Friends Forever, huh?

Chapter 8 | aspiring cat lady

"Make friends this year!" My mother tells me, "You don't want your fellow graduates to be strangers!" I refrain from shrugging and telling her plainly that I have no friends because I don't care to have any.  Before that sounds bad--I am incredibly antisocial. I simply have a low tolerance for shallow relationships. It's a character flaw, perhaps, I just find it hard to have relationships that are no deeper than a kiddy pool.

"I'll try to make friends this year," I offer what is hopefully a convincing smile. She looks pleased.

So, against my better judgement, I am attempting to be social this year. If you ask me, it seems pointless to become friends with people I'll move away from in a year.

❝As it turns out,❞ I text my mother after a failed attempt at socializing, ❝I am completely antisocial. You might as well start buying me cats.❞

❝Those poor cats.❞

My eyes widen as I look at the contact name assigned to the text. I did not just text Cole Brighton and tell him to buy cats for me. I can never show my face again. Never.

❝uh..wrong number, sorry.❞

❝Come on sunshine! Does that mean I have to return the cat now?❞

I can't help my laughter even as I remember that I'm supposed to angry with him. More importantly--I'm supposed to be avoiding him. For my own safety. My mind, deciding to be particularly unhelpful, reminds me of all the sweet things he's done over the years.

Shut up, I tell myself.

Besides, why does his text sound relatively friendly? He hates me, clearly. Why did he even bother to respond to my text?

Probably just to take another jab at me and my lack of friends. Yes, that must be the reason.

My mother and I were supposed to spend the day together. We'd been planning it for months: we would rent our favorite movie (Julia Robert's Runaway Bride), order Chinese Takeout and spend the day in our pajamas. But then she'd received emergency summons from work and had to leave. Just like that our carefully planned mother daughter afternoon was ruined.

Feeling rather sorry for myself due to my lack of friends and failed afternoon with my mother, I curl up on my bed and fall asleep. I'm having a lovely dream about Ryan Gosling when the doorbell rings, summoning me downstairs and away from my comfortable bed. I groan, ready to yell at whoever it is that disturbed my slumber, but when I open the door there's no one there. I'm about to chalk it up to annoying neighbors playing ding dong ditch but then I notice the stuffed cat lying at the bottom of the steps.

There's a note attached to one of its paws:

I thought I'd help you get your collection started. -your most detested Romeo and Juliet partner

"Why can't you just let me be angry at you?" I scowl, wondering why he sends so many mixed signals. One moment, I'm positive he despises me and then next thing I know, he treats me like his friend.

❝I hope you know you're as temperamental as a girl on her period. You know that, right?❞

I hear a snort from down the street and see the culprit sitting in his car a few feet away. Shortly after, I hear a shout of, "I'm what, sunshine?"

I roll my eyes, beckoning for him to get out of his car and come over to me. He gives a noncommittal shake of his head. Stubborn pain in my butt.

I sigh, venturing out into the middle of my yard and crossing my arms. He can come closer. "You're stubborn," he shouts from the window. I shrug.

Eventually he swallows his stubbornness and walks up to meet me. What a relief. That would have been embarrassing if I had to walk down to him. I've been embarrassed enough today.

"So I'm temperamental how, sunshine?"

I scratch the back of my neck, my face growing tomato red as it does in any semi-awkward situation. "That's not important," I wave my hand with an air of impatience, "but honestly, Cole what are we?"

"Humans."

I give him an annoyed look, ignoring his sarcasm, "I mean are we friends or do you hate me?"

Cole looks mildly uncomfortable now, biting his lower lip and avoiding my eyes, "You were right, we should just get through this project..."

Oh no. Oh no, buddy, you aren't getting off so easy. This is not a text. You don't get to be the living embodiment of a read notification with no response.

Before he can walk away, I grab his arm, forcing him to stay where he is. "I want a real answer, Cole. You insult me and then show up at my house with a stuffed cat. How am I supposed to interpret that?"

His eyes drift back down to look at the ground, "I don't hate you," his voice is quiet, barely audible, "but I can't be your friend."

"Why?"

I suddenly become aware of the lack of distance between us. He's so close that I can see the blonde roots peeking through his black hair as he glances away.

"Because..." Cole's sentence trails off as his eyes focus on mine, vulnerable. He's leaning close enough that his lips could brush mine if he spoke...

Then he turns away, shaking his head as he practically sprints to his car, not bothering to look back. Without giving me a second glance, he drives away, leaving me to ponder his words.

"I can't be your friend." His eyes had locked on mine with genuine sadness peeking through his façade. He hides his sorrow with sarcasm...but what sorrows is he hiding. What's happened to cause him to dye his hair and practically undergo a personality change?

He doesn't respond to any of my texts for the rest of the night. I'm left staring at my stuffed cat (I named him Romeo) and wishing for answers about my old friend.

***

Yeeeah! Two chapters in one day! I figured I would write double to make up for not posting yesterday :)

Anyhow, here's a glance into Cole's perspective toward Ashley. He's not simply a jerk, huh? Why do you think he doesn't want to be friends with Ashley? Any theories?

-J