Your Best Friend
For The Epic Beginnings Challenge
“I love you,” Sayaka told Melanie one day after school, and meant it.
The rain around them pounded against the concrete with powerful splatters, the sounds of the storm whipping in their ears. Melanie’s umbrella, clenched in both of Sayaka’s hands, careened dangerously to the left from the wind.
Her best friend only smiled.
“Sayaka,” she said, shaking her head. “You’re so weird sometimes.”
—
“Melanie’s my girlfriend now,” John told Sayaka after class, hovering over her desk like a thin, gangly hawk.
Sayaka stared up at him, unblinking.
“Why are you telling me this?” she asked suspiciously.
“I just figured I should.”
—
“Guess who asked me out?”
“Someone asked you out?”
“And I said yes,” Melanie said ecstatically. “He’s my boyfriend now.”
“Yeah?” Sayaka asked. Her grip tightened around the handle of Melanie’s pink umbrella. “Who?”
“John. From math.”
“John from math,” Sayaka repeated. “I don’t even know who that is.”
Melanie looked at her sideways. “Sure you do.”
“I don’t,” she said shortly, and that was that.
—
John fell down the stairs the next day.
He ended up at the nurse’s office with a twisted ankle and a cut on his forehead.
It wasn’t Sayaka’s fault he was in the way.
—
“I don’t even know how it happened,” Melanie choked out into Sayaka’s shoulder.
Sayaka tightened her arms around Melanie’s waist.
“He’s fine,” she said, patting her back. “He’ll live.”
—
“Stay away from Melanie,” John told her the next day, arms crossed.
“Why?”
“Because you’re crazy.”
“You’re crazy,” Sayaka shot back. “You stay away from her.”
“I’m her boyfriend.”
“I’m her best friend.”
John stared at her for a long, terrible moment.
“She hates you, you know,” he said. “I’d bet money on it.”
—
John didn’t make it to class the next day.
About the Creator
angela hepworth
Hello! I’m Angela and I enjoy writing fiction, poetry, reviews, and more. I delve into the dark, the sad, the silly, the sexy, and the stupid. Come check me out!
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Comments (7)
A sense of conflict and unresolved feelings, that's never the way to go! Loved this dialogue, Angela! 💌
Oh no! Jealousy is not pretty, lol. Great story!
Dang 😮 !!! Sorry 😂😂😂😂🤣🤣. This was such a good short story.
Thank you Angela! - for reading ‘Silence 1: Black’ and for ‘hearting.’ Sorry my Insights are glitching. I very much enjoyed your entry into the Challence. I read the Challenge and so much to include in 300 words! Well done and Good luck! Pauline 🌸
Ah, those rambunctious students and their emotions! lol Really skillfully written, Angela!
I loved the use of dialogue in this and the scene shift to extend the action. Not sure how I feel about any of the characters in this piece really as none of them create a lot of sympathy but in terms of showing Sayaka's anger at being pushed out, it's good.
Very interesting. Not going to lie, everyone including myself can understand Sayaka. At the same time, I like the way this short hints that S has crossed the line of obsessiveness that breaks all social conformity.