Look After Me

Chapter 4: Secrets Make Friends

I woke up the next morning to a sore throat and a headache bigger than my home state. I felt feverish and my limbs protested as I sat up, pushing the covers off reluctantly. I was actually shivering. Of all the things I could be doing in the middle of a Texas heat storm, shivering wasn’t on the list.

After ridding myself of my post-shower-with-Garret attire and putting on my favorite pajamas, I headed down stairs for some tea and a thermometer.  

As I reached the bottom of the stairs, a familiar artificial fruit and old cigarette smell hit me like a wall.

“What the hell happened to you?”

Collins, although the last person I had expected to see today, was as beautiful as ever. Her long dark legs were tucked to the side of her as she sat on the living room rug, blonde head disapprovingly tilted at my choice of clothes.  We had been best friends since middle school and not once had I seen her wear anything but dresses, except to bed.

“I think I have the flu.” I scratched my hair, still confused as to why and how she was in my house. “Where’s Garret?”

“I don’t know. He let me in then left. I’ve been sitting here watching your cat lick himself for half an hour." She motioned towards Poundcake, who yawned. "But Hanna Michelle Ridgell, did you just wake up? Do you have any idea what time it is?” She stood, seeming to tower over me in her classy white heals.

“Did you miss the part where I said I was sick? And that’s not even my middle name.”

“Oh whatever.” She said smartly, giving me a devilish smile “We’re beaching today, babe. Go get ready.”

I groaned “You may be going to the beach, but I am staying home.”

“You’re so boring when you’re sick. Suck it up, bitch.” She raised an eyebrow at me

I rolled my eyes “I hate you right now.”

She squealed, taking that as an acceptance to her beach proposal, and grabbed my hand, yanking me back upstairs to my room.

“Take a shower for Christ’s sake, you smell like a sick person.” She clicked to the windows on her perfect heals and threw them open, waving her hand as to remove the “sick person” smell.

“I took one several hours ago, you jerk.” I wasn’t about to tell her who with.

“Well wear your pink suit.” Her voice got serious and I knew what was coming “How ya doin’, Hann?”

“Never better.” I said flatly. I grabbed the pink ruffled bikini from its hanger and began undressing. I saw her strut quietly into the closet behind me.

“You’re the biggest liar. You’re losing weight.”

She was right. Although I had been eating a minimum of three times a day, my emotions were literally eating me alive. Tears welled up in my eyes and I tried to blink them back as I struggled to tie my swimsuit behind my back.

She twisted her lips to the side, biting the inside of her cheek like she always did when she was craving nicotine. “I’m not going to say I’m sorry… I bet you’ve heard that enough.” She took the strings out of my hands “Give me that, loser. What were you, born yesterday?”

I could always count on her to make me laugh.

The sand was sweltering and I had forgotten flip flops. Collins pulled her car down close to the water and set out a blanket for the both of us, motioning for me to join her. I sprinted to her, feet on fire.

“Fresh air will do you good, babe.” She spread out her arms and closed her eyes, spinning in a circle. I looked around at all the tourists, and realized we had parked right in the midst of a few dozen men, all of who had their eyes glued to us. She turned to me, winking “Wanna get me sick?”

Collins and I were always a little different than most girls. We shared more than I think any best friends ever did, and as we got older, she publicized different aspects of our relationship when she wanted attention. The beach became a normal place to tease boys our age, and since we didn’t know them, I always went along with it, because it oddly enough gave me and ego boost.

She smiled and grabbed my hand, pulling me to her, without her heals, we were eye to eye. I put my hands on her bare hips and she pressed her lips to mine, hungrily. I knew it was all for the attention, but sometimes, she could fool even me. Her lips parted and her tongue explored my mouth, her manicured hand gently pressing into my back. My brain fought with giving into her or listening to the excited chatter around us. After a few long seconds, a cat call broke us apart, and she feigned embarrassment at the attention we were receiving.

“You have to hold my hand now, or it won’t seem real.”  She was puffing her chest out and I knew we wouldn’t be leaving here without offers to come back to a few hotel rooms.

She mouthed the words I love you to me, dramatically as we sat down, making sure the surfer boys next to us saw.

I laughed at her, but grabbed her hand, our fingers intertwining. She smiled and looked out to the water, lowering her sunglasses from the top of her head.

“I hope that won’t piss Garret off to bad.” She wasn’t looking at me, her expression unchanging.

“What?”

“He called me a few nights ago. I know all about what happened. He thought you could use a friend.” She glanced at me quickly.

I wondered if this was his way of giving up on me. “Oh.” Was all I could say.

“Hanna, you are just awful. Could you be any more awful? I’ll be staying for a few days. And don’t you worry. I know you don’t want to talk about you know who.” She pulled out a cigarette, blonde curls bobbing. “Babe, you may never want to talk about it, but if you do, I’m here.”

I wasn’t sure if I would ever talk about what it felt like to suddenly be an only child, but I was sure that I would try my hardest to ignore the hopeless feeling in my gut.

“What day is it anyway?” was all I managed to say.

“It’s Thursday.”

We came home late in the afternoon, mainly because Collins had come across a plethora of girly beverages and was a bit buzzed. She was clinging to me as I dragged her inside and set her on the couch.

“Let’s go have fun, baby, please.” Her babes always turned to baby’s when she wanted something.

Garret walked in from the kitchen “Looks like you guys had fun.”

“At least one of us.” I was prying her hands away from my jeans, praying Garret wasn’t processing her touches. “we’re going to get cleaned up.” I lied, pulling Collins to her feet, she followed like a puppy “We’ll be down for dinner” in other words, come upstairs and I’ll have to rip out your eyes.

My skin was tingling with every step closer to my room.

Once safely inside, she pounced, pressing me against the door. Her breath was hot on my neck and I moaned at her soft nibbles.

“For having a boyfriend, you’re pretty open to this.” I felt her smile against my collarbone, she unbuttoned my pants and threw off her dress.

“He’s not my boyfriend.” I said, wishing with everything that maybe, just maybe, I was wrong. 

AN: WHOAH! Curve ball! Hanna has got some secrets that Garret doesn't know about! Do you think she's trying to get back at him for complicating things? Or do you think Hanna really likes Collins? We'll find out in more to come!