Seven Ways to Lose Your Heart by Tiffany Truitt

carpal tunnel syndrome,” I say with a wink. “But let’s not talk about my faith issues. You really like this running thing?”
    “I love it.”
    “You love torture. Kinky…in a totally asexual way, of course.”
    “You’re so funny,” she replies drily. “And I don’t think of it as torture. It’s my own bit of personal freedom. When I’m out there running, I’m not competing against anyone else. Just myself. If I have a good run, it’s thanks to me. If I have a bad run, it’s my fault. I’m in control.”
    “Well, it sure feels like torture to me,” I groan.
    “Why were you out here, anyway? And where the Hades did you get those ridiculous shoes?” she asks, poking me in the side, so I’ll look at her.
    With a grunt, I pull myself back up to a sitting position. “I was out here to see you, of course. As for the shoes, they’re courtesy of Walmart.”
    Annabel’s eyes go wide. “Please tell me you’re lying. The next thing you’ll say is today’s the first time you’ve run in them.”
    “And that would be bad…?”
    “Oh no,” she squeals, covering her face with her hands. “The blisters you’re going to have later will be terrible! What were you thinking?!”
    “That I needed to talk to you.” There it was, plain and simple. No reason to lie about it. “Look, I know things got weird the other night. But that’s not an entirely bad thing. I think we could both use a little weird in our lives. And like I said, no more inappropriate comments. I promise. You have a boyfriend, and I totally respect that. After we chilled that night, I banged out my entries. And let’s not forget the amazing pictures you took. So, let’s muse it up while we can before you jet off to school.”
    Three weeks was all we had left before she was gone, and knowing Annabel with all of her goals and dreams, I doubted she would be coming back. If I had any chance of fixing my friendship with her, making amends, it needed to happen now. I couldn’t let all those other feelings and urges get in the way.
    Annabel takes a deep breath before nodding. “Yeah, sorry. Things have just been really hectic at home.”
    “Grams?”
    “Yes.”
    “How bad?”
    “Bad.”
    I hesitate briefly before reaching over and grabbing her hand. I only paused because I didn’t want her to think I was making a move, but I would do it for any friend, so I took her hand in mine anyway. “I’m very sorry to hear that, Annabel. She seems like a real hell of a lady.”
    “She’s amazing,” she agrees.
    “Maybe she’ll bounce back. Seems like she’s got a lot of fight in her.”
    “I used to think that she could beat anything. Every time she took a turn for the worse, she came back. But I’m not sure this time. She’s sleeping more and more.”
    “Which means you’re sleeping less and less,” I say, noticing the hint of dark circles under her eyes.
    Annabel nods. “I offered to defer another year, but she went crazy. Cursed me out in German, even. Which she only does when she’s really mad. But how can I go? She won’t even talk to me right now.”
    I’m not going to lie. The thought that Annabel might stay makes me feel good. Like, awesome. But what kind of dick would I be if I didn’t push her to do what’s best for her, and that means her getting the heck out of here? “You can’t stay, Le Chat. It’s time for you to go.” I give her hand a squeeze.
    “I don’t want to talk about this anymore,” Annabel says, pulling her hand from mine.
    “Then let’s not talk about this anymore,” I reply. I know talking about things like this is hard for her, so I’ll take what I can get. Hell, I’m happy we’re exchanging complete sentences at this point. When she’s ready to talk, I’ll be here. This time and for as long as she’ll have me.
    “So, what do you want to do? Go for another run?” she jokes.
    “Now who’s the funny one? I have a way better idea. Let’s go get your camera and take some fucking