Some people wait their whole lives to find the perfect friend.
But not Isabella Washington.
She knew she'd be best friends with Aiden Cunningham the moment she set eyes on him. But staying friends through school is easy. It's what comes after that c...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Something was wrong.
Isabella didn't understand what had happened.
One minute, Aiden was happy, and then he was devastated.
After one phone call.
Who was he talking to? His aunt, like he said? Or someone else he knew? What did they say to make him feel this way?
After the birthday dinner, Isabella and her parents headed home while Aiden went back to his house. He said he had "things to do" which was odd since he typically would come over to her house, stay until midnight, or sometimes spend the night.
Her birthday had been great until Aiden received that phone call. She was worried; he was acting so strange and distant.
Isabella was lying in bed under the covers, replaying what happened at the restaurant. Remembering the fear in his eyes made her heart ache. She hated seeing him like that.
Isabella wondered what he was doing now. Was he sleeping? Was he awake? She turned to her bedside table, looking at the digital clock. The big, bold, red numbers told her it was 10:04 p.m.
She hoped for the latter.
She picked up the phone beside her and went to the message icon. She clicked on his name and messaged him. Instantly, he texted back, causing her heart to jump.
ISABELLA
Hey Aiden.
AIDEN
Hey.
ISABELLA
Are you okay? You seemed upset at dinner. I'm really worried.
She stared at the phone screen for a few minutes, waiting for his response.
AIDEN
I'm alright Bella. I promise.
He said he was all right, but she knew that wasn't the case. Before she could reply, he had sent another message.
