Number 2

The rain pounds against the window as the grey skies rumble and crackle with a brewing storm. [Name] kept the lights off and lit candles all around the house to set the mood for tonight. There haven't been any blackouts yet, but she wasn't taking any chances.

Wherever her mother is, [Name] hopes she's okay and not trapped in this storm.

Taking her blanket, she ties it around her neck like a cape and trots to the kitchen. She makes herself some tea and rummages through the cupboards for a sleeve of cookies.

Stress eating is apart of the healing process.

[Name] pulls out her phone and scrolls through her contacts list as she shovels cookies down her throat. Right above the 'Mom' contact is 'Mackie' AKA, Mackenzie. [Name's] best friend since kindergarten.

Her thumb hovers over the screen. She can't pick between her two comforts—her mom and her best friend. So, she closes her eyes and taps the screen. She has a fifty-fifty chance of picking Mackenzie over her mother.

She lifts the phone to her ear and hears it ring a few times before opening her eyes.

A womanly voice answers the phone, "Hello?"

[Name] recognizes the voice and sighs. "Hey, mom, where are you?"

Her mother chuckles. "You're back home, again?"

"Yeah. Where are you?" [Name] repeats as she stirs honey into her tea.

"I'm halfway across the world baby!" She laughs. "Sammy thought I needed a vacation to get away from all that rain."

"So, you're not trapped in this storm like the rest of us poor folk?"

"You're in a storm? You traveled from your place to mine in a storm? You could've crashed your car!"

[Name] leans against the counter, pulling the blanket more on her shoulders. "Well, actually, I didn't drive. I took the bus."

"What?!" Her mother bellows.

[Name] pulls the phone away from her ear, wincing at the loudness. After a second or two, she holds the phone to her ear again.

"Why would you take the bus?! That's like a two-hour bus ride in the rain!"

"It wasn't raining when I left," [Name] defends, her voice turning soft. "And Adam took my car keys. I don't know where he hid them."

There's silence over the receiver. Then a sigh.

"You know what I'm going to say."

[Name] nods, despite her mother not being able to see her. "Communication."

"That's what me and your father had to figure out. God rest his soul," she says. "Before you were born, we always fought, arguing over little things."

[Name] peers down at her tea and half a sleeve of cookies. "Right."

"Communication is key."

It's conversations like these that keep [Name] going.

If Mom and Dad can do it, she thinks. Then so can Adam and I.

"Thank you, mom," she whispers.

"You're welcome, sweetie. Now, I must go. Sammy is just waking up. Bye-bye now!"

"Bye, mom."

The call dies and [Name] rests his phone on the counter. She recollects herself, picking up the pieces of her confidence.

"If mom can do it, so can I."

...

[Name] returns to her room and continues the episode of Naruto on her laptop. It's the episode where they first introduce Itachi Uchiha.

[Name] never understood Mackenzie's obsession with fictional characters. Obsession actually means attraction.

[Name] only saw them as drawings. Animated drawings. There's nothing sexy about them. It's not like they're real. But no, Mackenzie thought the Uchiha boys were soooo hot. Even that decrepit ninety-year-old, Madara.

[Name] drinks her tea as she watches Itachi try to capture young Naruto. She's watched this scene before, and it never ceases to amaze her that Itachi politely knocks on the door instead of busting it down like his partner would have.

The action starts to get good, and Sasuke shows up to stop and "kill" his brother. She watches intently, her eyes gluing to the screen.

Then her phone rings.

The jolly jingle makes her tear her eyes away from the screen. She grabs her phone, looking at the ID before answering.

"Hey, Mackie!" [Name] greets, lowering the volume on her laptop.

"You know I hate it when you call me that," Mackenzie sighs, but she perks up instantly. "I got a call from your mom."

"Oh."

"Adam? Again?" Her voice sounds tired, just as tired as her mother's voice sounds when Adam is involved.

"Well, yeah. He got mad over burnt pizza."

She scoffs and then there's silence.

"Mad over pizza, eh? He needs prayer."

Mackenzie believes in the power of prayer, for she is religious. She prays for the protection of her friends and family and prays for their prosperity. Yet, none of that stuff ever fell on [Name] shoulders. Or perhaps it did, but [Name] never got the hint.

"You need prayer too," Mackenzie adds. "You need the strength to leave him, and for something good to happen to you."

"I don't want to leave him."

If [Name] could see Mackenzie's face, fear would've been shot straight into her heart. Mackenzie believes [Name] to be a fool. A complete and utter fool to stay with him. But, that's her best friend, and no one knows what's better for [Name] than [Name].

"Fine. Fine, fine, fine! I'm still praying for you. If you can last two years, you can last two more."

"Thank you."

Mackenzie clears her throat. "If you don't mind, I want you to hear it... I want you to hear my blessing for you."

[Name's] never heard Mackenzie pray for her out loud before. She's always done it on her own where she connects personally with her God. So it's awkward for [Name].

Mackenzie begins her prayer, thanking her Lord for the day and her friends and family. She asks for a blessing of strength on [Name] (to leave Adam of course) and asks for a godsent gift that'll change her best friend's life.

Her simple prayer ends, and [Name] expresses her gratitude. "Thank you, that was very kind of you."

"It's no problem," Mackenzie says. "Just don't overextend yourself for him. Don't accept any sorries until he fully realizes that you're the best thing that ever happened to him. You're amazing [Name], please don't forget that."

[Name] feels tears prick at her eyes, but she blinks them away. Any time she fights with Adam, her self-esteem plummets, and she forgets who she is for a while. But hearing the encouraging words from her friend lift her spirits in more ways than one. "I won't."

They talk for a while, reminiscing on the past and catching up on the present. Mackenzie can't be with [Name] right now because she's away at uni. In a few weeks, she'll have a break, and then they can meet up again, but for now, they're apart, living separate lives for the first time.

"All right," Mackenzie yawns. "I have to go. Exam tomorrow."

[Name] deflates, and tries not to sound too upset. "All right. Bye."

The call ends, and [Name] finally returns to her show.

When talking to Mackenzie, [Name] didn't realize that her screen froze. She taps the space bar and wiggles her finger over the touchpad. Yet, the screen starts frozen on Itachi's face.

His piercing red eyes stare at her as she tries to get her janky ass laptop to work again.

"Fucking buffer!" She takes her frozen laptop and places it on her desk. It was getting late anyway.

[Name] undresses, taking everything off. Sleeping naked is a luxury that she can't have when Adam is around since he thinks she's trying to have sex.

She slips beneath her blankets and closes her eyes. The yellow hue of the candlelight serves as a silent lullaby with its apple cinnamon smell that provides its own calming melody. She takes a deep breath and empties her mind.

Hopefully, the sun will come out tomorrow.

...

A/N: Is my writing even good lmfao. (This story is really self-indulgent. Sorry lol. I like this story so much. Lol sorry).

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