"Never leave a friend behind. Friends are all we have to get us through this life-and they are the only things from this world that we could hope to see in the next." ~Dean Koontz

• • •

The weekend after my birthday, I'm laying in bed doing absolutely nothing while throwing one of my pillows up in the air before catching it.

My whole family is busy today with Marcel studying for his last A-Level exam, mum at work and dad with Omari watching Nolan's basketball game. I mean I could have gone and watched that but I wasn't feeling it today since I went last time. I'm starting to regret that decision as I lay here wasting the day away.

I could hang out with Abel but I'm always around him and I feel like he's getting tired of me. When I bring that thought up, he immediately shuts it down saying he enjoys spending time with me the most. But still, too much can be bad.

All of a sudden, I remember how Rolo kept the fact that Marcel and Tenaya are dating from me.

I jump up from my bed and get ready before shooting Rolo a quick text that I'm heading over.

Since I'm barely five minutes away. I make it there in no time.

I knock on the door eagerly waiting for a response.

"Keziah!" Rolos father opens the door wide and immediately picks me up in a hug.

"It's been a while since you've been over here!" He exclaims happily.

He sets me back down on the ground and I discreetly take in a deep breathe since that hug almost suffocated me.

Rolos father is a big burly guy with dreads similar to Rolos. If I didn't know him, I'd think he was one of the most intimidating guys I'd ever met. But really, he's just a big teddy bear.

"I know but I  promised Rolo that I would try to come round more often from now on."

He nods at me with a smile and lets me in.

It doesn't look his mum is home so I head straight upstairs to Rolos room and burst in without knocking, "Rolo!" I yell with my arms stretched wide.

"Keziah!" He copies my gesture.

I laugh at his and drop myself onto his bed with a sigh.

"How come you invited yourself here today?" He questions me.

"Can't I visit my best friend whenever I want?" I raise my eyebrows at him from my position.

Rolo shrugs and looks away from me which is sort of strange since he always has a sarcastic retort for me.

I ignore this and go ahead with asking what I wanted to.

"You knew about Marcel and Tenaya!"

"Yeah so?"

I hit his arm, "How come you didn't tell me!" I yell.

Rolo turns and kind a glare on me, "Because you're practically never there anymore Kez!"

I reel back from the anger evident in his tone, "Wha-what do you mean?"

Rolo stands up and paces around his room, "You're always with Abel these days! You barely ever give me a second thought! I'm your best friend Keziah yet you've just thrown me to the side like your very own rag doll! You never choose to hang out with me anymore and you never even visit! Can you even remember the last time you came round?"

I don't respond.

"That's what I thought. So don't come in here acting like I betrayed you when you're the one that pushed me away first."

My eyes start to water from the guilt I'm feeling as I realise that he's right. Have I really been treating him like that? Is that how he feels?

"Why didn't you tell me earlier?" I ask timidly.

"I tried Keziah dammit! You just never cared enough to realise." He speaks this part softly to me as if he's drained.

"I'm sorry Rolo."

He ignores me so I try again.

"Rolo please."

"Rolando!" I jump onto his back to stop him from ignoring me anymore.

"I said I was sorry! I didn't mean to act like this towards you! I never thought of you as anything less than my best friend though!"

He spins around while I'm on his back, trying to shake me off .

"Listen to me!"

Rolo walks over to his bed and drops us into it with me beneath him, crushing me entirely but I still don't give up.

"You don't need to feel this way. You'll always be one of the people I'm closest too but you have to remember that Abel is my boyfriend now. I spend time with him because I love him. But that doesn't mean I should have allowed you to feel so neglected."

I roll out from under him and lay my head on his chest, "I take back what I said earlier about you being my best friend."

Rolo instantly jolts way from me and gives me a hurt look but I continue on before he responds, "You're my brother."

Rolo looks at me hesitantly, "Really?"

I shove him with my arm, "Yes you doofus. You always have been."

Rolo pulls me in for a hug, "You love Abel?"

"I do."

"Have you told him?"

"I have but he told me first. He actually wrote me a song Rolo. It was so sweet." I think back to that moment a few months ago and sigh.

"And you didn't even tell me!"

"Sorry!" I exclaim guiltily. "But no one else knows except you now?"

Rolo ponders on this and removes his glare, "Hmm, alright then."

I shake my head at his behaviour but still can't help but miss how we used to just hang out like this a lot before.

Rolo will always be close to me no matter what happens and that's a promise I vow to keep.

• • •

As I'm making my way back home, my phone rings. I check the name and realise that's it's Abel calling.

"Hey babe." I say first.

"Brown Eyes." He replies.

"Is there any specific reason you called on this fine Saturday evening?" I question with amusement.

"Does there need to be reason to call my beautiful girlfriend?" He retorts.

I giggle at this before replying, "Hmm I guess not."

Instead of making my way home, I take a detour to the park closest to my house and take a seat on one of the benches.

"How's your day been?"

"Not bad. I went to see Rolo and found out that he was feeling kind of neglected."

"Really? How come?"

"Because I was spending most of my time just with you. I guess I can see why he felt like that, i couldn't help but be around you all the time."

"I know, I'm irresistible." He jokes.

"Yeah yeah."

The sound of shouting and cries ring out through the phone making my brows scrunch in concern. I'm just about to ask what's going on  when he beats me to it.

"Babe, I got to go. I love you."

The line immediately cuts off before I can even respond.

That was weird.

                                • • •
A/N:
I wonder what's going on with Abel?
Also!! This chapter was just showing that guys can be just as sensitive as girls sometimes and they're nothing wrong with it.
I also want to dedicate this chapter to my best friend Al. Sometimes I feel like I take her for granted just like Keziah has. But she's always there for me just as Rolo is and I appreciate a lot more than she knows. Remind your friends how much you love them!
Please like and comment!