feet. There are no tears, but nostalgia will always be there. I form my lips into a small smile.

"I miss her." I say.

"I miss her too."

"Remember when we used to go to Miami every now and then for small retreats?" I remind my best friend and she begins to laugh.

"And these small vacations took like two weeks." Nancy points out as images of the three of us come swirling in my mind. Emily with her white bikini is laying just next to me on the hot sand. She is laughing. We are all laughing. We are happy. We are genuinely happy.

"And we used to like gain a hundred pounds every time!" We burst into laughter. Tears come to my eyes due to the unstoppable laughter. We stop and just smile at the distance just daydreaming about all the memories we could make. All three of us.

"I loved her, you know." Nancy speaks looking straight into my eyes. I nod.

"We all loved her. We still do!" I exclaim avoiding eye contact.

"No." Nancy speaks again. She grabs my hands and holds them. I look into her eyes. She is almost on the verge of tears. "I loved her." It takes a few moments for the words to really be stuck in my head. "Like, loved loved her." She repeats. I pull my hands away from hers. This can't be. How can this be?

"Since when?" I don't know how to react. I am shocked.

"Since the first time I saw her." Nancy tries her best to not cry. I notice that and take a glimpse of her face before standing up taking a few steps around my room.

"Emily was my sister."

"I know and I felt horrible but there was nothing really to do." Nancy's voice begins to tremble. I shake my head.

"Were you two a thing?" The words come out of my mouth before even processing how they are going to sound. She looks on the ground.

"Yeah."

"So my best friend was having a relationship with my sister behind my back?" I didn't mean my words to sound like a question but they did. Nancy stands up too.

"Are you mad?"

"No! I am confused."

Memories of Nancy and Emily come into my mind. Pictures of them smiling at each other and laughing. All the compliments they have said to each other return in my memory. How could I be so blind?

"Mel." I don't say anything. Instead I walk a few steps and hug my best friend. I hug her so tight I almost feel like she is going to choke. She hugs me back. Hard. And that's the moment she starts crying. I cry too.

My best friend is gay.

•••

First time ever I introduced a gay character in my stories!

In the previous version of the deal Nancy was straight but hey, new version who dis?

Anyway, sorry for the HUGE delay!

Hope you like it!

Comment, vote ❤️

Also comment any recommendations or advice????

Love you all

Stay safe

-m