Broken, but not Abandoned

*sobs* I caught him cheating, Kay. He freaking cheated on me! Two years down the drain. I'm having a complete breakdown and I didn't know who else to call. I just want to talk to you. *sobs louder* I... I don't know what's up with me right now... pathetic... I just... I didn't expect anything like that to happen... I trusted him, Kay and he let me down... He should just... Urghhh... I'm pulling my hair out... I'm sorry for bothering you. You're the only one I could ever truly vent to. All my friends here just don't understand. *sniff* Busy... I can't focus right... I'm so upset...

I stopped the voicemail and gripped my phone tightly. I blinked a couple of times trying to understand the intensity of the situation.

It's been a while since I saw Ellie. Sure we called and texted a few times and visited twice, but in the few preceding months, we'd gotten so wrapped up in school work and lost touch.

I was here without anybody from back home and Ellie was lucky enough to go to the same college as her boyfriend, Ben, but that doesn't seem to have turned out right.

Ellie was there with me when I had my breakup with Nathan. It was a dreadful experience that I wouldn't have lived through without her by my side every minute of every day. I wonder how she was feeling now. Probably locked up in a room, covered with a blanket of her used tissues, balling her eyes out. And worst of all, she had no one to comfort her because her friends just don't understand.

I stood up from my bed and got dressed. I didn't have an exact plan, but I knew my best friend needed me and I needed to be there for her. But first, that stupid dickbag was going to pay.

After a 5-hour or so drive, I was knocking at the door of a frat house that I had been to once.

A boy opened the door after a few bangs, and without letting him talk, I stormed past him and into the house. I headed straight for Ben's room. I knocked angrily, just like I had done at the front door. The door was flung open by Ben and I was met with his angry scowl. He was only dressed in boxers and I could hear moaning from behind him. Gross!

He smiled once he saw it was me.

"Hi, Kayla."

I smiled back to play along.

"Hi, Ben." I put my hand on his shoulder, "It's been quite long since-" I cut myself off at the same time I kneed him right in the groin. He instantly grabbed his crotch and fell to the floor moaning and groaning in pain. Not the kind he had received this night from pleasure.

"What the hell?!" He yelled as he wriggled in pain.

"That's what you get for being a stinking cheat!"

After smiling down at my work like the sadist that boy deserves, I headed to El's dorm without a second thought.

I rushed to her room and entered with the key she gave me when I last visited.

As I had predicted, she was covered with a blanket of tissues, that hopefully weren't used. The only sign that she was on the bed was her mop of hair sprawled on her pillow and her legs that shot out of her makeshift blanket.

She hadn't noticed my presence yet. She grabbed a tissue from the pile and blew her nose, wherever that organ might be. Then she flung the used tissue to the other side of the room. I turned to where it landed and already saw a pile there. That meant the tissues on her bed weren't the used ones.

I took fast steps towards her and pushed all the tissues that were covering her body to the floor. She still didn't move. I took in her face. Her eyes were shut and her face was red and puffy. You could see the dry tear stains on her cheek.

"Go away, Anna! I'm not in the mood to get drunk with you." She grumbled.

"It's me."

Her eyes flew open and she sat up immediately. I engulfed her in a hug without question and let her cry into my shoulder.

When we released each other, we both sat on her bed as she sobbed hysterically and started mumbling about what happened.

"It's okay." I soothed as I rubbed her hair, "You don't have to relive the moment."

We just sat there until her breathing was calmed, "I'm so glad you came."

"Of course I did. You're my BFF. When you're feeling low and you just don't know where to run to or if your heart's been broke and you feel like you're all alone, just remember that I'd always be the light to guide you home. I'm never gonna let you down. Because that's what friends are for."

She smiled at me through her tears, "Me too. I'm always going to build you up. When you're feeling lost, I will always find you love. You can always count on that."

She gave me a huge hug as she sniffed into my shoulder, "I honestly don't know how I had been without you for a year."

I smiled on her shoulder, "Neither do I. Just don't forget this. No matter how broken you are El, I will always be there with a glue gun to pick up the pieces of your heart and stick them together because you may be broken, but you are not and will never be abandoned."

We spent the rest of the weekend together, helping her get over Ben. Just chilling with buckets of ice cream and talking was the best way to reunite after being apart for so long.