Chapter 14. Where we left off

Tessa's POV

FaceTime, the video call where Chelsea and I like to talk all the time. It doesn't matter if we just woke each other up and look fugly, if we're runway ready or even if one of us (hopefully not the two of us) is having a mental breakdown.

At the moment, I listen to Chelsea's rant about this hotty she saw that was 'gay', in other words, he didn't look too happy when she smiled and checked him out.

This is the problem of having a hormonal and quite single best friend who falls for everyone with a sausage between his legs.

She has a full face of makeup on, light pink eyeshadow, cat eyeliner, the whole shebang. That added to her favourite, equally pink, top and grey skinny jeans means she went out to "work on her self-esteem", aka using her charm to get some male company.

Ranting is a must, in my opinion, even for petty things. And having someone to do it with, no matter the topic, is also quite crucial to being happy. There's nothing like getting things out in the open and sharing your worries with others. It will allow you think things through and get feedback on them that might help you see the situation from another perspective, preferably from a better, more clear way. If I'm being frank, this is one of the reasons why I applied for my job and did so well on my interview. Chelsea made me realise my potential one day when she came over to my house.

I remember it so clearly. We had just gotten to my house after meeting up at the park to walk our dogs. I picked up the mail and took the magazines upstairs to my bedroom, where we went to next. It was only after tossing them in my bed that I realised I brought the local newspaper as well. After having the.mazagines be hogged by my so-called bestie, I decided to read it to kill time.

I was just skim reading it and I stopped at the ads' page because of a cartoon on it, a hilarious one at that. Next to it was the helpline's ad.

During what I wanted to be a careful read, Chelsea started poking around at what I was reading. She found immediately because I was using my finger to guide myself as I read it, exactly like an elder would.

She began to mock it straight away.

"Who would even apply for one those things! It's so ridiculous," she yelled between laughs. "Only broke people with no talent, seriously, though, 'help me please, I've broken a nail!'," she says in what I'm assuming was supposed to be an English accent of sorts.

I laughed at her poor impersonation and comment but I found myself thinking about it at night.

Three days later I was at the interview for a job there, shortly after that, I have an email in my inbox welcoming me to the team that including the must knows, some of the company's policies and information about the mandatory 3-hour seminar for newcomers.

"...So he passes by me and I smile, obviously. He was stunning so, how could I not?" She continues, "He was one of those guys that make you want to stop everything and take a minute to appreciate his god-like looks. And he had the freaking courage to frown at me! Who does that?!" I laugh at her, she is so bothered by a reaction of someone she doesn't even know... It's ridiculous, utterly ridiculous but above all it's ridiculously funny! "Tessa, why aren't you saying anything? I'm in the desperate need of a sympathetic friend."

Time to take off my big-girl pants and put on the hormonal teen hat!

"Well, it depends on the guy. You do fall for every good looking person you see, not necessarily guys even though you are straight." She rolls her eyes and then joins me and chuckles.

"You're such a bitch sometimes, I don't know how you do it."

"It's a talent of mine," I claimed as she smiled, only to then frown.

"What is it, hun?" I asked, genuinely concerned for my friend whose hopes and dreams to be with a perfect stranger were drastically destroyed and torn apart.

"Do you think I'm pretty?" It's a very weird question coming from her, she is a beautiful person. Seriously, though, she is stunning. Those eyes alone will make anyone fall head over heels for her! But I've decided not to tell her that, not yet anyway. Time for a Tumblr joke!

"Don't be sad, don't be blue, Frankenstein was ugly too."

"Oh buhu, Tessa," she says while chuckling. "Newsflash, this is FaceTime, not a mirror!"

"Wanna know something, Chelsea, my darling? I'm giving you my expert advice on this, by the way. Jealousy is a terrible disease, I hope you get well soon." 

Needless to say, the best friend award of this year goes to Tessa Scott! How could anyone even consider someone else for it?

"I love you, Chels. Don't ever forget that, plus you're the prettier one of the two of us so get your head out of your ass! It's about time you let that sink in." She rolls her eyes at me, again. All of our bickerings is then silenced by a screaming Grace.

"CHELSEA! I NEED YOU TO GO TO THE NEIGHBOURS!" She screams although I think she's downstairs I can hear as if she was outside my room. She's a sweetheart with a good set of lungs!

I see my girl roll her eyes and take a deep breath, it might be lame but she's my girl.

"I gotta go, as I'm guessing you already know..." She says with a not-so-happy tone since she has to go to Patterson's house. They are very strange people, they are creepily nice which makes others want to make a run for it.

"Good luck, I hope you make it out of there alive!" I chuckle knowing she will be in a foul mood after it.

We finally end our hour and twenty-five-minute-long call and I'm left in dead silence. Total silence, if you rule out the barking dogs outside, the vacuum cleaner downstairs, my mum singing in the shower and my snoring father.

It's always fun to be a little sleeper with an insomniac friend, isn't it? We're a match made in heaven and everyone is aware of that.

The shower stops and there I am, left to gain the courage to crawl out of my warm bed and get in the shower...

An hour later I am squeaky clean and ready for my day, of not doing anything but homework and studying.

Yoga pants and a tank top on, bra and shoes off and hair tied in the world's messiest bun. Most importantly, I now have a full stomach.

I sit down as I start organising my things my subjects, placing the most urgent ones on top of the others.

Halfway through the first sentence of my English essay on the book we've been reading the for the past month my phone rings.

I pick it up and answer it as quickly as I could, "Glad to see you made it out of there alive." I said into the speaker, not realising I wasn't talking to the same person as I was an hour ago.

"What? Made it out of where alive, are you talking about school or something?" He asks in the most confused tone I've ever heard him talk in.

"Oh," I cover my eyes with my free hand realising my mistake. "Hey James, I didn't know it was you. I was expecting someone else to call."

Curious enough, he understood and didn't question me further. Instead of letting myself wonder how on Earth I was able to pick up the phone and not see that it wasn't her who was calling.

The best thing about Melissa giving us the smartphones was the fact that these Wiko things are dual-SIM so it allowed me to switch from the crappy one I used before.

"Before you say anything, have you thought about our conversation yesterday?" I ask hesitantly.

"Um... Yeah but, I still don't know." He sounds so unsure, I really want to get to the bottom of this but I know I need to give him time.

"It's alright, sorry if it feels like I'm rushing you. Take your time and think it through, I'm here if you need me."

"I know..."

"Can I be really annoying?" I ask although I already am a huge pain in the arse 24/7.

"Are you always?" He answers but not in the tone people would think.

"So I'm going to be a nag and I want you to listen to me carefully and not interrupt. Okay? Okay! So, you know that feeling you have in your gut sometimes that you are not doing something that isn't working for you or you simply think you're not good enough? Of course you do, I do too, all the time. Anyway, it's in those moments, when you feel like quitting that you should take a moment to look back and think about why you started. I know you are in a rough situation, several actually but you have a choice to make, either get bitter or get better. It's that simple, but does it feel like it? No, you either take what has been thrown your way and allow it to make you a better person, or you allow it to tear you down. The choice doesn't belong to fate, it is entirely yours.

"Be gentle with yourself, you're doing the best you can but don't allow yourself to get distracted by meaningless shenanigans. The best dreams happen when you're awake and attitudes, although they are tiny little things, they make a huge difference." I pause to take a deep breath and then continue at full speed again. "Don't let small minds convince you that your dreams are too big, delete all the negative people from your life so you allow yourself to grow happier and stronger. You have got to believe in yourself to the max and know that everything will work out, even if it doesn't seem like it. Nobody else will be there for you at all times but you. Just remember that difficult roads often lead to beautiful destinations and it does get better. Never forget any of that, ok?"

"Ahhh... Ok," even I am shocked at my own speech, poor him, having me blast all that into his ears must not have been nice.

"Good, now if you'll excuse me, I need a moment to breathe."

"I bet." He pauses, "Nobody has ever ben this determined to help me before, especially not with those speeches. Thanks, T."

"T? Who are you and what have you done to James? That's what Chelsea, and only Chelsea, calls me!"

"The annoying best friend, right?" Why on Earth would he have memorised such an insignificant detail? He must have one heck of a memory, I'll tell you that much.

"Yup, that's the one. She's actually an amazing person, behind all that messy girly-ness and hormones. She's a great friend too, she's always there and believes in me no matter what. You should have a friend like that, I hope you find your Chelsea." If everyone had someone they could be this close to, they would be a lot happier, more confident and they would dare to dream bigger than ever. Chelsea has always been there for me, even when I didn't know I needed someone. She's always been special since I met her, over four years ago.

"I think I want one of those, minus the girly-ness. Ok, maybe some girly-ness, it sounds nice to care for someone that much." It truly is, why aren't the so-called soulmates have a variation? Like bromates, that sounds so weird and manly.

"It's easy to get used to, there's nothing better than to be comfortable around everyone, no matter the gender. Although, yeah periods are awful, they aren't that bad. It's nice to have someone that's there for you and to be there for."

"Are they really that bad? I see girls who look like they're dying and others are fine all month long." Boys' ignorance towards something that is going to haunt their girlfriends every month has always astonished me, not judging gay men, I love them too. I actually have a close gay friend, he's awesome. It's not the sexual orientation that matters, it's the person!

"It depends on the girl, some even pass out, others are okay since they only suffer from mild cramps. It's complicated, as is everything else in life."

"Glad I'm a guy," he states but he doesn't know exactly how lucky he is since women are  still looked at differently by society.

"You should be! So, is there anything different going on in that exciting life of yours?"

"Not really, there's this fair, though. My family wants to drag me there when it comes." I love fairs so much, they are awesome especially to make memories.

"That sounds nice, why is it such a drag for you?"

"I-We had our first kiss at that fair. It was always our special place, and it brings back memories..."

"Oh," that's sweet. I want to have a special place with my special someone, one day. "I'm sure she would have wanted you to go and have a good time with your family if you are comfortable with that."

"Maybe next year. I-I don't think I'm ready for that, not yet."

"That's ok, you don't have to get so sad about it. These things take time, it will be worth it in the end."

Some things are incredibly hard to get over so I do know where he is coming from with this but sometimes miracles happen when you leave your comfort zone...

I hear a light knock on my wooden door and my mum slowly enters. She must have heard me on the phone because she doesn't say anything, instead, she grabs a pen from my desk and write on a post-it and then left as quietly as she came in.

'Lunch at Spork with Patty at 1pm' it said, leaving me with about half an hour to get ready.

"Hey, James? I have to go, my mum wants to us to have lunch with an old friend."

"Oh ok," I think there was a hint of disappointment in his voice but I'm not sure, either way, I didn't like it.

"We'll talk soon and try not to rush things but don't leave everything to be dealt with tomorrow because it's like when people say they are going on diets, tomorrow never comes.

{AN}

This chapter is dedicated to cleverwren, I know you might not want to read this book since its main topic is close to home but I'm glad you're ok now.

By the way that speech Tessa gave him was about 5 different quotes in two hundred words of her happy and overly cheerful self.

Don't forget to vote and comment your opinion, I want to establish a goal for this chapter: 20 votes. It's not asking too much, is it?