A Little Bit Of Everything (EARLIER CALLED YOUNG, WILD AND FREE)

12. // Secrets//

From "List of Demands" by Saul Williams:

"I wrote a song for you today when I was sitting in my room,
I jumped up on the bed today and played it on the broom.
I didn't think that it would be a song that you would hear,
But when I played it in my head I made you reappear."

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MEGA FLASHBACK-
TWO YEARS BACK.
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'Mom , can I go over to V's place? She has some new shoes that she has to show me. ' My almost fifteen year old self asked my mother.
'Sure honey, just don't be too late back.', she said, and continued cooking pancakes.

I skipped out the door with my basketball in hand and entered the gates of her lawn. I walked up-to the front door, and opened it. Her house was just like mine, but the complete opposite, because we were neighbors.

I climbed up the stairs, and walked towards her room, and entered it.
She was sitting on her bed, listening to music.
'Hey monkey, show me your shoes! '
She jumped off her bed, and ran to her closet. She came out with a big box in her hand. When it was opened, I gasped! Inside, lay the most beautiful pair of basketball shoes you could ever lay your eyes on.

They looked so grand, that I was scared to even touch them, fearing I would dirty them in some way.
I lightly ran my fingers around the base of the shoes, and my eyes glazed over.

'Beautiful', I said in awe.
'You like it? ', she asked me.

'You're kidding me right? They are better than any I've ever, ever seen. You really are lucky! '

'Who said it was for me? '
I looked at her confusedly, she wasn't making any sense at all. 'What do you mean, of course they're for you, you bought them right? ' she gave me a bright smile.
'They're yours, dumbhead. '

I fell off the bed.
'W..what do you mean mine? '
'Happy Birthday Gabriel. Take them as an early birthday gift. ' I just blinked at her, my birthday was next week, and I couldn't wait for the gifts to start pouring in....but this...

I distinctly remember that we had promised each other that we would buy our birthday gifts after saving our pocket money, ourselves. But surely her parents bought this, right? 'How much did you save up for this, V? I asked her, already dreading the answer I would get.

'Forget that, are you taking them or not? This is the last time I'm asking you, I wouldn't mind adding another pair to my collection', she said looking me directly in the eye.
I grabbed the shoes and pounced on her. 'You're the best Valerie, I love you. '
'I know', she said, and hugged me back.

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MEGA FLASHBACK
A FEW MONTHS LATER.
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We were at the mall, looking for some new sports gear, when Valerie went to use the washroom.
I was waiting for her in the food court. There was a huge group of teenagers right in the middle. They were creating a ruckus, but seemed to be having a lot of fun.

There was a guy, who stood out, and caught my eye. Somehow, he looked familiar, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it.
I was joined by Valerie, and she saw my puzzled expression.

'What's up? ' she asked me. 'Nothing much, it's just that that guy over there looks really familiar, but I don't know why. Do you? '

She looked in the direction I pointed out, and when she saw him, her eyes widened, and she had to hold on to the chair to keep her balance.
'It's him', she said, and looked at me with fear in her eyes.

Then I remembered, I understood why he looked so familiar. My face hardened, and a grasped her hand and said, 'Let's get out of here, we don't have to see him', she thankfully agreed, and walked out with me.
She was quiet in the car the whole time.

'Chill, he doesn't even know you're here. He won't do anything. Trust me, I said side-hugging her.
She looked at me with an expression I couldn't quite comprehend . I shrugged it off, thinking that she was just worried, and bothered on seeing him after so long.
But, boy, was I wrong .

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We started meeting lesser and lesser, she always had other things on her mind, and even when I was with her, she would be distracted, as if she was hiding something. Something that she didn't want me to know.

At first, I brushed it off, thinking that it was something at home, but after a while, I started having doubts. She was always on her phone, texting someone, and when I walked towards her, she would hide her phone from me.

Then, one day, when I walked into Starbucks , I saw her sitting with him, the boy from the food court. Coby. She was laughing and holding his hand. I was furious.

I walked up-to them, and stood in front of .

'Valerie, what are you doing? ' I asked her. She looked at me, shocked.'I... I was just... ' she said, and trailed off. 'Seriously Valerie, you're with him, after what he did to you? I can't believe you!' I huffed.

I stormed out of Starbucks, and started walking towards home. The memories of the past year came back to me.

Valerie liked Coby a lot, she met him at the library, and became great friends, then started dating.
I took a liking towards Coby too, and was okay with Valerie and him being together. He made her happy.
Things went well, until he broke her heart, and disappeared. He just... Left. Without telling her, or anyone where he was going. He left her hanging.

Only I know, how much time it took Valerie to recover, how many nights she stayed up, unable to sleep, because she thought there was something wrong with her.
There were innumerable movie nights, and sleepovers, not to mention the amount of ice cream tubs we finished everyday.

That's why, seeing her with him now, makes me scared. I don't want her to face all those things all over again.

That night, she came home. 'I'm really sorry Gab, but he came to me a few days back, and apologized. He really meant it. He's changed. You have to believe me.'

'How? How can I believe you, when the one person that made you happy, made you 10 times sadder. He broke you. You took two months to get back to normal, after that. I felt like I had lost my best friend. After all that, you tell me to believe you. V, how can you believe him yourself? He comes here, casts a spell on you, leaves you, comes back, casts a spell again. Do you know how stupid you're being. Don't do this. '

Her eyes went from pleading to fierce. She yelled out, 'Why can't you be happy for me just this once. Can't you see that I like him, a lot, actually, and that he likes me back? I thought you were looking out for me, but now I think all you want is him. Do you like him? Are you jealous of me? Because I have everything you don't? Because I'm happy, and you're not? Tell me!

'Are you even listening to yourself? Have you gone crazy? I've known you practically forever, and you've known him for two years, and yet, you take his side. God! Do you know how shallow you're being, as if I would like that two-faced idiot. Keep him to yourself. '

'Fine, then I'm done! ', Valerie said, and walked out of my house. That was the last time she was here. It was the last time we were ever even slightly close, let alone being best friends.

I had no idea how I was going to tell Sarah and Tiana all this , without them blowing my head off.
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AN
Hello lovelies!
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