Loving Leighton ✔

06

LEIGHTON WAS LOOKING AT HER LAST PICTURE WITH ARABELLA. She remembered when they took it. They had been to a fair the day before it happened. They were so happy, so carefree. It was a good memory, but what happened the day after that will always haunt her.

Arabella had to go back to her psychiatrist today, as her mom and brother had told her to. After practically losing her scholarship for a rumor that she was pregnant, she thought that things couldn't get any worse, but they did.

She was weak, and her family knew this. And so her mother and brother sent her to a psychiatrist named Dr. Brown. He wasn't bad at all, but he was always so quiet. He always just wrote on the pink paper attached to his clipboard.

Arabella didn't want that. She wanted someone who shared the same pain as her. She wanted someone who could relate to her, but not even her mother or brother could relate to her. After an hour of talking to Dr. Brown, she came out of the room. Leighton was waiting for her outside with a bag of warm pretzels and a cold cup of fruit tea. Arabella felt relieved to see Leighton.

Although she was sad, she managed to smile at her best friend. "So do you wanna see a movie tonight? In my place, I guess." asked Leighton. Arabella wanted to say no. She really did, but that's her best friend for God's sake, and she didn't want to sadden her best friend. "Sure." she replied tightly. And so they headed to Leighton's apartment.

~

"That movie was so cute." said Leighton. "I know." said Arabella in reply. Silence took over them, and the former knew that something was wrong. "Bell, is everything alright?" she asked. Arabella laughed quite merrily, as it seemed for Leighton, and nodded. "Of course, Leigh."

Leighton wordlessly nodded and decided not to push it anyways. "I should go home, Leigh. Mom must be looking for me." she had said. "As you wish, Bell." Leighton said.

She walked Arabella out the door without knowing what Arabella had planned to do that night instead of going home. "Take care." she called out. She should have known when Arabella didn't say that she will.

~

"Hello, Leighton?" said the voice that Leightonfigured belonged to Diane, Arabella's mother. "Hello, Diane." Leighton replied, a bit surprised that Diane called. "Is everything okay?" she asked. There was silence over the line. The more there was silence the more Leighton became nervous.

The silence was deafening.

"Diane?" she tried again gently. "I'-it's Arabella." Diane broke down into sobs and hysterics. At some point Leighton got the location of the hospital that Arabella was confined in. She got there in no time- anything for her best and only friend. "Diane?" she croaked out, seeing the lady sobbing in her hands. Parker, her other child, which meant Arabella's brother was right beside her with shiny eyes.

"Oh, Leighton, sweetheart." Diane rushed to engulf Leighton in a sloppy, but tight hug. Diane continued sobbing into Leighton's shoulder, and since Diane was practically family she didn't mind her shirt getting stained. What bothered her was that she didn't know why Diane looks so shaken up. The latter kept whispering "my sweet Bell" while sobbing, yet Leighton didn't know why.

After a few minutes, Diane pulled away and wiped her tears sloppily-something Diane would never do. Diane was always so sophisticated, so elegant, so classy. But this time around, Diane had no effort to maintain her classy image. "What happened?" Leighton said, her voice shaking. "It's Bell." said Diane in a low whisper. Leighton waited for Diane to elaborate further, but she didn't.