The Trouble with Friendship

🧵 Fifteen: Don't, Don't, Nirvana You, Forget About Me

I don't know what makes Ravi special. He has that something-something. Every time I'm near, I feel like a giddy six-year-old discovering what cotton candy tastes like for the first time. And even if I taste and taste, he still disappears on me until I wonder if he's there or just an illusion of the mind. It sounds crazy, right? Which is why I'm hooked. Oh, Freddy, am I ever hooked. If only he would reel me in. -Georgie aka Alexx

PS. Glad to hear you finished that Scarlet Letter essay. I know how much you were stressing over it.

Alex ran her hand over the rack of clothes as she expertly scanned the kaleidoscope of patterns and fabrics. Most were cheap polyester or worn cotton, but there was always a gem hidden in the rough.

"What about this?" Keya asked, holding up a tan and forest green plaid jacket.

Alex rubbed the sleeve between her fingertips. "Maybe. What's the size?"

"XXL."

Alex scanned the list of items and sizes they needed. "Yeah, add it to the pile. I can always take it in if needed." She crossed it off the list and silently chuckled. Alexx would think Christmas had come early if she saw how organized she'd become. Not that she would tell Alexx. Anything about the drama club made her best friend tense up tighter than a rattlesnake about to strike.

Keya pulled out her phone after it beeped and chuckled. "Cleo's mom is forcing her to watch re-runs of The Golden Girls."

"Flu still kicking her ass?" Alex asked. Not that she was complaining. Cleo could be pricklier than a cactus. The other day, a few of the freshmen were goofing off instead of working, and Cleo had snapped at them, saying she wasn't their mom and it wasn't her job to keep them in order.

Keya assured her behind that fierce exterior was a sweet center, but Alex had a hard time believing it. She must though for Alexx to have been best friends with her.

"Yeah, she's still down." Keya let out a heavy sigh. "It's like the world doesn't want us to put on this play. I bet that makes someone happy."

There was no question who that someone was. Safe to say the animosity between Keya and Alexx was still going strong. She'd never tell them to their faces, but she thought they were ridiculously similar. Both driven and ambitious with a healthy dose of self-confidence that had Alex green with envy.

If they were similar though, then it would be easy to infer her and Cleo were the same, but that couldn't be farther from the truth which made Alex wonder how Cleo gained the loyalty of two strong girls like Alexx and Keya. Cleo must have something she wasn't showing Alex because there was no way in hell she'd ever hang out with Cleo without a prompting.

Alex and Keya finished looking through the racks, checking a good amount off the list. After paying, they stood outside the store, weighed down by bags. "Which way to your house?" Keya asked, glancing up and down the street.