His Little Amelia

|40| • Amelia

They were right.

Everyone would end up leaving me, wouldn't they? I wasn't enough for them, they'd always go in search of a better opportunity, dropping me by the rod side. I remember the first time I and Darrick had a long conversation, he read right through me when I told him how my high school went, he called it 'abandonment issues'. I laughed it off and told him to forget but he promised not to leave me. Darrick promised to always be there for me until death as he put it, we sealed it with a pinky.

He lied.

I didn't want him to go, to leave me.

I know I had been distant from him, all because of that stupid kiss. That was the reason it escalated to this very point, wasn't it? Just a dumb kiss and I lost my best friend. The one who was there for me when Papa treated me like I didn't exist, the one who hugged me when Abel had to put Ramona first. The one who told me he loved me.

My heart felt swollen, and so did my eyes, I lost count of how many times fresh tears strolled down my cheeks, I probably looked pathetic to the taxi driver who was taking me home. The man even asked if I was alright, how embarrassing was that? I gave him a short, forced smile to wave off his question. I was alright. I was far from it.

In pain, the only number I knew I'd call and would answer was Evie. Would he leave me too? My heart couldn't take any more of that. With shaky fingers, I called him, hearing it dial. I wanted to talk to him, I need him to talk some sense into my bleeding heart.

Back in school, everyone who claimed to be my friend had one reason or the other to betray me, to end the friendship. It was either because of my older brother, Abel or because the boy they liked ended up having a crush on me — even though I rejected him countless times because of who liked them! Ah, at a point, I thought I was doomed to not have friends, to be alone, without a mother, an angry father and a brother barely making ends meet.

Sniffling to myself, I didn't realize Everest had picked up the phone until I heard his soothing voice. "Baby, hey, what's wrong?" My heart swooned at how caring he was.

Darrick was caring too, yet he showed me the door.

Opening my mouth to speak, words couldn't form in my head, my lips quivered. I was a mess. I looked like a mess. Was I so naive to believe people who made a promise would keep it? To believe I and Darrick would grow old together, our children becoming best of friends just like we were.

Yet all that was coming to an end, he didn't even say I was allowed to come visit, or that he would still be here, just not close to me. He said so as though this was goodbye for life, as though it was the end of our friendship.

"Yes? Amelia, I'm listening, what's wrong? Did anything happen? Do you need me to come to pick—" Stunned by the voice that spoke through the phone, it occurred to me that I hadn't said a word yet.

"He...he's leaving me. Darrick, he, he's going to abandon me too." Saying it out loud made it all the more real, I couldn't take it anymore, I broke down, crying my eyes out silently. The last thing I wanted was to disturb the taxi man with my crying. Everest began calling my name but all I wanted to do was be cuddled by him. I was a hopeless crying mess.

"Where are you?" Everest asked sternly, halting my cries. I hiccuped, coming down from the taxi and thanking him. "I'm in front of my house," I said quietly, wiping my tears.

"I'm coming over."

He wasn't asking, he was telling me, yet I still negated his words.

"You don't have to Evie, I'm alright. It was silly to call you, you're probably busy and—"