Summer [Completed]

Chapter Twenty-Seven

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Trust is Everything
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heal·ing

adjective

1. tending times heal; therapeutic

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Imani POV

I didn't cry today.

By some miracle, I didn't see Ethan's stupid face, and I feel that helped a lot.

I'll never forget the way he spoke to me last night, the way he looked at me, the things he said. He hurt me, and our conversation has been replaying in my mind nonstop.

Kelly is the only reason I kept a small ounce of sanity today. She kept me busy. All day we ran errands, whether it be shopping, getting our nails done, or enjoying milkshakes at Foxy's diner.

She's been so good to me, but I still feel like a fraud. I can't tell her the reason behind my tears, and although she hasn't said anything yet, I know she's curious.

But how do you tell your best friend that you're crying because her brother dumped you?

Easy, you don't.

Still, Kelly deserves a semblance of the truth, and I'll share as much as I can without incriminating myself.

So, as we walk along the shore together, sandals in hand, as our bare feet seep into the mushy sand, I clear my throat, disturbing the comfortable silence that we'd created for ourselves.

"Kelly?" I ask, with a small lilt in my voice.

Her long, brown hair blows into her face as she turns to look at me, brushing it behind her ear. The setting sun casts a glow on her skin, highlighting the faint trail of freckles that dance across her nose and accentuating the sparkle in her chocolate colored eyes.

"Yeah?" She responds, scrunching her nose a bit as a gust of wind blows a few stray strands of hair out of place.

"I told Erenzo about what happened with Will and he freaked on me and now I don't know what to do and I think-"

Kelly stops in her place and holds up her hands. "Wait, wait, wait, back up. Why the hell would you do that? It's not like he walked in on you or anything so it was literally harmless."

If only she knew.

"I know, I know." I trace lines in the sand with my toes."It's just, I didn't want to lie to him you know, and if he found out and I didn't tell him, he'd think I was trying to hide it."

Kelly nods slightly, conceding. "I guess that makes sense, but I still wouldn't have told him."

I dig my toes into the sand as I chew on my bottom lip. My eyes grow moist but I blame it on the breeze. "I-I think we broke up." I mumble.

Kelly raises her eyebrows in surprise. "Woah, what!? Oh my god, Mani I'm so sorry. I know you really liked him."

She pats my shoulder gently as I stare out at the sky. Blue and purple hues swirl among one another as they bleed into the orange horizon. "Don't be. I don't want to be with someone who doesn't trust me."

"I get that." Kelly mumbles quietly. True to her nature, she continues. "But, like are you sure? I thought you were really serious about him."

I take a deep breath as I meet her eyes. "I was, but that doesn't change the fact that he should've trusted me when I said it didn't mean anything. I mean, what do we have if we don't have trust, you know?"