Best Friends Fall Away

The Meeting

'Wow Mummy. Isn't this amazing?' said Gemma as she heaved herself out of the Drump's rusted red Ford KA. 'This place is so posh!' Gemma waved her small brick-like Samsung smartphone in her mother's face. 'If Alice has a phone, can I get her number?'

'Ssh Gemma, not so loud. Goodness. Try and be quiet about Alice for once.' Everyone around them in this well-to-do country pub seemed to be dressed in smart country designer labels. Gemma suddenly felt very self-conscious. What if she wasn't good enough to please Alice? What if Alice thought her ugly?

Then Gemma's mum gave a little shout of greeting and raced over to two people sitting on a garden table for 6. Gemma's heart sank. It was only Alice's mum and dad. After awkward hugs and greetings, Gemma blurted out; 'Where's Alice?!' 

'She's gone to get a drink, um, Gemma' replied Karen Svensen. Karen's light blue eyes were worriedly taking in Gemma's changed appearance. It felt like everyone was.

While the 4 adults talked, Gemma desperately watched the restaurant door like a dog,  waiting desperately for Alice to come through.

Then Alice stepped out. Gemma felt a jolt push through her, leapt up and jogged as fast as she could manage, rushing towards Alice for a hug. However, Alice stepped back, saving the glass of water, and forced a tight awkward smile onto her face, nervously. Gemma tried to smile back, feeling like an utter idiot, wheezing from the exercise.

Hurriedly, Gemma tried to position the two bracelets of grass and silver on her wrist so that Alice might see them and remember. Remember all the lovely times they had. The grass had rotted away over the years, but Gemma had lovingly and painstakingly replaced it with new grass and green wool, superglued to the dry dead stuff, to preserve the memories. It was one of her most prized possessions and very delicate. If you didn't know what exactly it was, it looked to most observers to be rather disgusting.