Page 7 of The Book of Legends
“For what?”
“Not getting them out sooner. I hate that I have classes with them this semester. Is everything okay with you and Micah? It must be tough with…everything.” She means dealing with my aunt. “I overheard you on the phone,” she says, bringing it up again.
In her case, it isn’t the first time she’s heard us. It also doesn’t help that Stacy and Nicole are showing up. They’ve wormed their way in using the excuse that they have classes with my roommate, so it’s natural for them to hang out. Except, I’m never invited.
“It’s my fault,” I admit, even though I’m not sure right now that it is even true.
She shakes her head. “Your aunt is sick, Selene. No one has control over when their loved one is sick. If he can’t understand what you’re going through right now, then that is on him.”
A pang hits my chest, reminding me all over again how lonely I’ll feel without her. No more late-night calls, visits to see how she is doing, or tales from her favorite book that she’s tried to convince me to read since I was in seventh grade.
“I know, but every time something comes up.”
Her expression turns to disappointment. “Why can’t he come here? Why is it that you always go to him?”
She has a point. Diana isn’t very fond of Micah. I don’t know why, but Micah’s been there for me throughout middle school and high school.
“Are you going to the party this weekend?” she asks.
I plop myself on the futon next to her and stare at the half-empty water bottle. “I told him I wasn’t coming.”
“Surprise him.”
I look over at her. “You know I can’t.”
“How about after? He’ll be happy when you show up. It will give you a chance to unwind a bit. Spend time together among friends on neutral ground.”
I’m not sure why she is convincing me to go, but maybe she’s right. It will get us back to the way things were. “Fine,” I agree with a small smile. “I’ll think about it.”
“Good, I’ll see you there if you decide.”
My brows furrow in confusion. “But you hate parties.” She’s always declining Nicole and Stacy’s invitations to frat parties, opting to stay in and study. The most she agrees to is the bar in town.
“I know, but I can’t hide in here forever. Besides, as your roommate, it would be shitty of me if I don’t go with you.”
I almost forgot she was there when Micah introduced me to his friends for the first time. It was after her class with Nicole and Stacy. As soon as Micah was deep in conversation with the guys, she heard the catty remarks about my glasses when they thought I couldn’t hear. I may be going blind, but I wasn’t deaf. I was relieved when Diana didn’t go along with it, but at the same time, I wasn’t so sure.
Not once has Diana mean-girled me, but I still didn’t understand why she hung out with them if she didn’t feel the same way.
Either way, ever since that day, his friends treat me like I’m an outsider. It was the same back in high school when Micah and I would hang out with his friends, and I was the odd one with the large, dorky glasses.
I’m lucky Diana being my roommate isn’t one of them. At least, I think she isn’t.
“Diana?”
“Yeah?”
“Why are you so nice to me?”
She picks at her nail and then looks up. “I wasn’t the popular girl back in high school. Let’s just say I know how it feels for people to treat you like shit when they don’t even know you. Honestly, I don’t like girls like Stacy and Nicole, but I’ve learned to deal with girls like them. But you, I think you’re genuine, Selene. There aren’t many people who are honest and caring like you anymore. It’s refreshing. And I hope you don’t think I’m being fake nice because I’m not. I’m hoping you’ll go because I want to be your friend. No matter what happens, I want you to remember that.”
Needles prick my eyes, hoping my lenses don’t fog up. She doesn’t know how much her wanting to be my friend means right now. There was a fraction of a second earlier when I thought she was like all the others. Diana didn’t come across as someone not from the cool kids' table and would never in a million years have seemed to have it bad socially.
To be honest, since I started college, she’s bought me dinner when I hadn’t eaten, held me when I’ve been crying at night, and couldn’t stop out of fear that I’d wake up one morning and find my aunt gone.
“Why don’t you like Micah?” I ask, changing the subject. Maybe she has a reason not to like him that I’m not aware of.
She shrugs her shoulders. “I don’t know, maybe I think he doesn’t try enough to be your friend. I always see the look onyour face when he turns you down or makes an excuse not to hang out, or when he says he’s too tired. But you’re never too tired.”
