Kelly froze not knowing what to say. Before this, she was feeling really tired but now all her tiredness vanished into thin air.
Cindy: Yo K! You still there? I guess you're still mad at us and you have every reason to feel this way but don't you think it's high time we fix it? After all we are adults now and to be honest we miss you. So you wanna hangout?
Kelly: Ummmm I don't know about that. My schedule is quite hectic nowadays.
Cindy: Yeah we know that. Our K is a writer now and you have no idea how proud we are. Anyways where you at now?
Kelly: Oh I am at my home...
ring~
Kelly: Someone's at my door so I'll call you after sometime.
Kelly quickly ended the call thankful for whoever who rang her doorbell. She quickly rushed to open the door to find the same two idiots from her high school days– Philip and Chase. "K!!! How have you been?" Chase began in his usual loudness. "I'm fine and you?" Kelly extended her hand to which chase weirdly eyed her. "C'mon. We are so close that this kind of handshake formality weirds us out. Now give me a big hug." Before Kelly could reject his offer, Chase wrapped her in a big bear hug. When he finally let go of her, he motioned Philip to hug her. Philip awkwardly moved forward to hug her and when he finally did it was like he didn't wanted to let go of her anymore.
Kelly's heart was racing but she didn't let it show and instead kept on standing like a stone sculpture. "Hey! Man I know you missed her but this is way too awkward and cringey." Chase disturbed their moment by pulling Philip back. "Anyways aren't you going to invite us in? Or did you plan to keep us hanging here while you slam the door at our face?" Kelly awkwardly let them inside her house. "Where's Cindy?" Kelly asked them. "Oh she left." Chase said in his usual happy tone. "Are you sure?" "Okay okay fine. We borrowed Cindy's phone for a while since you blocked both of our numbers." Chase said while faking a hurt reaction. "Not mine." Philip interrupted. "For real? Woah K that's some straight up favouritism that you're showing. "I don't think I have his number." Kelly replied while staring at Philip. "Huh?" Chase confusedly replied. "Well the reason why my number isn't blocked by her is because I didn't sent a long message like you. Instead I just sent her a hey, but she didn't reply." "Oh so it was you." "Yeah." Silence broke out from that moment and in an attempt to save them from awkwardness Chase began talking. "So you're a famous writer now. How does it feel?" "It's fine." "Don't be so humble, I know you're over the moon since it was your dream to become a writer since our high school days. And that's why you would write a lot of stories in your journals back then. Which reminds me, you never let us read that so can I read it now." "I don't think I have those copies with me anymore." "Heyyyy. I know you're lying. They were your most prized possession, who would believe that you lost it." "I didn't lose it to be specific." "Then?" "I threw it away."
"What?" "I threw it away in the dumpster during our third year of high school." "But why? You loved writing so much. Why would you do that to your first writings?" "Sometimes there are things which don't have any hope or future in them so it's better to get rid of it rather than bringing pain to yourself by holding on to it." Chase didn't know how to reply so he just stayed silent while Philip began, "And how do you know that it didn't have any hope or future?" "Because I started it." "But still, how can you be so sure about that? Just because it looked hopeless from your point of view doesn't mean that everybody sees it that way too. People have different perspectives." "And that's what I never liked." Philip was about to say more but Chase stopped him and made him sit on the sofa. "Would you guys like anything?" Kelly said in her business tone. "K! That sounds so formal so please drop it. But yes I would like something to drink." "And you?" Kelly asked Philip who kept staring at her. "Me too." "Okay then wait for a second." Kelly went to the kitchen and quickly poured some juice for them and stacked some snacks too. "Here you go." "Thanks K." Chase started digging in the snacks while Philip just took a sip from his drink.
"It's been long 6 years since we last saw you. How are you doing? Not career wise as we already know that you're really successful but as in personal life wise." Chase said while munching on the Takis. "It's been nice and peaceful." Kelly replied formally. "K! C'mon let down your guard. We're not here to interview you but we just came here to see our friend." "Well I don't know. My life has been peaceful since I left that home. No more drama and shoutings. No more crying for a bitter life and- well basically I'm living the life." "No more betrayals?" Philip added. "Huh?" "You wanted to say that but you deliberately left it so I am saying it for you." "Phil stop that." Chase said in a serious tone. "Well I was saying what she always wanted to say to us. K don't feel burdened and let it all out. I know you have your own reasons for not talking with us and I want to know why." "Phil." Chase was even more serious now. "No let him speak Chase." Chase sighed and went silent. "So what was your reason?" Philip continued. Kelly looked him dead in the eyes and slowly began. "Don't you remember the last time we met each other?" "How could I forget that." "Well that's good to know because that day was the day I lost all my trust on friendships and relationships that I had with anyone. I know that in my book you didn't directly say the 'b' word to me but that day you did. That day, you said that I was an attention seeking bitch who couldn't understand other people's emotions. That I was self centered. Remember?" "Yes and since that day never have I not once felt regret and remorse." "Both of you stopped talking to me after that. Why?" "Well for me, I thought you needed space because that's what your sister told us. She said that in order for you to calm down we needed to give you space. And for Phil, he might say it himself." Chase replied slowly. "I was so ashamed of myself for blaming everything on you. I felt so guilty that I never got the guts to talk to you again. And even you didn't approach us anymore so I thought you were real mad and wanted to end it for once and all." "I know that I was really bull headed back then but if only had you guys helped me stop that exaggerated rumors of my sexual assault I would have given in. You have no idea how much I cried that day waiting for the two of you to send me a text or something , asking me, if I was okay? or did I want a hug? I got nothing from the two of you. I felt so fucking alone. I kept on constantly blaming myself for not being enough. For being the way I was. It reached to a point that I even-..." "That you tried to kill yourself?" Philip asked sadly. "Unfortunately yes." "K. We didn't know that those kind of rumors were spreading about you. We didn't have any clue." Chase replied. "How could you not have? Even the nerds in the school knew about it." "At that time, we were both grieving about something and all our focus went on that and we never got the time to make things straight with you." "And what exactly were you going through?" "Phil's mom was brutally beaten up by one of her boyfriend to the point that she was admitted and she kept on losing consciousness until one day she died." "Chase. I told you not to talk about it." "But she deserves to know it Phil." Kelly was way too shocked to say anything and kept on staring at the floor beneath her while she fought the urge to cry.
"K? You okay?" Philip worriedly asked her. "I'm sorry. I'm really sorry. I had no idea and kept on blaming the two of you for all my pain. I should have known better. I'm so sorry. I really am. I am such a bad friend. I didn't even come to talk with you. Had I just let go of my pride for a second I could've been there for you. I could have comforted you. I could've have been there for you at your lowest but no, I had to be the self centered bitch and ruin everything. You were right, I am so selfish. I only look at my problems and keep on rejecting other's feelings. I don't deserve anyone especially not you guys. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry."