Pepper never meant to lose her best friend. Lucas never meant to fall in love.
Yet the aftermath of broken hearts leads them to blur the lines of their friendship forever. When Pepper is dumped by her boyfriend and Lucas is led on by his crush, they...
Trigger Warning: This chapter deals with the topic of self-harm and assault and may be difficult to read.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
AN HOUR BEFORE MIDNIGHT, I'm prepared to spend my New Year alone.Mom called this morning to wish me a happy New Year. It was a brief conversation. Hollow. I couldn't bring myself to tell her about the events that have occurred over these past few months. It's not like it'd cause her enough concern to come visit. Dad got stuck with the late shift at the hospital. They're expecting a lot of emergencies this year. Chris is spending the night over Ria's, of course.
That leaves me. Lucas Whitman. Sitting in an empty house in front of a New York, New Years Eve celebration broadcast with no friends or family to keep me company. Not even the buzz of a high or intoxication can distract me.
I came clean to my dad about his missing bottle of liquor and he proceeded to clear the house of all alcohol. Though I'm happy about his choice. I don't want any temptation. No crutches. I want to feel everything.
It's been two weeks since I last saw Pepper. It still doesn't feel real. I still feel like she'll pop up at my doorstep bundled up in her bright pink furry coat with that luminous smile of hers. She'll declare that we're binging some silly romance show and cling to me for hours. That's what we did most years.
Funny how a single moment in time can destroy years worth of friendship.
Actually, it's not funny. It's fucking depressing. I'm fucking depressing. I don't even know who I can talk to about all this pain and regret I feel. It's just a mess of chaos swirling in my soul.
I lounge across the sofa as my eyes glaze over. The screen becomes a blur of colors and whatever artist is playing becomes nearly muted background noise. Everyone else around the world is happy except for this one soul wasting away in his living room.
A loud ringing fills my ears and I'm almost deaf to the sound of someone knocking on the door. I almost think I've gone crazy because no one would actually come to see me. But my hearing perks and my heart jolts when the knocks come again. I'm flying off the sofa, brushing the crumbs of salty popcorn off of my face and t-shirt, and opening the door before they can knock again. My breath hitches.
"Cory?"
A thick hat layered in snow is pulled past his ears, bringing out the rosiness of his nose and cheeks. He's shivering in the plushest coat I've ever seen. I'm pretty sure we're hitting blizzard territory outside as the iciness bites my toes, arms and face. Still, it does nothing to the warmth that caresses my entire being from seeing his face.
"H-hey," he chatters. "C-can I come in?"
"Of course!" I jump back and hold the door open for him. "P-please."
Cory scurries inside and I shut the door behind him. "Goodness gracious," he mumbles.
"I-it's pretty cold out there, huh?" I swing my arms before clasping them together.
