The trio occupied their usual table in the university's café after a long day of classes. They just wanted to take the ti to catch up, relax, and sip on sothing warm. It was still so cold outside.
Their laughter echoed throughout the small space as they reflected on Alyssa's birthday celebration.
"I hit you behind the head, and you went down," Zoe taunted Elias.
Alyssa was smiling so much that her face was hurting. She was glad that her boyfriend and best friend got along well.
It made these hangouts that much more fun. She couldn't imagine how awkward it would be if they didn't get along.
"I think you're exaggerating a little. I literally just lost my balance. Right, Alyssa?" Elias replied as he turned to her for support.
Alyssa put her hands up innocently.
"I'm not taking sides. You both had so wins and losses," she pointed out. It was pretty even. She had knocked them both down too. Zoe was definitely the most aggressive one.
Her and Elias both tried strategic maneuvers. Sotis they worked. Sotis they didn't. It was hard to predict against concentrated rage.
"Traitor," Elias muttered before clicking his tongue at her. "I'll rember that."
"Pfft. What are you going to do?" Alyssa smirked at him in a defiant manner. He could make threats all he wanted, but it was down to if he would actually do them or not. He was all talk and no bite.
"You'll see," Elias rely said, not giving her any hints.
"He's probably going to spank you," Zoe whispered, making Elias laugh and Alyssa blush.
"Alright, alright. Let's reel it in," Alyssa chastised them, trying not to laugh herself.
Her phone then suddenly rang. She brought it closer to her so that she could read the caller ID. It was her mom.
She imdiately put the call on silent. She was probably wanting more money to recover from blowing all of hers during the holiday.
"You know, we should probably show so school spirit next year. Like see a football ga or sothing," Zoe comnted.
Elias wrinkled his nose slightly at that.
"Football gas are kind of boring," he replied.
Zoe shrugged.
"Most people leave during halfti," she replied.
Alyssa knew where Zoe was coming from. College was basically their ho during the year. She liked this place, but she wasn't all that involved.
She was so busy attending classes or doing howork that she didn't have much extra ti to spare. She usually gave it to her friends.
"Maybe we can do a volunteer club or sothing," she suggested. She wanted to get involved, but she wanted to do it in a way that mattered.
"That's not a bad idea," Elias replied. "But you have your research work. You're going to be swamped."
Alyssa nodded, knowing he had a point. She was glad to be busy with that, though. She would be doing important work that could possibly help people in the future.
She would rather spend her ti doing sothing important than going to a football ga just to say that she went. She was getting to a point in her life where she really needed to prioritize her ti.
"I'll figure sothing out," she said. Volunteering still sounded like fun whenever she had the chance to.
"I hope you still make ti for little old ," Zoe teased her lightly.
Alyssa nudged Zoe with her elbow.
"Of course," she promised. She could never leave them behind. She believed that they had helped her get to this point by believing in her and supporting her.
They never left her side, and she would never leave theirs either. She hoped they would never have to, even in the far future.
She heard of college friends splitting apart as everyone went their separate ways after graduation.
She knew that was part of life. People faded apart, but she hoped that she got spend as much ti with them as she possibly could. Maybe they would be one of the rare cases and always remain friends.
"Babe, your phone is ringing again," Elias told her. His eyes shifted to the screen to see the caller ID. A concerned look crossed his face.
Alyssa waved her hand dismissively. She wished her mom would stop calling to bother her. She just didn't know how to take a hint.
She didn't understand how her mom could think that it was right to keep badgering her for money. She was their kid. They were supposed to provide for her, not the other way around.
"It's nothing," she assured him, not wanting to make sothing out of nothing. She knew better than to feed into her parents' drama. Once she did, it took forever to detach herself. They always tried to suck her into their trouble, but she was gone.
They all got back to talking about their grades and possible plans for Spring Break. They all agreed that Miami sounded like fun. They all wanted to go to the beach and lay under the warm sun, to leave this place behind for a little while.
Alyssa hoped they were able to actually put that plan into action. She knew it involved planning and money, but she loved planning things and could save up enough money for the trip by the ti Spring Break arrived.
Alyssa parted her lips to comnt on sothing when her mom called her a third ti. A third ti. That was unheard of. Usually, her mom stopped after the second call.
Sothing told Alyssa to pick up the phone this ti. She just didn't know what could be so important that would make her mom feel the need to call her three tis.
She felt a sense of unease as she grabbed her phone and answered it. She brought it up to her ear as Zoe and Elias quieted down so that she could hear.
"Hello?" she said. She heard silence at first, and then she heard her mom crying. She felt confused. Her mom hardly ever cried. "What's going on?"
"Your dad…"
Alyssa narrowed her eyes as she listened to her mom break out into a sob, cutting herself off. She didn't know what was going on, but a heavy feeling started to settle in her chest.
She guessed that maybe her mom caught her dad cheating on her. They had fought over her dad checking out another woman before. It wouldn't be the craziest thing in the world.
"He died."
Reviews
All reviews (0)