Maybe I was also a bit concerned for her. Alana wasn’t ready to face those looks by herself just yet, and part of me was sure once I got back, we had to restart her confidence journey.
She was doing better this past week than she did the weeks before. I mean, yeah, she felt a bit uneasy in her not-all-that-new clothes, thought they were too form-fitting, and that everyone was making fun of her because of it.
I didn’t think anyone thought she looked anything but beautiful in her clothes, though. But I figured she’d feel strange. It was the first week she even attempted wearing those clothes.
While she looked amazing in them, I kind of missed her librarian look.
“Louisa’s still asleep,” he said, then nodded at my phone as if to get Alana’s attention. She wasn’t looking at her phone, so unless he spoke up, she wasn’t going to notice him. “When do you leave for your classes, Alana?”
Alana glanced back at her phone, her eyes wide with shock when she realized someone other than me could see her right now.
She’d been sitting in front of her closet for the past ten minutes, trying to decide what to wear. Of course I could only see her face this whole time, but I was sure it had multiple reasons, not just that she didn’t want me seeing her half-naked.
Alana tucked a loose strand of her brown hair behind her ear before answering in a soft voice, “My first class won’t start until two. Everything else before that was canceled.”
I chuckled when Sharma looked at me expectantly. He couldn’t hear her since I’d been using my headphones to talk to Alana this whole time.
I could’ve simply told my best friend what Alana said, but that would’ve been too easy. Instead, I gave Sharma an exaggerated eye roll and shook my head in amusement. “Shesaid she won’t go in today because St. Trewery without me just isn’t the same,” I lied, hearing Alana gasp.
“Such a liar!” At least she sounded more amused than mad.
Sharma looked back at my phone. “Nod if that’s what you said.”
Alana shook her head, laughing. She then grabbed her phone from inside her closet, makingmealmost sick with all the movement as she was tapping away on her phone. A moment later, her name popped up at the top of my screen.
Ally-Bear
leaving @ 1:30
“Nice try, Eden. I can handle college without you,” she said as she set her phone back down. She didn’t sound so sure of it, though.
I glanced at my best friend just to make sure he didn’t hear her. Since he wasn’t making fun of me yet, he didn’t hear a thing. However, he nudged me in the side with his elbow. “Y’all probably want me to leave you alone so you can talk some more. I get that. I’ll go wake up Louisa and try not to puke.”
He stood up and instantly covered his mouth with a hand as he ran toward the bus toilet.
“Does he get car sick?” Alana asked, giving me a concerned look as she heard some of my teammates groan with frustration in the background.
Guess none of us were going to step foot inside that tiny bathroom anymore for the remainder of the bus ride.
“Bus sick. He has no problems sitting in a car, but the second he steps on a bus…” I shook my head, a sigh drawing from my lungs. “He started taking sleeping pills before getting on a bus recently, but he’s still figuring out the exact doses he needs for longer rides.”
“Poor him.” Alana stood up, revealing far more of herself now than ever before, really.
I watched, mesmerized, as Alana shuffled through her closet, pulling out a few items that I paid for before sitting back down on the floor.
“Eden, I love all the stuff your sister picked out for me, but I have no clue how to style them.” Alana held up a rather nude-colored top, her face scrunched up in frustration. “Is it too basic if I wear this with a pair of jeans and a cardigan?”
“A cardigan?” I laughed. God, she just loved everything that wasremotelyassociated with looking like a stereotypical librarian. Though, perhaps cardigans were more of a teacher vibe than a librarian. I had no idea, honestly, but I had barely seenanyoneunder thirty wear a cardigan anymore.
Either way, I knew she could pull it off. No matter how much I wanted to hate her nerdy and somehow way too oversized style, I couldn’t deny that she looked really cute in it.
I smiled at her, thinking about how I could see Alana being a teacher one day. She was so patient and kind all those times we were in the kitchen together, and no matter how badly I messed up the pastries, she always knew a way to fix it without making me feel bad about it. And instead of scolding me, she actually told me what I did wrong. She was useful. She was sweet about my messes and always encouraging me to try again.
While I was sure she wasn’t always convinced my next attempt would look better, she still never gave up on me.
It was a little refreshing having someone like that in my life right now. Someone who wasn’t part of my family.
She has to do this, Eden. It’s part of the deal.
