Mermaid

The Date

"I can go with you if you want to talk to someone, Hope.", Josie suggested, but Hope refused, swallowing hard at the implication. She had dreaded that Josie would bring up her "situation", and she looked over her shoulder in a paranoid fashion to make sure no one else in the classroom had heard them. She couldn't risk anyone at Salvatore finding out; She wasn't ready for what that would entail. "There's nothing to talk about, okay? I still have time to decide. I just want to have some kind of plan before anyone else knows." Josie, of course, knew that Hope was just avoiding the reality of her situation. She was procrastinating, dealing with her situation like Josie would with her chemistry homework. She wanted to urge Hope to talk to someone- anyone with the power to help her in the ways that Josie was not equipped to- but she knew Hope too well; Pushing her to do anything only ended badly. So, she let the idea go- at least, for the moment. "If you change your mind, you know where to find me." Hope nodded her head, but Josie could tell that either she hadn't heard a word that she said, or she was simply blocking it out. Josie knew Hope had checked out of the conversation the moment it started. She sighed heavily, keeping one eye on the teacher at the front of the room while she sneakily read her incoming texts.

Penny- 1:34 pm- We're still on for tonight, right?
Josie- 1:36 pm- Of course we are :) I'm looking forward to it <3
Josie- 1:38 pm- Are you going to tell me yet where we're going?
Penny- 1:44 pm- Of course not; It's a surprise ;)
Josie- 1:47 pm- Haven't we had enough surprises, Pen? Come on, I'm dying to know.
Penny- 1:52 pm- This is a good surprise, so I'm okay with keeping it secret for a little while longer
Penny- 1:53pm- Patience, baby. Only 5 more hours and then I'm yours
Josie- 2:01pm- Meanie.
Penny- 2:02 pm- I love you, Jojo :)
Josie- 2:03 pm- Yeah, yeah. I love you too, Pen <3

"She's still not telling you where she's taking you?", Hope asked, and Josie shook her head, leaning her head on her hand. "It's driving me crazy. We haven't had any time together in a week. Her parents and her sister were home at the same time for once. So she was, in her own words, 'Stuck with the Brady bunch.'" Josie glanced up at the teacher to make sure she was still distracted. "She sounded so tired on the phone, too. She doesn't have the best relationship with them; I think they wear her out." "I get that; Hannah's been driving me insane. She's been so clingy." Hope rolled her eyes at her sister's expense. "She's going through this phase where she always wants to be around me, do the things that I do- it's suffocating." "At least your sister talks to you.", Josie mumbled. "Lizzie's been like a ghost ever since I told her that Penelope and I are working things out. Her door is always closed, she's always on the phone. At first, I thought it was with you, so I didn't think much of it. Now I'm curious; If I didn't know better, I'd say she has a boyfriend." Hope shrugged. "Who knows. You know Lizzie- she'll tell us when she's ready, or she won't say anything at all. All we can do is play the waiting game." 

  "I just wish she'd talk to me, you know? We used to tell each other everything." Hope gave Josie an undefined look, confusing Josie. "What?", she asked, and Hope just shook her head. "Nothing; I just don't get you sometimes." Josie stared at the girl in confusion, urging Hope to continue. "You said Liz was suffocating you, right? Well, this is her backing off, Jo. She's doing her own thing, just like you are." Hope picked up a pen, making tiny doodles on the edge of Josie's paper. "This is what independence feels like, Jo. It's not that she's ignoring you; She's giving you what you asked for." Josie mulled on Hope's words. She hadn't thought of it that way. After almost seventeen years of being attached at the hip with Lizzie, to have independence felt wrong. Josie uncapped her pen, adding stems and leaves to the flowers Hope was drawing. "I just miss the closeness, I guess. It feels like this huge part of me is missing." Hope squeezed Josie's hand in comfort. "Give her some time, Jo.", she assured her. "Remember- Lizzie's still learning how to live her own life, too."