“Tell me everything,” Tia says, pushing the bowl of Toffee Popcorn flavour ice cream towards me. I reach up and sniffle before grabbing a chunk of ice cream with my spoon and shovelling it into my mouth. I know I shouldn’t comfort eat my worries away but ice cream really does help.
I hold the spoon out towards Tia and she shakes her head, declining the offer. Her black hair is curled at the edges today with a braid that runs right across her head. Instead of the usual blue eyeshadow, she’s wearing a bright pink one this time, her lips the same shade as her eyes.
“Brody broke up with me,” I reveal, dropping my gaze to my bowl of ice cream. In front of me, I hear a gasp come from Tia’s mouth.
“No! No he did not! Where is he? I will gut the boy like a fish!” Tia rants, throwing her hands up in the air. I stare at her, my eyes wide in shock before I burst out laughing. I don’t know why I’m laughing hysterically but I’m afraid if I don’t laugh, I’ll cry. Tia stops ranting and joins in with my laughter, reaching out to take a hold of my free hand.
“Is this the first time you’ve laughed in days?” She asks and I nod, giving her a grateful smile. Tears glaze over my eyes and I blink them back.
“God, have you ever seen someone so emotionally unstable?” I ask her, pointing at myself. Tia shakes her head again —
“Ice cream fixes everything, eat more.” So I do.
I carry on eating until I’ve scraped every single morsel. The whole time, I tell Tia exactly what happened, starting with the date, the crash and finishing off with Brody breaking up with me.
Tia gasps and cuts in every now and then, muttering curse words at Brody and his mother. When I tell her about the car crash, her eyes widen in fear and remorse fills them.
“Is he going to be okay?” She asks and I glance at her, feeling myself slowly break down. I inhale sharply, taking a deep breath.
“I don’t know, I don’t think so. The doctors say he’ll need to learn to walk again.”
“Poor Brody, at least he’s alive.” Tia mutters before glancing back up at me. I nod my head, agreeing with her.
“I’m angry but sad for him at the same time, I don’t really know how to deal with this.” Tia says, her forehead crinkling with confusion.
“Something he said to me doesn’t quite make sense,” I say quietly, thinking out loud. Tia’s eyebrows raise and she leans closer —
“What did he say?”
“He said he wants to protect me but from what? He broke up with me to protect me. It doesn’t make sense,” I say, feeling just as confused as Tia looks. We both sit silent for a few moments, a look on concentration on our faces. Tia eventually shrugs, her shoulders slumping back into the chair in defeat.
“I can’t believe he broke up with you. He clearly doesn’t know when he’s got a good thing going.” Tia huffs, sitting cross legged in the chair. I glance down at my lap, fiddling with my hands nervously.
“I’m not good enough for him Tia, I never was. Brody is amazing and beautiful and kind and popular and I’m. . . not.” I mumble, glancing down at my boring clothes and bland style. Tia raises one brow at me before jumping out of her seat, holding out the crook of her arm towards me.
“Come on, we’re going somewhere.” She says, excitement building up in her voice. I sigh heavily but take a hold of her arm anyway. Going somewhere with Tia beats going to school so I silently agree.
“Where are we going?” I ask her. Tia begins searching through her pocket with her free hand, emerging with a purse that looked stuffed to the seams with money.
“Shopping, to make you feel better.” She smiles, a small spring in her step. I inwardly groan, following her as we head towards the bus stop.
“Oh and Bella? Don’t ever say you’re not good enough for Brody again. You’re more than good enough for any boy.” She says firmly, surprising me. Her voice is full of truth and I blink a few times, my lips stretching out into a smile.
“Thanks Tia.”
*****
“This – is – perfect!” Tia almost squeals, sounding like a crazy teenager. She holds up a jet black shirt, the collar covered in silver spikes. I eye up the shirt, shaking my head.
“No way, that is perfect for you. Not me.”
Tia pouts unhappily before placing it back onto the shelf. She scurries down the rack of clothes before pulling out a yellow off the shoulder shirt. A white daisy trim around the arms and the hem compliments against the sunshine yellow shade of the shirt. I eye it up carefully, trying to vision it in my head.
“Hmm, that could be cute. It has potential.” I smile, reaching out for it. Tia grins widely before going back to searching through the mounds of clothes. I watch as her expression is one of pure concentration. Seeing her try so hard to make me feel better warms my heart and finally I know how it feels to have a friend.
“Aha! This is so you!” Tia says excitedly, pulling out a hanger and holding the hoody up in the air. It’s a baby blue colour, cropped with a distressed edge.
“It’s comfortable but fashionable and it will show off that killer waist of yours with some high waisted jeans.” Tia smiles and I nod, agreeing with her.
“Killer waist? I don’t think so but I like the hoody. It’s pretty in a plain kind of way.” I say, adding it to the clothes on my hand.
“Puh-lease. You have an amazing body Bella! Show it off. Once Brody comes back to school, I want you to show him what he’s missing.” Tia claps her hand, a wicked glint in her eyes. I chuckle under my breath, following her as she scurries towards another rack of clothes.
Sadness washes over me once again as I think of Brody. I wonder what he’s doing at this exact moment and if he’s thought of me at all. I haven’t spoken to him in four days, the longest I’ve gone since we first met. It was hard to sleep at night without having him on the opposite end of the phone. Talking to him and falling asleep to his voice became part of my routine and without it, I feel lost. It feels like I’m swimming in the unknown, lost and confused until I find my way back. I don’t know where I’m going, I keep swimming into the darkness, unable to tear myself away from it.
“Bella?”
I glance up, Tia’s voice pulling me out of my dark thoughts. She’s giving me a small smile, her eyes flashing with concern as she notices the expression on my face.
“You’re going to be okay,” Tia murmurs, walking over to me and wrapping me up into a tight hug. The metal from the hangers dig into me but I cling onto her tightly, grateful for her support.
“Have you ever been through a break up?” I whisper, wanting her advice. I can feel fresh tears prick the back of my eyes and I blink them back, forcing myself to maintain composure. It’s so hard when all I want to do is bury myself under my duvet and cry from my broken heart.
Tia pulls back, her face twisted up with disgust. I notice the pain briefly flash across her eyes before she masks it over —
“Two years ago, my first boyfriend. It was puppy love but I was head over heels for him. Turns out, he fancied my best friend the entire time and broke up with me to get with her.” Tia explains, her voice blunt and hurt. My mouth falls open in shock.
“No way. Your best friend? That is not cool.”
Tia nods, agreeing with me before swinging an arm across my shoulder.
“I gave up on friendships and boyfriends after that but I knew you and I would make great friends. Now look at us.” Tia grins, the pain in her face melting away. I grin widely, my heart bursting with love for my new friend.
“I’m so happy I met you Tia.” I say truthfully, allowing her to drag me towards the section of denim jeans. She gives me a lopsided grin, her eyes already scanning over the jeans to find me the perfect pair.
“You’re going to love me more when I update your wardrobe!” She giggles, eyes lighting up at the prospect of dressing me fashionable for the first time in my life.