Someone Willing to Stay

She's Acting Weird

"Are you mad at us or something?" When I walk into school with a dark green turtleneck and black jeans, I am hoping to avoid Riley and Claire for as long as possible. This obviously isn't going as planned.

They stand on either side of me as I open my locker.

"Yeah, why haven't you answered our texts? We thought you like died or something." Claire says absentmindedly.

"I've been busy." 

"Well, how'd you get home? We looked everywhere for you." Riley says.

"Adam picked me up." I don't like lying to them. Or anyone for that matter. But I don't know what else I can say.

     "Oh, well, you'll never believe what happened to me," Riley says to us both, "David and I are totally in love."

     I smile.

     They're my best friends, and it's not like they could have predicted what happened to me. It's not their fault, it's mine. I don't have a reason to be mad at them.

     "How so?" I tease her and Claire links her arm with mine so I can guide her through the hallway as she texts on her phone.

     "Well, we played beer pong for like fifteen minutes right? And while the other partners were arguing, he grabs my hand, and literally drags me upstairs," she continues, "we literally made out for like an hour and then we just laid in bed, holding hands. Holding hands!"

      "He doesn't strike me as the 'holding hands' type." Claire responds.

     I agree with her.

     "I'm telling you it was amazing and he was so sweet."

"What about you Claire, you totally ditched me in the kitchen with Robert." I tell her.
Claire pauses her typing for a moment, her eyes widen. She looks panicked and I don't understand why.

Riley looks at her, "Is something wrong, Claire?"

"No, I just had to use the bathroom and I ended up hanging out with Robert the rest of the night." She says quickly.

"Oh that makes sense, that boy has the biggest crush on you."

      "He does not."

      Riley and I glance at each other.

     "Okay, Miss 'the hottest boy in school likes me and I'm gonna ignore it'." Riley chuckles.

     Claire rips her arm out from mine and shoves her phone in her pocket angrily. She stomps her foot.

     "Why can't you two just mind your own business? You're so annoying!" She exclaims before turning around and strutting off, leaving Riley and I confused and stranded in the middle of the hallway.

     "She's acting weird." I note out loud. 

Riley nods, "We'll talk to her about it at lunch. In the mean time, we gotta get to class."

     Riley and Claire were born one day apart. While Claire was born into a rich family who provided her with all of the love and care an infant could ever need and more, Riley was born into a family that already had two boys at her home in China, she was found in a cardboard box turned on the side next to a dumpster. 

Riley was adopted by a well off family here in Washington when she was one, and ended up being in the same preschool as Claire two years later. 

They've been best friends ever since.

I never thought I could compete with a friendship that had been going strong for that long. But I remember the exact day in seventh grade, when I first met them.

When I sat alone, at the table that no one ever touched because it was the one table with stains even the janitor couldn't scrub away.

The bedazzled back pockets of my jeans caught Riley's attention as she opened her lunch box. She immediately needed to know more about me.

      "Did you do your pockets yourself?" She sat down next to me with no warning, elbowing me in the side as she invaded every boundary of my personal space possible.

"Um, I think we bought them like this." I say unsure.

"Is that an iPod? I'm not allowed to have one yet, but I've been dying to get on one since like, last month." Claire interrupted, pointing at the small device sitting next to my lunch tray.

"Uh, you can touch it if you want to?"

"That's Claire, she's obsessed with the internet, I'm Riley, the surprisingly dumb Asian, and I like your style."

     "Uh."

     "We're gonna sit with you from now on, and you're coming over to my house today after school."

Claire looked up from playing with my iPod, "Cool, I can show her the games on my computer. You in... oh what's your name?"

I pause, "I'm uh, my name's Melanie."

"Gross, too long," Riley says, unwrapping the sandwich I'm her hands, "we'll call you Ni-Ni."

"It's cute, like you."

"Um thank you?" I'm confused.

These girls are loud. They're loud and pushy and the Asian one has elbowed me three times. Adam says I'm not allowed to have friends. He says I don't deserve them. But I've always been bad at rejecting people.

     "Welcome to the outcast club, Ni-Ni." Riley says while patting me on the back.

     I had never had friends before, besides Mason. Never girl friends, people who did my makeup with the wrong shade of foundation, people who made me try on clothes that didn't fit, and as torturous as it all sounds, these are my best friends.

     I can't just stop seeing them. I can't stop sneaking in snacks to the movie theater and secretly taking pictures of boys so Riley can chart their cuteness on a graph. I can't leave the only friends I have.

     Adam is wrong. I know that he's never wrong, but just this once, he doesn't know what he's talking about.

     How can the girls that saved my life not be good for me? 

     People make mistakes, I'm sure they didn't intentionally leave me alone at the party. They are the only ones in my life who don't make me feel alone. 

     I'm never going to doubt them again.

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This chapter is a little short!!! I'm so sorry for taking so long to update, as always let me know your thoughts, vote and comment!!!! Love you all!