Hope & Despair || BOOK 1

Chapter 33

MONDAY AFTERNOON

CINDY.

I looked up from my phone just in time to see Juliet walk through the glass doors of Duke's Cafe. She wasn't in school all morning and finally texted after two weeks of sudden hiding to meet her here. She didn't even reply my message asking where she had been or what in hell was the cause of her sudden absence, and not to forget her change in attitude. Well all those would have to be answered today because she's finally here. Something's definitely bugging her and it's low key bugging me too.

She practically dragged her feet to my booth after I had waved her over. She looked worn out and traumatized and the oversized tee shirt, black leggings and not to forget her beyond messy bun which by the way should be seriously questioned took the entire fatigued look to its height. What the hell happened to my best friend?

The speech and rant I had practiced all morning in the bathroom for when we would meet, including my annoyance and anger vanished into thin air on seeing the bags underneath her eyes and the wrinkles on her skin. She looked like she aged tremendously over the weeks and not in a good way. To be honest, if it weren't for the fact that she still had her long cream polished nails on and the nose ring she wore only when she wasn't in school or at any function with me, I swore I wouldn't have recognized it was her. Something's definitely eating her up. Where's the cheerful, cocky, daring Juliet who walked right up to the weirdest girl in the room and asked to join for coffee? This isn't the Juliet I know.

"Hey" I say simply.

"Hey" She repeated almost immediately and we remained in an unsettling awkward silence. We stayed that way for a long time staring at each other until I finally decided to break it. Though my pride pricked my heart, I couldn't just stay quiet. This is my best friend we're talking about here.

"Julie listen..." I stated bluntly, trying to quieten the tumult my heart felt.
"You have been the only friend I've known and I even consider you as my best friend but you don't seem to value that"

"That's not true Cin" She said quietly as she used her straw to stir the soda she ordered before coming which arrived during our stare off. I bet the waiter thought we were both crazy or something. I took a sip of my coffee and cleared my throat before speaking.

"Oh really?..." My tone took on a hint of sarcasm. "So why did Allen have to be the first to know about your escapade to go get your cousin which by the way FYI, you lied because last I checked, you said your parents where the only kids growing up..."

She tried to speak but I wouldn't let her. I raised my hand up in an aura of authority and she cringed backwards to the leathered seat. If she couldn't have at least given me the courtesy of replying my calls and texts, then she should at least give me the freedom to vent out my feelings towards her recent act of cold shoulders.