Falling in the Dark | ✓

18 | Glass

Sighing heavily, I stretch my limbs to their limits as my eyelids flutter open. I roll over to my side, my pupils taking time to adjust to the dim yellow lighting. The contents of the room appear soft and blurry in my sleep-induced haze.

"Finally."

I lift my head off my pillow to find Vera smiling at me from where she's perched on the edge of her bed, red-orange hair tousled by a big pair of blue headphones.

"Are those new?" I ask, tapping my ear groggily.

"Nope, borrowed them from Chick," she says. With a short laugh, she adds under her breath, "I barely have money for food anymore."

At first, I make the assumption that Vera meant that as a joke. But as sleep dissolves, the realization hits that I can't remember the last time she paid and bought herself food. When I found her hopelessly digging through the depths of her worn sling bag for money at The Blacktop earlier today, I reached into my wallet and offered to pay for her, much to her obvious relief.

I'm completely awake now. I climb to a sitting position, throwing the striped covers off my body.

"Vera, what's-"

But before I can finish my question, she jumps up and claps her hands in excessive joy.

"Come on, Car, let's go!"

"What? Where?"

"There's something I want to show you and Liam."

I look away from her quickly. "Liam?"

"Yeah, let's go to his dorm and surprise him! It's closer from there, anyway."

"What's closer from there?" I demand, refusing to comply as Vera tries to pull me up. It takes both arms and all her strength to haul me to my feet and keep me from climbing back under the safety of my covers.

"It's a surprise!" she says, giving my arm an excited shake with each word.

Despite the circumstances, despite everything, I allow myself to enjoy Vera's energy. After what feels like forever, I'm seeing a glimpse of my best friend. I better cherish this while it lasts because before I know it the new Vera - the one that wants to 'be herself' and 'not stay in high school forever' - will replace the girl that I shared my dreams and hopes with.

Still half-asleep, I change out of my green pajamas into a pair of dark gray jeans and a pale blue top with small kingfisher birds printed all over. I have just enough time to brush out the knots caught in the long strands of my hair, apply pink lip gloss and grab my coat and phone before Vera drags me out by the arm.

I groan complainingly as soon as we step out of the four-storied dorm, away from the comfort of the central heating system and into the throes of freezing winter. It doesn't take too long for the cold to completely surround my body. Vera leads me straight down the street, turning at the first left in the direction of Liam's dorm hall.

"Damn, it's cold," she mumbles, running her hands up and down her arms.

I look down and roll my eyes at her. "It was your brilliant idea to go out. Why can't you show me this surprise tomorrow morning? You know, when it doesn't feel like my limbs are going to start falling off any minute."

Vera ignores the sarcasm in my tone and says simply, "We can't go there in the morning."

A smile automatically spreads across my face when she steps closer, throwing her right arm around my waist. I reach out to drape my arm over her shoulder. We walk along the clean, snow-free road, reveling in a silence that is - unlike the silences of the recent past - not uncomfortable.