By the time Nicole had finished cleaning her room her mother had arrived and asked the girls to come join them for dinner. Dinner at Nicole's house was always more relaxing than it was at Amy's. Amy had a large family, with one older sibling and three younger ones. So whenever given the opportunity her mother would send her to sleepovers or make her fend for herself, which is why her mother had agreed so quickly to let her sleepover on a weekday; something not many parents would have allowed. Chris had made lemon thyme chicken, which was not Amy's favorite but it was certainly better than her mothers cooking.
"Is the food alright Amy, you've barely touched it." Chris looked sad now that Juliana had pointed it out.
"It's great, definitely better than anything my mother would have cooked. I was just lost in my thoughts, sorry."
"Don't apologize Amy, you're a guest. Feel free to speak, that's the point of sitting at the dinner table together." Juliana smiled at her in a way that Amy's mother never had.
"Thank you Ms.Santo's." Amy had always thought it was strange that Juliana had never taken Chris' name, but it made more sense once Nicole had opened up to her. "I was just thinking about my mom, nothing special."
"Oh, do you miss her? I wouldn't mind driving you home if you do." This comment made Amy feel like a burden, it made sense that they'd be this quick to get rid of her, but it still hurt her.
"No, I don't miss her that much…" Amy trailed off as she saw everyone's expressions change. It wasn't that she didn't love her mom, it just never felt like her mom loved her very much. "Sorry." Everyone looked concerned, and the look Nicole was giving her made her face flame up. "May I be excused to go to the bathroom please." Juliana nodded and Amy was gone just like that.
"Why don't you two take your dinners to your room, I think Amy wants to talk, but not to us. Here I'll take one of the plates." Nicole stood taking her own plate and Juliana taking Amy's
Meanwhile in the bathroom Amy was crying and trying to keep her breathing consistent. The way everyone had stared at her hurt, more than her mothers neglect, or her older siblings disdain for her. Especially the concerned way Nicole had looked at her, as if she was looking down and pitying her. She knew she was well within her rights to feel hurt but it made her feel guilty to think negatively, in any capacity, towards people who were just worried for her.
She grabbed some toilet paper and used it to wipe her eyes, just then her phone, which she had kept in her pocket buzzed. It was a text from Nicole: Dinner's in my room now, come here when you're ready. Amy stood up splashing some cold water on her face to try and mute the tear stains on her cheeks. She cleared her throat and opened the bathroom door walking as calmly and steadily to Nicole's room as possible.
She opened the door to find Nicole sitting on the bed, their food sitting on her desk. Nicole patted the empty seat on her bed to try and get Amy to sit next to her. Amy opted instead to sit at Nicole's desk chair across the room. She brought her knees to her chest and tucked her head into herself. "Do you want to talk to Amy?" Nicole was hesitant because Amy had obviously been crying. Nicole could tell because of the way she still sniffled.
"No. It's not a big deal. I'm just being dramatic." She lifted her head briefly to see the caring way Nicole looked at her. She quickly curled in on herself again, unable to see all she could hear was Nicole's bed creaking. Suddenly Nicole was kneeling in front of Amy, prying her hands away from her face and attempting to bring her legs to the floor. She took Amy's hands into hers and squeezed them
"You know I'll listen to whatever it is, right? No judgement, so if you say there's nothing you want to talk about I'll leave it alone. But I'm always here to listen, nothing will scare me away Amy." Amy was about to tell her that it was really nothing, but as the words started leaving her mouth she started sobbing uncontrollably.
"Sorry, it's really nothing. I promise." Nicole didn't press, she just held her friend as she let out her feelings. Nicole picked Amy up and brought her over to the bed. "It really is nothing, just stuff with my mom." Nicole nodded, understanding completely. Amy had a rough and complicated relationship with her mother, this relationship was probably the reason Amy was so isolated.
"You're not a bad person if you complain about her, you can love her and not love what she represents in your relationship. So please if you need to vent or you just want to cry let it out with me, I want to be a safe space for you Amy, so please rely on me a little." Amy had gone back to hiding her face in her hands, embarrassed that her friend was already aware of everything. Nicole always seemed to know how Amy was feeling, and it felt safe but also invasive. Amy knew Nicole couldn't help being so perceptive but it was a lot sometimes. "If you just want to watch something on my bed while we finish dinner we can do that, but if at any time you need to spill your guts I'm here."
"Thank you Nicky, you're always there for me." Amy threw her hands around Nicole's neck, pulling her into a tight hug. She buried her face in Nicole's neck and sniffled a bit more. Nicole was giggling,
"Could you move your face, that tickles a bit." Amy proceeded to bury her face into Nicole nick and soon the two were laughing together again. The mood had undoubtedly shifted but Nicole was willing to wait until Amy felt ready to talk to her. "Alright, wanna watch something?" Amy nodded and the two settled into the bed, completely forgetting about their uneaten food.