friends | jeff atkins

t h i r t y f o u r

🍿 h a n n a h 🍿

Devon hasn't been the same since that incident last weekend. She missed school Monday and when she came back Tuesday it was like she a was completely different person.

Devon was alway loud and full of life, she always found a way to annoy Clay, she got excited over little normal things she wasn't used to because of how she lived in Beverly Hills. When Devon came back she was emotionless and quite, she had barely even spoke to anyone, and didn't seem to care about anything anymore. She would be overly excited for soccer practice after school everyday and talk about it all the time, I don't even think she wanted to play anymore if I'll be honest with you.

She was sat at a table all by herself outside at lunch, head down on her phone as if she were waiting for someone to text her.

"She's miserable." I said still looking out the window at Devon as I sat down with Clay and Jeff. "Jeff, do you know anything?"

"She won't talk to me, she ignored me all weekend." He said in a tone as if he were over it.

"Kind of miss her annoying me all the time." Clay making me laugh a little. "Hannah, talk to her if is bothering you so much."

I nod my head and take my food outside to sit with her, she doesn't even move when I sit across from her. Everyone was kind of glancing over at us, and I could visibly see Jessica with her normal crew inside watching.

"Hey Devon." I smiled at her as she looked up, all emotions drained from her. "Can I sit with you?"

"I guess." She shrugged placing her hand in her palm. "Hannah can I ask you something."

"Anything."

"I love it here don't get me wrong I totally misjudged the place, but does it get better?" She asks in a low tone. "High school?"

"High school is bullshit." I say bluntly.

"Tell me about it."

"I just wish there was a button you could push to fast forward through all the shitty parts in life and go straight to the good parts."

"What if it doesn't get any better than this Hannah?" She sighed. "What if everything that made you happy before left you broken."

"You find something new to make you happy, try to fix yourself." I said looking over my shoulder to look back at Clay and Jeff, intensively watching us. "You're going to have to open up to us sometime Devon."

The bell rings and everyone starts to kind of scatter in every other direction, but Devon stayed still. She finally pushed the hair out of her face and behind her ears. She suggest skipping with her the rest of the day, I didn't object because I thought she was going to finally talk about what was going on in her head. She took me back to her house since her mother wasn't home.

"Devon what does your mom do?"

"She's an obstetrician." Devon nods like I knew what that meant.

"What is that exactly." I laughed.

"It's just a fancy word for, you know, gynecologist." She says almost as if she were embarrassed in her mom's profession. "She gets paid a lot for what she does but I never really talk about it, vagina jokes don't appease me."

"Is this where you start to open up to me?" I laughed taking a seat on the leather sofa, a little light brown puff of fur jumping into my lap instantly.

"Rizzo, down!" She screams at the dog as if it were the worst thing possible. "You know you're not allowed to jump on people, down!"

"Let her stay." I said pushing her fur down.

"Okay." She says still pacing around her living room. "Where do you want me to start?"

The next hour was filled with the story of how Devon ended up here broken and emotionally drained. The part about her mom and the baby killed me, you don't even understand how upset it made me when she said she had to lie to their relatives since there was nothing that could be done for Devon's mother after the rape and she didn't want it to become a bigger problem.

When Devon moved on to the part of the story about her boyfriend and that Stacy girl I started to fully understand how Devon was feeling now that Makenna was hanging out with this girl. Devon had every right to be mad, Stacy ruined all the good she had left in Devon's life and was continuing one that path with becoming Makenna's friend.

I was the only person besides Makenna that seemed to know exactly what was going on for her right now. She made me swear in her life that I wouldn't tell anyone, Jeff especially.

"Hannah, I like Jeff. I really do, he's a sweetheart." She sighed grabbing my hand. "But I'm not over Clinton, we went through a lot together."

"I understand." I smiled to her, gripping her hand. "I won't tell anyone, I promise."

"I just want to be over Clinton, I want Makenna back." She sobbed into a white pillow now covered in black eyeliner.

"Makenna loves you, just give her time to process this all." I said pushing Rizzo away to slide over to hug Devon. "Everything is going to be okay. And remember that thing I told you about fixing people?"

"Yeah."

"Sometimes what's going on in their lives is bigger than themselves, you can't always do it alone."

"What do you mean?" She said sniffling and whipping away a tear.

"We'll always help you, we love you Devon and we hate to see you this way."

The door begins to unlock and the both of us stand up to greet her mother who was happily screeching as she came in the door holding up a manilla folder. She had the tiniest of bumps on her stomach that showed once she removed her trench coat, which was odd because it was actually really nice outside.

"Devon!" She says speeding over to her daughter. "This is the gender of the baby."

"Oh my god." She says covering her mouth. "Don't tell me! I thought this was going to be like a surprise for the baby shower."

"It is." She smiled. "But don't you just want to take a peak?"

"Mom no, I don't even trust myself not to look."

"I'll take it." I said raising my hand, not alerting Ms. Smith I was here.

"Hi, I'm sorry I don't think we've met." She says sticking out her free hand. "I'm Ms. Smith, call me Kristen."

"Kristen? Since when are you letting my friends call you by yore first name?" Devon seemed confused.

"I'm Hannah." I shake her hand awkwardly, "I'll gladly keep that for you and help plan the baby shower."

Ms. Smith and Devon exchange a look as if they were shocked. I'll admit I didn't want to plan a baby shower, but for one thing I felt terrible about their situation it was the least I could do. And another thing was if I had Devon's help we could do it together, as a team, and maybe she would start to cheer up.

"I'll have to think-"

"Please mom, we can do it together we promise it'll be the best baby shower ever." Devon pleads after cutting her mother off, hands laced together like she was praying.

"Fine, but it better be good."