Page 36 of Make Her Mine
I sat there for a few minutes, going over the exact words I said and if they offended her somehow. After reviewing them all in my mind, there was nothing that should’ve upset her.
It must be her stomach.
Getting out of the car, I went back inside and hoped she’d feel better and come to the media room we hung out in. But she never came, and I eventually got tired of waiting.
As a result, I went to her family’s quarters. That is what a friend would do after all. A quick knock and Mrs. Finley said, “Come in.”
Opening the door, I went inside. “Hi, Mrs. Finley. Is Ella here?”
“She’s in her room.” She directed her head at the hallway behind her. “Third door on the left.”
“Thanks.” I headed back to knock on her door. “Ella, it’s Brandon. Can I come in?”
“Ugh,” she huffed. “Why?”
“I just want to see how you’re feeling is all.” I bit my lip trying not to yell at her about being rude.
“It’s not locked,” she told me.
Opening the door, she was laying on her stomach on her twin-sized bed. “Are you feeling better now?”
“I’m fine.” She kept her eyes on her phone screen. “I’m playing a game.”
“Would you like to watch a movie with me?” I felt a little odd asking her as she obviously wanted to be left alone.
“Not in the mood.” She swiped the screen. “Damn, lost again.”
Taking the phone out of her hands, I got on my knees in front of her. “Good. Let’s do something. Don’t sit here all alone...”
“Iliketo be alone.” She took her phone back out of my hand.
What to say? It was apparent why she hadn’t had any close friends. Why am I spending so much time trying to be one to her? “So, you don’t want to be friends with me?”
Her eyes fixed on the screen once more, she said, “Friends are great until you want to spend time on your own and they won’t let you.”
Pinching the bridge of my nose, I wanted to say so much more but knew it would only cause a fight. “At least can you say something nice about today?”
She finally looked at me. “Oh, yeah. Thanks for taking care of me last night. That was nice of you. And thanks for helping me clean today and taking me for the burger, etcetera. Anything else? Did I miss anything else?” Sarcasm laced her last few words.
“You know what? That shit isn’t necessary, Ella.” Being patient is not in the cards for me. “Why do I even try?”
“Me, neither.” She pulled herself up to sit Indian style, the phone in her hands, still playing the darn game.
“You’re not only immature, you’re a fucking jackass to boot! Has anyone ever told you that before?” I turned to leave her room.
“No, Brandon,” she snapped. “No one has ever told me that. I have no friends.”
There it was. She didn’t have friends! Even though I had many clues as to why, it still upset me that she was alone most of the time. So, I turned around, giving her another chance. “Ella, I want to be your friend. I really do. Can you stop acting this way? It seems you’re afraid things won’t work out and our time together will end. It won’t. I promise you.”
Tossing the phone to the end of the bed, she looked down. “When I was five, I went to the first day of kindergarten. Lacy was sitting in the chair across from mine. We were desk mates. She and I were friends. We said we’d always be friends. Guess what, we weren’t always friends. Do you want to know why?”
Nodding, I truly did. “Please.”
Lifting her head, she looked me square in the eyes. “She kicked the bucket.”
Shock ran through me. “No.”
Nodding, tears in her eyes, she went on, “She didn’t show up for school one day. That turned into a week. The teacher told us that my first friend passed away. Our parents were called to take us from school as we all were upset. On the way home, my mom had the car radio blaring and a news report came on. That’s when I heard the real story. My friend, Lacy Peters was drowned by her very own mother in the bathtub at her home. If that doesn’t make you see why I don’t believe in humanity, then I don’t know how else to make you understand why I don’t want to have friends.”
