FRIENDS FOREVER

CHAPTER ONE.

Her alarm rang and she groaned in annoyance. Her hand moved around her nightstand in an attempt to shut it off and finally she got her hands on it. How could something this small make so much noise, and why did she set the alarm when it was the holiday. Oh wait, she didn’t it was her mum that did and today was the first day of senior year. The holidays were over. She groaned, but finally got up and still feeling sleepy, went about her morning business.

She had spent her summer break in Cuba with her grandparents, and her grandmother after trying but failing to teach her Spanish had given up on her. Finally. It was tradition in the Rodrigo family for Hazel and Freyja her little sister to visit their maternal grandparents every summer. She opened her curtains and was faced with the closed window of her neighbor. Her Enemy. Aiden Stone. They haven’t always been enemies at one point in their lives they had been best friends, inseparable, joint at the hip as most people liked to put it till everything went sour when they became high schoolers. 

They had been living beside each other since she was five when her family had moved here and they had become friends. They had made a pact during their last days of middle school to not let anything come between their friendship when they entered high school, but that didn’t work as no soon after they entered, their friendship ended. Highschool popularity was the one thing that came between their years long friendship. She sighed and moved away from the window. she wasn’t going to think about the times when they were good. He caused it, he broke their friendship not her so she shouldn’t feel anything except for hatred for the guy he had become. The guy who stops at nothing to make her days at Blue-bridge high unbearable.

She went downstairs after getting dressed for school to have breakfast. Freyja was already there eating her favorite cereal.

“hurry up Frey, I don’t have all day, I still have to stop by Harper’s house to pick her up” she said picking up an apple and chomping on it.

“hey! I came down before you I’m not the one who’s gonna make us late”

“well lucky for me I’m just eating this apple, Ha!”. She said grabbing her bag she had dropped on the chair and left for her car.

Frey hurried with her breakfast as it wouldn’t be the first time Hazel had left her, and on one of those unfortunate times she had gotten a ride from Aiden. Hazel did not need to know that. She choked and began coughing.

“Careful Frey, and why on earth are you rushing your breakfast”. Her mum said coming from her bedroom. After successfully not choking to death she quickly rinsed her bowl and kissed her mum on the cheek before hurrying out the door.

HAZEL

I had successfully gotten through first, second and third period with no signs of Aiden anywhere. Thank goodness! I was sure he had been partying all night hence his absence from school. What sort of people do that. Well I knew the answer for sure Aiden…

“Haze what’s got you pouting so ferociously”. I knew that voice anywhere and there was only one person who called me that so, I wasn’t surprised to find Aiden leaning on the locker next to mine.

“and just when I thought my day couldn’t get any more worse, and stop calling me that as we are no longer friends” I said shutting my locker and turning to face him.

“yeah, and what on earth could possibly spoil our goddess’s day. Oh, wait I know, let me see you annoyed the math’s teacher during first period with your obnoxious tendency to interrupt her to correct her, and did the same thing during second and third period to all the teachers”. He said smiling at me.

“oh, shut up, you wouldn’t know what happened during those periods because you weren’t there, and secondly me correcting Ms. lily happened once and that was during sophomore year and I rightly did so because she had gotten the final result of the equation wrong”.

“yes, well forgive us all if we are not as smart as you. Seeing as you absolutely have no social life because you are always cooped up in your room studying”.

“at least I don’t spend my whole life partying without a care in the world”. 

“well if I don’t party without a care in the world right now then, when would be the right time to do so”, he said smirking.

“that is such a messed-up logic”. I hate how he always managed to look calm and smug whenever we sparred with words and I get all riled up. Before he could say anything, Harper came dashing through the hallway and stopped right in front of us.

“okay guys cool it, I could practically see the daggers you were shooting at each from across the hallway”. Always trust Harper to exaggerate everything.

“well I guess my work here is done since I’ve succeeded in riling you up thereby making my day much cooler in the process I would take my leave”. He said smiling at me. I faked smiled back. 

“too easy Haze, every time” he said finally taking his leave.

“augh! I don’t know how he always manages to make me so angry while he remains as cool as a cucumber”. I said to Harper shutting my locker.

“if you want my advice you guys should just go back to being friends, it’ll be better for you both and everyone else”. Harper said joining our hands together.

“well I don’t recall asking for your advice Harps, and besides my never-ending feud with he who shall not be named does not affect anyone but us”. I said as we walked side by side to our next class.

“Hello. I mean your feud with Aide... I mean he who shall not be named affects practically everyone. Like you guys parents, your sister that’s BFF with his sister. I mean you even sometimes refuse to go to the weekly dinner held by both your families”.

“well me not going for those dinners is because I am not always free, I mean being the leader of seven active clubs in school isn’t as easy as you think”

“okay and the nights when you don’t have whatever fake club meetings you fake or let me put it more correctly the days you are forced to go, you both go at it throughout the whole dinner”

“and who gives you this inaccurate info” I said turning to her.

“Frey of course, in case you didn’t know we became BFF during the entire car ride to school which you spend talking about Aiden and I am not going to call him he who shall not be named. We bonded over our mutual hate of this feud between you both. Honestly Hazel this feud between you too cannot go on forever. You were once closer than two peas in a pod that kind of friendship cannot just be destroyed over a silly fight” by the time she had finished talking and before I could say anything in reply we were already in front of our Eng. lit class. But even as we entered the class and took our seat I couldn’t stop thinking about what Harper had said. It wasn’t a silly fight that ruined our friendship.

CHAPTER TWO

He would never forget the party that cost him his friendship with Hazel. It was etched in his memory. It was the party before summer break freshman year, he knew that he had been neglecting Hazel and missing out all their plans but he wanted to make it up to her and so he had managed to persuade her to come along with him for this one. He just recently joined the football team and he had to party with his fellow team mate, he had to have their approval if he wanted to be the quarterback someday. They had gone together to the party but he had abandoned her when some of his football friends had called him to join them. And soon after they had begun drinking and soon they had all agreed to play spin the bottle. Hazel hadn’t wanted to join in but he had once again persuaded her to do so telling her that she didn’t have to do anything she didn’t want to. But when the bottle landed on her and she was asked to go into a room with a senior dude for seven minutes in heaven she had refused and everything had spun out of control from then. They had started talking bad about her and saying all sort of mean stuffs about her and he sat there and didn’t say anything in her defense. He just sat there and watched his bestie get humiliated and he didn’t say anything because he wanted to be popular. And to crown it all up he had been given the choice to choose between her and his spot on the football team and being the only freshman on the team, He had stupidly chosen the team. He avoided her at school and didn’t speak to her. She had taken matters into her own hands and climbed into his window one night to confront him, she had even reminded him of their pact and he had said brutal things to her that night. And since then their relationship had been like this, and he preferred it this way than not being able to talk to her at all. He didn’t know what to do.

“Aiden, it’s time for dinner” Charlotte his little sister said from the half-opened door of his room.

“be there in a bit Char”. He said shutting his laptop before going down to join his family.

  HAZEL.

“I’m telling you Harps, I’m not going. The last party I attended was a complete disaster and I’m sure this one wouldn’t be any different okay, I’m not going and that is final” I said going to sit on my bed.

“Hazel, but this is senior year, we are seniors things are different” she said coming to sit beside me taking the pillow from my laps into hers.

“Nothing is different. It’s the same, drinking, dancing and playing stupid games” I said.

“alright I agree but just do this for me, let’s go to this party and have a good time for me please” she said pouting.

“fine whatever. Just make sure I have a pretty dress to wear” I said and we laughed together.

“okay, now that you are coming we will need to go shopping”.

“whatever”.

***

“Okay, I succeeded in getting Hazel to agree to come to the party” Harper said to Freyja and Charlotte.

“Char, are you certain Aiden is going to this party” Frey said.

“of course, that is tots not a question”.

What has her life come to, here she was at her house scheming with two fifteen-year-old to get her bestie and her besties former bestie to become besties again. She had to do these for the both of them seeing as they were too dumb to patch things up on their own, they’ll just have give them the push they needed to set things rolling. Sure, at first Hazel may be angry but she wouldn’t be for long. She just hoped that given the little push they would truly settle things, if not. She didn’t want to think about that possibility.

“now that everything has been settled, let’s just hope that when trapped in that room they reconcile instead of biting each other’s heads off” charlotte said.

“how did you manage to get Colin to agree to let us use his parents room” Frey asked her.

“Let’s just say Colin has a little crush on me and would totally agree to anything I say”.

“whatever so long as you got the room”. She didn’t want to think about the fact that Colin had only agreed to let her use the room on the condition that she went on a date with him and she had agreed besides he was to help them lure Aiden into the room.

CHAPTER THREE

He arrived somewhat late at Colin party. The place was already filled with teenagers most of whom were already drunk. Who was he to judge, he would soon be one of them.

“Hey man I need you to help me move something In my mums room”. Colin shouted 

“okay, nice party by the way man”.

“I know right, I throw the best” they walked the rest of the way to the room in silence and after opening the door Colin pushed him inside and looked the door from outside.

“what the hell man!”

“sorry, but you’ll thank me later” he said before running down the stairs.

HAZEL

“where are we going Harps” I said, walking behind her as we took the stairs to God knows where.

“Colin told me I could use his parents bathroom”. Harper said.

“may I ask why I am following you to the bathroom to do your business when I don’t want to do mine”. I said looking about me the house was huge.

“Because you are my friend, and I need you” she said.

“whatever harps”. We finally stooped in front of the door and she opened it, and before I could say anything I was shoved inside almost falling flat on my face but was saved from that fate when someone caught me before I could do so.

“What the heck Harper” I screamed after righting myself I immediately turned to the closed door.

“I’m sorry Hazel are you alright”. She said and I could hear the worry in her voice.

“no, I’m not alright Harper. I feel murderous and when I come out you wouldn’t be alright” I said.

“I’m sorry okay, but you’ll thank me later” she said and I could hear her footsteps as she went down the stairs leaving me locked with some stranger in Colin parents room.

“What, why would I thank you. Harper don’t you dare leave. Harper don’t you leave me here or I swear to God when I come out I will cause you bodily harm”. I screamed, but she didn’t stop but continued down the stairs at an increased pace.

“finally, you have stopped screaming. You know, that was the last word I heard before being locked here by Colin”. I knew that voice. I turned to face Aiden sitting on the large bed looking smug.

“Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me!” I yelled at the ceiling. “what are you doing here”.

“same thing that you are doing here. Oh, they are smart. They trapped us here to get us to either reconcile or kill each other” he said.

“well I sure hope they were not hoping for the outcome of this to be reconciliation, because I am going to go sit on the chair over there which is far away from you and wait in silence till they come here and open the door and then they would be disappointed and I would then proceed to fulfil my promise to cause harm to Harper”. I said walking over to the chair and taking my seat. We sat in silence for a while before Aiden finally broke the silence.

“You know I didn’t mean what I said to you that night”. He said not looking at me as he did.

“I am so not doing this with you right now okay, so shut up”. I said. We were silent again but this time I broke it.

“and yes, you meant them”.

“I didn’t. I’m sorry for ruining our friendship” he muttered.

“No, no, no” I said standing up and turning to face him. “saying sorry is not going to absolve you or get you my forgiveness. You humiliated me publicly at the party when you sat there quietly and watched your friends insult me and then you ignored me. I was prepared to forgive you because we were friends, and I wasn’t going to let other people’s pettiness get in the way of our friendship and I thought, hey the reason why he hasn’t spoken to me for weeks was because maybe he was ashamed and then I went to your room that night to talk things out and then you choose your football friend over me. you chose popularity over me your so-called childhood friend and then you proceeded to make my life a living hell. So, forgive me if you saying sorry doesn’t get you forgiveness”. We were silent again with only my heavy breathing filling the silence.

“I don’t know what else to say but that I am sorry Hazel. After I stupidly ended our friendship I knew the only way I could talk to you was for us to argue, and I know I sound stupid but I preferred your anger to you ignoring me. look” he said kneeling in front of me and holding my hands. “ I am deeply sorry Haze. I was a stupid fool and broke our friendship, and I am so sorry. I need my best friend back. We are supposed to go to college together and enjoy our life together and I don’t want to do that without you. Look I know that I am a coward for not having the courage to settle things with you, but I am so sorry.

“I always did hate when we fought Aiden” I said smiling before hugging him. “but before I forgive you, you have a lot of groveling to do, and also you would have to fight Harper for the post of my bestie” we laughed albeit shakily.

“I’m sure she would be okay with sharing that post”.