Thick thighs {Completed}

Chapter 6

Edited

Kayla

I was sitting on the couch Indian style, nodding off a bit. Have you ever just sat there and randomly get tired? That's what is happening to me. One minute I was up and full of energy, the next, I was fighting to keep my eyes open. As my head lolled to one side there was a loud slam that scared me so bad I almost fell off the couch. April was back from wherever she ran off to. She took a seat on the chair opposite of me but didn't say anything. She just looked at me. "What?" I asked nervously. Did I drool or something? I unconsciously rubbed my face to check.

"I'm sorry," she said. I was confused. Why was she apologizing? "I shouldn't have come at you like that."

"Oh," I realized where she was going with this. "It's okay."

"I look at you like a sister. I know how much you care about Josh and how much you want him to care about you. I know it's hard to let go. But it's time you stop holding on to him. Josh is not your friend. He's a poison."

"He's not poison," I insisted. "He always protected me when we were younger-"

"And now you're grown. Stop looking to other people to protect you. There are situations where you're going to need to protect yourself. You're in one right now. All Josh is doing is hurting you. That night, I was seeing a new Kayla be born. You were finally having fun and not moping behind some boy who plays with your emotions."

"He may not be the same now but he's still my friend. We grew up together. I just can't give up on a friendship like that."

"It's a one-sided friendship. Why can't you see that? Josh doesn't hang out with you, he doesn't protect you, he barely talks to you, and he's been lying to you! Don't be stupid behind this boy Kayla."

I chewed my lip nervously. I really can't just give up on Josh. I know he hasn't been the same since freshman year but that doesn't change the fact we have a history. He may not do all the same things he once did but in my heart, I still think of Josh as my friend. Maybe I'm stupid or whatever but that's just how I feel.

"I appreciate you caring so much," I smiled at her. "But that won't change how I view him. I made a promise and I intend to keep it. Josh is my friend."

April shook her head at me. "There's only so much I can say and do. At the end of it all, YOU have to do what you think is right and best. But you need to go outside and have a talk with somebody." She got up from her seat.

"With who?"

She opened the door and pointed out. "Go find out." I hesitated before getting up and walking through the door. "Knock when you're done." She closed and locked the door behind me.

"Hey." I jumped at the sound of a voice. "Sorry for scaring you," someone chuckled. I turned and to my surprise, it was Andre. Part of me was happy to see him but another part is terrified. He nodded his head in another direction. "Let's take a walk."

"O-Okay." I followed him down the stairs and down the street. It was a pretty quiet night for it to be so early. I played with my fingers as awkwardness filled the air.

"I know what Josh told you," he finally spoke. My heart rate sped up. "Fucked up. Half the shit he said wasn't true and I would've been one hundred percent honest about it had you asked me."

"I-I'm sorry," I mumbled.

"I don't want to hear 'I'm sorry'," he said stopping and facing me. "I want to hear why. Why would you just take his word for it and not ask me about it?"

"I thought you would've lied to me."

"Have I given you any reason to think I would lie to you?"

"N-No but we were otherwise strangers. If Shawn came to you about some things about me, who would you believe? Me or him?"

"I would heed Shawn's warning but give you the benefit of the doubt. And if I were to cut you off I would at least have an excuse for it." I was quiet. "And there's a difference between my friendship with Shawn and your friendship with Josh. Our friendship is real and we have respect for the other. We're actual friends who have each other's back. Josh didn't even acknowledge you. He's only your friend when it's convenient for him."

"Our friendship works differently," I mumbled.

Andre shook his head. "I like you Kayla." It felt like my heart skipped a beat when he said that. I don't know why I felt a bit of excitement and happiness but I did. "But after this, I don't know what to think of you. I would've respected it had you not ended things the way you did."

"I'm really sorry. I was scared and I had no idea what to do-"

"It's time to grow up Kayla." I looked at him in surprise. "You're a grown woman. You should at least act like it. When you're grown this is not how you do things or solve problems. I know you're way smarter than how you're acting."

"Who are you to judge me?" I snapped. I felt offended by what he was saying and it hurt. "You don't know me or what I've been through."

"Plenty of people went through shit Kayla. You're not the only one with baggage and problems. You have people who care about you and are willing to help you. Just stop doing dumb shit and pushing away people who really care about you just to make the ones who don't give a fuck about your existence happy. You think you know Josh just because y'all are friends? Trust me Kayla, you don't even know the half of it. You don't know the real him."

I sniffed as tears began rolling down my face. Why can't people just leave me and my friendship with Josh alone? I do know him. He's my friend that I've known for years. He may have not told me about Chris but everything else he told me was the truth. I know it is. "You don't know him. All the things he went through. You don't know."

He smirked. "I know a lot more than you think. I'm not one to air out anyone's dirty laundry so I'm not at liberty to say." He gave me a really genuine look. "I really did think highly of you, you know?" It suddenly felt like my heart was breaking. "But you need to do some personal growth. Get right with yourself." He wiped the tears off of my face. "I wanna be there for you but you got to be there for yourself first. Only you can show yourself the truth."

"So," my voice cracked a little. "This is it? This is where it ends?" He shrugged indifferently. I nodded. "Well, bye." I walked back to my apartment and tried keeping myself together. I knocked on the door and April opened it.

"What happened?" She asked.

"We talked," I mumbled. "I don't think we'll be friends again."

"So y'all are officially done?" She said with a sad face. "I didn't think he would give up so easily. You okay?"

"We weren't that close anyways. I'm going to bed." I went into my room and locked the door. I buried my face into my pillow and cried. Why did I feel like the biggest idiot in the entire world who made the biggest mistake ever? Why do I feel like...I lost something real?