CHAPTER FOUR
“The Best Night Ever!”
Melissa quietly pushed open her bedroom door. The house had fallen silent. Only the faint ticking of the hallway clock echoed through the darkness. She leaned against the closed door for a long moment.
Then... She smiled. A small, genuine smile she hadn't worn in days. John's face immediately drifted into her mind.
"Because you're worth being nice to."
Her cheeks warmed. She laughed quietly to herself before kicking off her shoes.
"...He's unbelievable."
She crossed the room and collapsed backward onto her bed, staring at the ceiling. Her fingers absentmindedly brushed over the tickets resting in her hand. They caught the moonlight spilling through her bedroom.
"I have to tell Theresa."
She reached for her phone without another thought. Theresa would absolutely lose her mind over the news! Melissa unlocked her screen and opened her contacts. Still smiling... She scrolled without really looking. Her thumb tapped a name.
The phone began ringing. Melissa rested comfortably against her pillows, still admiring the ring on her finger. One ring. Two. Three. She frowned.
"Why isn't Theresa answering?"
The fourth ring echoed softly through the speaker. Then — "...Hello?"
Melissa's smile vanished. Her entire body went still.
"...Amanda?"
Across town... Amanda bolted upright in bed. The sound of Melissa's voice hit her like a wave. For a split second... She thought she was dreaming.
"...Melissa?"
Melissa immediately jerked the phone away from her ear. Her stomach dropped.
"No..."
She whispered.
"Oh, my gosh..."
She looked at the screen.
Amanda
Her heart sank.
"I..."
She squeezed her eyes shut.
"I'm so sorry."
Amanda waited quietly. Melissa took a shaky breath.
"I meant to call—"
She stopped. She didn't need to finish. Amanda already knew.
"...Theresa?" Melissa nodded instinctively before realizing Amanda couldn't see her.
"...Yeah."
Her voice barely rose above a whisper.
"I'm sorry... Wrong button."
Amanda laughed softly. A laugh that sounded far sadder than either of them expected.
"...Of course."
The words hurt far more than they should have. Melissa closed her eyes.
"I'll let you go." Amanda said sadly.
She started pulling the phone away.
"Amanda— Wait."
Melissa froze. Silence filled both bedrooms. Amanda looked down at the phone clutched tightly in her hands. Her voice shook.
"...Please."
Another pause.
"...Just..."
She swallowed the lump forming in her throat.
"...don't hang up."
Melissa slowly sat down on the edge of her bed. She looked toward the bedroom door. Toward the hallway. Toward nowhere at all.
"...Okay."
Amanda let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. "...Thank you."
For a long moment... Neither of them spoke. It wasn't awkward. It was... Heavy. Like neither one knew where to begin. Finally... Amanda smiled sadly.
"I've been wanting to call you."
Melissa looked down at the promise ring resting against her finger.
"...Me too."
"Every day... Every day."
Amanda closed her eyes.
"...I miss you."
Melissa's own eyes immediately filled with tears.
"...I miss you too."
Silence settled between them once again. Amanda wiped quickly beneath her eyes.
"...Then why are we doing this?"
Melissa searched desperately for an answer. One that would somehow make everything hurt less.
"I..."
She shook her head.
"...I don't know."
Amanda's voice became small.
"We can fix it." Melissa wanted to believe that. More than anything. She remembered elementary school sleepovers. Matching bracelets. Birthday parties. Secrets whispered under blankets. The promise they'd made when they were ten years old.
"Nothing will ever come between us."
A tear rolled down her cheek.
"...I don't know if we can."
Amanda immediately shook her head.
"You don't mean that."
"I wish I didn't."
Melissa's voice broke.
"...Amanda..."
She stared at the floor.
"Things changed."
Amanda answered almost instantly.
"Because of Maria."
Melissa squeezed her eyes shut.
"...Not just Maria."
She took one slow breath.
"...Everything."
Amanda's heart cracked. "...So..."
Her voice barely existed anymore.
"...that's it?"
Melissa couldn't answer. Not right away. Finally... Very quietly... She whispered,
"...I think..."
Another painful pause.
"...we both need some space."
Amanda shook her head before Melissa had even finished speaking.
"I don't want space."
"I know."
"I want my best friend."
Melissa covered her mouth to keep herself from crying.
"I know."
Amanda looked at the top of her contact screen.
Best Friend
Her thumb slowly hovered over it. Then... She tapped. The keyboard appeared. With trembling fingers... She erased the purple hearts. Deleted the words. And typed one simple name.
Melissa
She stared at it. The change looked... Wrong. Like someone else's phone.
"...Okay." The word escaped in a whisper. Melissa immediately heard the defeat in her voice.
"...Amanda—"
Amanda interrupted gently. Not angrily. Not bitterly. Just... Tired.
"I hope you're happy."
Melissa's eyes overflowed. She looked down at the prom tickets… Then toward the photograph of her and Amanda taped beside her mirror.
"...I'm trying to be."
Amanda nodded. Even though Melissa couldn't see it.
"...Me too."
Neither one wanted to hang up. Neither one moved. Eventually... The line went quiet. The call ended. Amanda continued staring at her phone long after the screen faded to black.
Across town... Melissa lowered hers into her lap.
Two girls. Two bedrooms. Two broken hearts.
Separated not by distance... But by choices neither of them knew how to undo.
Melissa remained frozen on the edge of her bed.
The room felt impossibly quiet. Amanda's last words echoed over and over inside her mind.
"I hope you're happy."
Melissa stared blankly at the dark screen of her phone. Then... Without warning... She buried her face in both hands.
"...Why?"
Her voice cracked.
"...Why does this hurt so much?" She had wanted space. Hadn't she? She'd convinced herself it was the right thing. The healthy thing. Then why did it feel like she'd just lost a part of herself? A knock sounded somewhere downstairs. Melissa barely heard it. Another knock. Louder this time. Then—
"Melissa!"
Her mother's voice echoed excitedly through the hallway. Melissa quickly wiped beneath her eyes.
"...Yeah?"
The bedroom door flew open. Her mother rushed inside so quickly she nearly forgot to knock. She was crying. Actually crying. But... She was smiling. A smile Melissa hadn't seen in months.
"...Mom?"
Her mother laughed through tears.
"They're gone."
Melissa frowned.
"...What's gone?"
Her mother grabbed both of Melissa's hands.
"The bills."
Melissa blinked.
"...What?"
"Every single one."
Melissa's heartbeat slowed. As though her brain refused to understand.
"The rent-!” Her mother held up a stack of papers.
"Paid."
"The hospital."
She held up another.
"Paid."
"The utilities."
Another.
"Paid."
Her mother's voice trembled.
"Everything."
Melissa stared. Unable to move.
"...No."
Her mother nodded frantically.
"Five years."
She laughed again.
"Five years of debt..."
"...gone."
Melissa's stomach tightened. She already knew. There was only one person who even knew how desperate things had become.
"...John." She whispered his name before she even realized she'd spoken. Her mother frowned.
"What?"
Melissa was already reaching for her phone. Her fingers shook as she tapped his contact. The call didn't even finish ringing.
"Hey, beautiful."
John's warm voice answered almost immediately. Melissa closed her eyes.
"...Was it you?"
A quiet laugh came through the speaker.
"...Yeah."
Melissa covered her mouth. Tears spilled freely down her cheeks.
"...John..."
Her voice broke.
"...Why?"
For a moment... Neither of them spoke. Finally... John answered.
"Because..."
His voice remained soft.
"...I love you."
Melissa's breath caught.
"I hate watching you hurt."
She couldn't stop crying. "You..."
She laughed weakly through her tears.
"...You didn't have to do that."
"I know."
"So why would you?"
"Because I wanted to."
Melissa slowly sat back down on the bed. Her legs suddenly felt too weak to hold her.
"...How..."
She wiped at her face.
"...How am I ever supposed to repay you?"
John smiled to himself.
"You don't."
Melissa frowned.
"What?"
He chuckled quietly.
"Look outside."
She blinked.
"...Outside?"
"Trust me." Confused, Melissa stood and walked toward her bedroom window. She pulled back the curtain. Her breath caught. Parked beside the curb... Was John's black pickup truck.
He leaned casually against the driver's door. A bouquet of pink roses rested in one hand. The other disappeared into the pocket of his jacket. Melissa laughed. A real laugh. The kind that escaped before she could stop it.
"...You're unbelievable."
John looked up toward her window. Even from the street below... She could see him smiling.
"Come let me in."
Melissa didn't even bother grabbing her shoes. She flew out of her bedroom. Down the hallway. Nearly missing the last three stairs entirely. Her mother watched in complete confusion as Melissa raced toward the front door.
"Melissa?"
She barely slowed down.
"I'll explain later!"
The front door swung open. John barely had time to smile before Melissa threw herself into his arms. He caught her effortlessly. Holding her tightly as she buried her face against his shoulder.
"...Hi."
His voice was almost a whisper. Melissa laughed through fresh tears.
"...Hi."
For several long seconds... Neither of them moved. The world around them disappeared. Eventually... They pulled apart just enough to look at one another. Melissa shook her head in disbelief.
"I still can't believe you did this."
John smiled.
"I know."
"You changed everything."
He looked at her quietly.
"I hope so."
Melissa reached up and gently brushed a strand of hair away from her face.
"...Thank you."
John smiled.
"I've actually..."
He hesitated.
"...got one more thing."
Melissa laughed.
"...John."
He reached into the inside pocket of his jacket. Melissa's eyebrows lifted.
"...You're making me nervous."
"I know."