The summer we turned thirteen (Published)

Chapter forty-two: Losing friends left and right

Harlee

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The day after Evan asked Rachel out, she and I went to the mall together.

She had wanted to buy an accessory with her gift card to go with the outfit she'd picked out. And since she'd ended up sleeping over at my house after the water park, I went along with her.

James had been calling and texting me nonstop for the past twenty-four hours, but I'd been ignoring him.

There was nothing more he needed to say to me.

He wanted me out of his life; his wish was granted.

I wasn't pining for him anymore. I had other friends I could focus on and hang out with.

Little did I know, this trip to the mall would result in the loss of yet another friend.

"I like hair flowers better than bows, but which one do you think Evan likes best?" Rachel asked me, holding up a bow on one side of her hair and a flower on the other.

We were standing in UltraViolet Accessories as she tried to pick out which hair adornment to purchase.

I raised my eyebrows at her question. "How about you coordinate your outfit based on what you like instead of what you think Evan does?" I said to her, smiling. "Evan already likes you. There's absolutely nothing for you to be worried about."

Rachel smiled back weakly and put the bow back onto the rack.

"You're right, and I don't want to be the kind of girl that changes myself for a boy. That's dumb."

"Exactly." I nodded.

We headed towards the counter, and Rachel bought her hair flower. Then we headed out of the shop and were heading towards the food court but were stopped by the sound of my name being shrieked at what sounded like maximum volume.

"Harlee!!" the voice called out.

Rachel and I spun around to see a distraught Farrah moving toward us from across the mall. She looked highly upset. Meanwhile, Amy was walking beside her with a satisfied smirk on her face. Rachel stayed beside me but didn't utter a word as the two approached us.

"How could you???" Farrah asked once she reached us.

I tilted my head to the side in confusion, genuinely wondering what I could have done to set her off.

"How could I what?" I asked worriedly.

"Evan just told me over the phone that he can't go on any more dates with me because he's going out with her!" she yelled as she pointed at Rachel accusingly.

I wondered if Evan had actually used the word "dates."

I guess it didn't matter, though.

However he'd worded it, it had hurt Farrah.

I had expected she wasn't going to be happy about the situation, but I didn't expect Evan to tell her that and make it worse. But he probably didn't want to feel like a player by going out with Farrah and Rachel simultaneously, so it isn't his fault, I thought to myself.

"He said that it wouldn't feel right going out with me and her at the same time," Farrah's voice said, confirming I'd been right.

Then her tone lost the fury in it and became a whisper.

"And he said that you were the one that helped get them together."

Her wounded tone struck my heart with guilt.