Why did I befriend total buffoons?

"Strawberry is better than all the other flavors. It's refreshing and is just beautiful." I interrupt the debate between ice cream flavors. Yes, ice cream.

"You're boring as fuck, girl. Every other flavor is better than strawberry. Widen your horizons. Think, mint choc chip, cookie dough, rocky road." Hanna says, shaking her head as I happily shove a spoonful of strawberry ice cream into my mouth. "Disgusting."

"Mint is the elite." Matt argues, and I can't exactly fight him on that because it is a god tier flavor.

"Okay, ice cream flavors aside, are we actually going to shop any time today?" Lauren asks with puppy eyes. She is obsessed with shopping, of any kind... but she has a point here. We've been in the mall an hour now, and all we've done is walk incredibly slow whilst eating ice cream. Not that I'm complaining but I would love to shop myself sometime within the next year.

"Yeah, I'm excited... but I can't get much." I mutter the last thing under my breath. I didn't even mean for that to come out of my mouth. Great, well done Fran. 

"You know we've got you, Frankie; get what you want and need. Please." Lauren assures, smiling – pleading with me. How did I get so lucky with the friends that I got? I appreciate it but I know I won't be able to pay her – well her parents – back, and that doesn't sit right with me. "If you don't, I will purposely pick up every single piece of clothing you give one second of your attention to and pay for them. And you know I will because I have before."

Lauren's stubborn, that's for sure. She's not lying either, she did that once and we fell into an eruption of laughter at the checkout when we realized how much she got – even things that I didn't even want. Thankfully she didn't get to buy everything that time and put the clothes back that I wouldn't wear.

"I don't even need anything though guys, because what I wear in the summer, I can wear comfortably in the winter." I gesture to the outfit that I'm wearing right now; a band shirt that I've tied up and some baggy jeans that I aren't purposely baggy but sadly I had bought the wrong size. I love my style though, and I don't really need any more clothes. "So, I'll just be using money that I don't have and can't pay back."

"Okay, but you don't need to pay us back. We've had this discussion around a hundred times already, but it never sinks in." Matt begins, oh great, here comes the rant. "Lauren, Hanna and I share the same kind of parents. Parents that have always cared more about work than us; we had nanny's growing up, and massive allowances to keep us satisfied or whatever. We would rather have attention from our parents than stupid money, but we can't change that. This money that we hold in our cards, doesn't mean shit to us. Our parents do not expect us to give it back, so if we want to spend a little bit of money on our amazing friend, then that is what we shall do. In a month, it'll be topped up yet again"

It doesn't change how I feel. I understand that they have money that they don't particularly care about because of their parents, but I don't want to take it. I know I could easily, but they're the morels I've grown up with. I like to earn money for things I buy, obviously it's really nice to have something bought for you but I hate with a passion taking money that isn't mine even if they're rich as fuck. 

"But your parents-" I start, but he cuts me off again.

"They don't even check their back account, nevertheless ours. And so what? They gave us it, so it shouldn't matter what and whom we spend it on." He assures, and I sigh.

"Fine, but I don't want too much. I already have so much clothes." I say, telling nothing but the truth.

I know, I caved but he would have kept going and going until I did... and honestly, I need a new pair of jeans because I left my favorite pair back in New Haven. I'm not buying much though because there's no need for new clothes right now.

"She isn't wrong; she overrules our room." He says, putting his arm over my shoulder and I groan, looking up at him.

"You are the one that kicks me out of bed when I'm getting my well needed sleep. On that subject – when are we meeting mystery man? We don't even know his name, yet I let him in my room around my things." I ask, sulking slightly because I really do want to know.

"Yeah, come on Matt, we all want to know." Hanna says, poking his cheek.

"Ugh fine, his name is Kieran and the status – as it always was – is that we're casually sleeping together. It's college, and as much as I want a relationship, I just can't be bothered with college guys, and no way am I going to settle down with one. I'd rather be someone's college fling, you know." He rambles, and I agree totally. That is why for the thousandth time, I have sworn of guys because around here, they are all immature boys just like from high school.

"When do we get to meet him? I know it's a fling or whatever, but that's what college is. I think we'd all like to meet him." Lauren asks, smiling up at Matt.

"I don't know. Like, I don't want to ask him because that may sound like I'm being quite serious about us which I'm not. So, maybe you can just meet casually at a party sometime; there's one this weekend we're going to – it's his best friend's birthday." He says with a sigh, and my ears perk up at that.

"Where?" I ask.

"Just at his frat." He tells me.

"Oh, I think Ethan may have been talking about the same one." I mutter, letting yet another topic slip out of my big mouth. I'm so fucking stupid.

"Ethan?!" All three of them blurt out, oh shit. Yeah, did I forget to tell them we had spoken? Maybe.

"Yeah, he said it was his friend's birthday. Usually he wouldn't go to a frat party but this one is an exception – he invited me but I said I weren't going. You guys can do whatever though." I dismiss them quickly, slyly diverting the topic back to them.

"Didn't you tell me he was hot?" Hanna asks, and I shake my head. Not that I haven't thought that, but I certainly haven't said it out loud.

"That was me, and he really is." Matt says and I groan, looking up at him.

"Well why would you decline an invite from a hot person?" She asks, and I sigh, I'm not getting out of this easily.

"Because why not. He's not that special, and I'm not really in the mood to party. Last year that is all we did. And I'm working on Saturday anyway." I explain, avoiding the actual reason why I'm not exactly into partying, which is – as it always is – the incident. Have you ever kept something so heartbreaking to yourself and it's just hurting you more every day, but you know you're not strong enough to tell anyone? That's what I'm dealing with, and I wish I could tell someone what happened but I can't.

"Please reconsider, it's nearly been three weeks since we've been out." Lauren says, and I sigh, shaking my head. "Well, it's only Wednesday, we've still got some time to persuade the she-devil."

"Wow. You're rude." I mutter, laughing only slightly.

"I know but it's for your own good. Wait... I see Zara, I need to shop, let's go." She pulls me by my arm, and I laugh as she forces me to run with her. Jesus, this girl.

~~

Remind me to never go shopping with these people ever again. And I mean never. Some may dream of beaches and cocktails, but I'm currently daydreaming of lying in bed, also known as my paradise.

My feet hurt, and a headache is currently on the horizon. I've got one shirt so far, whereas everyone else has bought bags full already. This isn't because of the money problem; this is just the fact I don't need anything and I haven't particularly found anything I like yet.

Why don't people do online shopping, it's so much easier and less painful.

I've been a whiny brat inside my head but not once have I complained out loud, and that is something I can be proud of.

"How much shopping are we doing today?" I ask curiously, picking up a pair of very cute brown heeled boots. But where the fuck am I going to wear them? To lectures with some pajamas? I don't think so.

"I only need a new dress for the party this weekend." Hanna tells me, shrugging her shoulders.

"Don't worry, we won't be too long." Lauren assures, and I fight the urge to snort at her comment. Yeah, we're going to be in here for another three hours, that's for sure.

"To pass time, do you wanna here something interesting?" Matt asks and we all groan. Before we can say no, he continues to tell us. "On the weather app on our phones, when it says forty percent rain, that doesn't mean there is a forty percent chance of it raining. It actually means the percentage of how much rain fall there will be in the area. So, the amount of times I've gone outside thinking 'Oh, well there's only a forty percent chance of rain today, so I won't bring a coat,' yet I get wet through every single time, was because all this time I really thought there wasn't much chance of rain anyway. Am I just stupid?"

I'm baffled. Completely and utterly baffled by the revelation that he's just told me. When you really digest it, it makes sense. I go out thinking it was the percentage of chance, so I risk it. Interesting. But the instructions should be a little clearer though because who in their right mind thinks it's the amount of rain in the area... I certainly didn't. Are we all just stupid?

"I think we're all stupid." Lauren finally answers, since we're all left stunned.

"See, these are the things we are never taught and we're miraculously meant to know." Hanna says with a frown on her face.

"Are you sure it's a fact?" I ask him and he nods vigorously. "Huh, we've been lied to our whole lives."

~~

My friends kindly bought me a few things throughout the shopping trip. I only wanted a pair of jeans – which I did thankfully get – but Lauren saw me eyeing things, and she wouldn't stop pleading with me until I caved.

So, now I have a pair of blue jeans that I will most likely wear to work later today. A massive light blue hoodie that will be my next new best friend... until I lose it... again. Then lastly, a beautiful new white sequined dress that I wasn't even going to get. I'll most likely wear it to a party sometime but for right now, I really don't see when that will be.

Partying and I, we do not mix as we've already established.

The shopping trip lasted five hours, and originally it was only going to be a couple, but as the hours passed, I guess we all silently agreed we were skipping all of our Wednesday classes. Matt said, and I quote, "We all need some retail therapy." I assure you; this was not at all like therapy. Well, technically it was torturous and tiring. So, I guess it was.

Then I drove us all back to our dorm, we dumped everything at the doorstep and crashed in the living room, where we now lay, spread out amongst the many seating we have. All three of them are asleep; their low snores filling my ears as I play on my phone. I don't care what people say, Temple Run is still iconic. My high score is something like forty million – me and the gang always have competitions but Matt always cheats; using the save me's. I know we're in our twenties but come on, it passes the time.

When I crash into a stupid tree, I sigh, finally exiting the game. It's two PM, I have work in an hour. Do I get a shower and get ready early, or nap and be late? As much as the latter sound convincing, I can't, so I drag myself up and make my way towards the bathroom.

I love/hate going to work because it's very tiring and the pay isn't the best, but I love seeing the customers, and hanging out with Leah. It's a very easy job, and at least I get a discount on the leftover food – that's a great bonus. My boss, Karen, is the most awful person I've ever met but she's the one who pays me so I just lay low and do the job. It's fourteen hours a week which is hardly anything really.

Turning the light on, I lift my shirt above my head, dropping it to the floor before I look up, sighing as I see my reflection. I'm not in pain anymore, but the bruising is still only slightly visible and that alone is haunting enough.

I turn the light back off before I turn the shower on.

Showering in the dark it is, as always.

~~~~~

A/N

I feel like for the last two chapters they've been filler ones, but I promise the story starts going very soon and I'm really excited. I love Francesca's friends, so I'm trying to involve them more as well.

Life update: It was so nice today, not warm like summer warm, but 14 degrees, which if you are from the UK, you will know that is okay weather especially after this cold winter. It was really nice to just be out, to be honest lol. Nothing else is really happening since England is still in a lockdown though, so I can't really update you on anything.

Question of the chapter:

How old are you? I'm 17!

Thank you for reading! Please comment your thoughts, vote by pressing the little star, and if you want, you can follow me too. Xx

2302 words!

~B