Amelia | ✔

41. Sinking Ship.

"Suzy, we need to talk. "

My heart was pounding. I could hear it thrashing through my chest. So loud I was sure she could hear it just as much.

"Hey, I was just waiting for you to..." Suzy had spoken too soon without looking at me. When she actually turned her head to look at me, her words trailed off, and instead, she opted to ask the question anyone looking at me would ask. "Oh, God. Are you okay?"

"Yeah." The tone of my voice came out so little, almost like I had whispered. "I mean, I don't know." I shook my head. "Look, we need to talk. "

Her brows furrowed for a moment as she took a good look at me. I let her see it. Everything. The worry, the anxiety, and the grimmer of how sorry I felt inside through my eyes. I let her see all of it. I hid nothing.

"Okay, this looks serious. Just give me a second, yeah?" She turned back to her locker and frantically finished whatever it was she was doing before she slammed the locker shut. "Okay, done. What's the matter?"

I looked around us. The weird vibe of students staring at me was still going on in the background, but thank God not as much as when I was outside. I couldn't talk there. Not when I had no way of knowing how she would react to the news.

"Not here. Someplace private."

Maybe it was the desperation on my voice, or the grimmer of tears on my eyes that made her took a step closer and grab both my arms, I don't know. But that's what she did. "Amelia, what's going on? You're scaring me."

I fought the urge to pull my hands away from her arms. Not because I didn't want her to touch me. No. But because I needed it. I would even say desperate to feel her touch, but at the same time, I wasn't sure she would still want to hold me the way she did. Or even look at me the same way she was looking at me after hearing what I had to say.

The possibility of any change from her scared me.

"Let's just talk," I said.

She bobbed her head. "Alright, follow me. I know a quiet place." She turned around and pulled me behind her as she led the way through the mass of students. My heart never stopped pounding. Every step closer to wherever she was taking me for that talk, was a step closer to our fate as friends.

The quiet and private place turned out to be the cafeteria. My eye wandered across the massive place, and I was glad it only had a few staggering students who looked like they were rushing to get out of there anyway.

I swallowed and let out a sigh of restlessness. "Okay, let's go sit down, "I said and led to the way this time to the furthest corner of the cafeteria. Away from any lingering ears that could be listening. I wasn't sure how this talk would go or what it would lead to, and I wasn't taking any chances.

I found the perfect place. As perfect as it could get. Whoever sat at that table must have been a loner. Maybe that was going to be me in a few days who knew? But at that time, it was the best table to serve my purpose.

"Here is fine."

Suzy sat down first. I didn't. The anxiety coursing through my quickening pulse didn't allow for a moment of sitting down. She watched me. I still had no idea how to start, so I just stood there watching her back.

"For God's sake, Amelia. What the hell is going on?" She threw her hand in the air. "Just tell me already. You are making me anxious."

I wanted to tell her everything. I just didn't know how to put it the way she would understand straight away. She was getting restless from the long wait, and I was getting closer and closer to bawling my eyes out.