Because of You

Chapter 6!

The next morning I put my hair in an easy messy side braid and slipped on the same black jeans I was wearing last night, and a grey long sleeved fuzzy sweater. It was colder outside today, of course, which means I’m going to be inside most of the day cooped up with my sister. Score!

    After drinking my usual morning coffee and having small talk with my mother, I walked out the door. I didn’t text Zoe asking if she’d like to meet up at the café, she was probably hung over from last night. I wonder how she never gets caught, maybe it’s the fact that her mother is always traveling on Cruise ships from every single husband. I feel bad for Zoe, well not sorrow bad, or I’m-going-to-hang-out-with-you-only-because-I-feel-sorry-for-you bad, but… I felt bad. Zoe’s always on her own, so much that the bills were actually mailed to wherever Zoe’s mom was staying for that month. But Zoe didn’t mind, I hope. She never said anything; she just acts out hoping that the alcohol will make her forget. But then you wake up and the pain is even worse. One because you’re hung over, and two, you wake up and for that one second… you forget.

    I kicked a rock on the pavement and it skipped away, rolling into the dirt beside me. I looked up and realized I was almost at school, I could see it from the block I was at. This meant, I will have to face everyone. I need to apologize to Ethan, even though that’s boarder line embarrassing, I need to ask Zoe if she’s okay and try to comfort her even though my voice will make her nauseous, and I will have to face that… guy I saw at the party, if he ever shows his face again.

    I opened the school door and immediately started walking to my locker, up the flights of stairs and to the right. I spotted Zoe; she was against the locker receiving gentle kisses from Bishop on the neck. When she spotted me she slowly pushed him away. “Oh, uh, hey Rosalie.” Bishop greeted and I knew he was not excited to see me. I ruined his moment with my best friend in school… in public.

    “Hey,” I responded. Zoe smiled and pulled the Ray Bans she was wearing off the bridge of her nose. She had dark under eye circles and her eyes were bloodshot. Something besides a hangover was wrong. Lemme guess….

     “Bishop, babe, can you give us a second? I’ll see you in class.” She asked Bishop, putting her sunglasses back on. He nodded and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek before leaving.

   “Zoe, what happened?” I asked taking a step towards her; she sighed and pulled a piece of hair out from her face.

    “I screwed up, Rosie.” Before I could speak she interrupted, I sighed as she did. “-well you know when I told you I just helped Austin in the bathroom?”

    “Zoe,” I said as I knew what she was going to say.

    “It’s not what you think, well it is, but isn’t. I kissed him, well I mean he kissed me but I didn’t stop him. He pushed me against the door and-“

    “Can we skip the details, please?” I begged, I wasn’t really interested in a sex story.

    “Nothing happened, Rosie. I just kissed him, again, and again. And then he stopped suddenly and left like nothing happened. It was like the… pain all over again.” I could see tears running from her cheeks, her sunglasses were blocking her tear swollen eyes and I was thankful, I hate it when Zoe cries. It’s too sad. “But Rosie, what about Bishop, I really care about him? I screwed up and-“

    “Zoe, it’s okay, everyone screws up once in a while.”

    “But… Bishop. I don’t deserve him.”

    “No, he doesn’t deserve you.” Zoe looked up from the floor, “he’s too blind to see nothing going on between the two of you. You’re right he does deserve better but so do you, Zo. You need to tell him. He deserves that much.” Zoe nodded and wiped her nose.