"He called you up there just so you could tender an apology?!"
Joan yelled furiously, swinging her arms in the air as her best friend, Lily, narrated the events of earlier in the day.
"Not only did he call me to apologize," Lily blurted in annoyance. "He humiliated me in front of the Dean," veins popped out of her head as she exclaimed. "Mr Gabriel screamed at me louder than I had ever heard."
Joan hissed loudly, shaking her head. "I used to adore that man," she muttered while she continued shaking her head.
"Mr Gabriel?"
"No," she blurted. "Mr Blackwood," Lily did a silent "ah" to show she understood. "Now I just hate him." Joan added.
"I hate him more than you do, girl." Lily hissed, rolling her eyes before letting out a loud sigh.
Both girls sat in silence for a minute, each of them thinking of what to make out of the situation. Lily obviously was the most concerned seeing that it was her future career on the line.
"So what does this mean for you?" Joan was the first to break the unnerving silence.
Lily's reflex response was another sigh, one of frustration. "I mean after you screamed at him, basically telling him to fuck off," Joan continued, making Lily feel even more worse than she already felt. "What are you going to do to boost your portfolio?"
Lily took yet another deep breath. There didn't seem to be enough air in the room to restore her sanity. She dreaded what she was about to say, in fact, she hated what she was about to say and she hated herself for even thinking it, but she was in between a rock and a hard place.
"I have to apologize," she blurted. "To him," her eyes fell as well as her voice. "Personally."
"What?!"
"I hate myself for thinking about it too, but I really don't have much of a choice Joan," Lily started to explain, feeling herself slowly approaching tears. "It's either that or I struggle my ass off to get people that he is even on top of, to notice me."
After Lily's admission, Joan's eyes fell. It was what she was going to do since she wasn't picked for the Blackwood program. She was trying to remain hopeful but the truth was, she wasn't seeing a silver lining in her career, and it hadn't even started. The art world was a very difficult niche to get into, you needed some sort of stepping stone. Asher Blackwood was supposed to be her stepping stone. Without his signature on her certificate, she was just a random girl with a drawing.
Soon enough, Lily noticed her friend's silence. She instantly became aware of what she had said, remembering that it was the same predicament Joan was in. "I'm sorry Joan," she whispered. "That was very insensitive of me."
"No Lily," Joan replied immediately. "It's not about me," as much as it hurt her, she knew Lily was right.
"I already lost my opportunity, but you don't have to be like me, in fact, I won't let you."
Both girls let out shy laughs. Joan placed her hand over Lily's, looking at her with every intention in her eyes. "Do whatever you need to do, to be the woman you want to be."
Joan had always given the best advice, when she wasn't drunk that is, but Lily knew she could always count on her to be honest with her and give it to her straight. She had been one of her biggest motivators from day one, besides her family and Neo. To Lily, Joan was more than just a best friend, she was her sister. The sister she never had.
"Thanks Jo."
With a broad grin, Lily pulled Joan in for a tight hug, one that lasted about a minute before they pulled away. As if they were acting a script, both girls picked up their phones the moment they let each other go.
Lily let out a frustrated sigh. "Do I call him, text him or show up at his house?" she turned to Joan, genuinely clueless as to what to do.
"Why're you asking me?" Joan exclaimed as she giggled. "He's your boss."
"You've loved him for years." Lily countered, chuckling along with her friend.
"Past tense Lily, not anymore."
Lily laughed even louder when Joan rolled her eyes while shaking her head. "Fine," she agreed after her laughter session.
She went back to the matter at hand, struggling to decide on what option she was going to go with. He could ignore her calls or messages, and since she wanted to show how serious she was, she needed him to see her that way. The correct option was obvious, but she wished she didn't have to take it.
"I'll go to his place at sundown." she murmured after a quiet sigh.