Solitude

Chapter 11(A Friend and Thoughts)

CHAPTER ELEVEN

            The first thing Alex saw was a hand on her left shoulder that is connected to a girl sitting on the same couch that she’s currently in. The next thing she noticed was that the girl seems familiar to her, as if she knew her from somewhere and before she could even move she was already enveloped into a bone crushing hug with the girl squealing on her ears sounding like a banshee.

            “Oh my God, Lexia! Lexia! Oh my, you’re really here! I thought Carter’s just making fun of me when he said that you’re here, but look, here you are! I’m so, so happy to see you!” as the girl was ranting, Alex could only stare. She searched her brain for a clue on who this girl is hugging her and screaming on her ears.

            She studied the sharp edge of her face, the pointed nose, the curved cheeks, the pouty lips, and those sharp, jade green eyes – hold on, sharp, jade green eyes? She stopped at that thought, there’s only one person in her life that possesses that kind of eyes. “Betty? Mary Elizabeth Sullivan? Is that really you? What happened to your hair?”

            Betty twirled her hair in her fingers and smiled at her wistfully, “I kind of like it. Why? Doesn’t it suit me? Do I look bad?”

            Alex sat up on the couch, trying to make herself comfortable. “It’s actually okay. It’s just that, I’m used to our light brown hair, why suddenly changed it to red?”

            “I’ve got an obsession with everything red lately. Don’t ask me why ‘cause even I don’t know. Oh, you should see my room, I’m pretty sure you’ll scream bloody murder once you’ve seen it.”

            Alex frowned upon hearing what Betty just said, she loved Betty’s room ever since, it always make her feel comforted because everything is blue and white. Sometimes, she imagined herself to be up in the sky, lying down on clouds especially since Betty’s bed is the softest bed she ever encountered.

            “Why? What happened to your room?” she asked her friend looking at her curiously.

            Discomfort could be easily seen on Betty’s face after hearing Alex’s question, “You see Alex, I told you I became obsessed with the color red lately and I don’t really know why and so . . .” she trailed off with that faraway and appalled look on her face, obviously thinking of something unpleasant.

            A thought popped up on Alex’s mind and she paled immediately, she thinks she knows what Betty had done to her room. Just by the thought of it make her grimace and an uncontrolled groan escaped her lips.

            “Please, please don’t tell me that you painted the whole thing red, or you changed everything into red or you . . . you didn’t do both, right? Oh my, Betty it’s not what I think, right? Please tell me I’m right.” Alex stared at her friend who is squirming at her seat with a guilty expression on her face. With just Betty’s expression she could tell what she did, it confirmed her theory and with that thought she let out another groan, louder this time.

            Her groan pulled Betty away from her thoughts and looking at Alex she knew that she already figured out what she did. She bit her lips – a behavior she did everytime she felt guilty – and racked her brain for a suitable explanation to make her friend understand that she didn’t really mean to. It’s just that everytime she obsessed with something, the world suddenly disappeared.