say anything at first, Nellie leaned forward and grabbed her hand. “It’s okay. I won’t be mad.”
And that simple, kind gesture caused Caelyn to burst into tears. She sobbed like she hadn’t sobbed in her whole life—big, heaving cries as if someone had died.
She put a hand over her face and cried, unable to even say an intelligible word or stop the flood of tears.
“I’ll get you some tissues.” Nellie went to the bathroom and came back with a box of tissues and handed it to Caelyn, who was finally starting to get control of herself.
She wiped her eyes, laughing with embarrassment. “Sorry, I don’t even know what came over me.”
Nellie looked at her with big, serious brown eyes that seemed to know more than they should. “You don’t have to apologize for anything.”
“I feel like I should be apologizing for everything.”
“Well whoever made you feel that way is an asshole.”
Caelyn laughed, blew her nose, crumpled the tissue and threw it in the trash nearby. She sighed deeply. “I can’t understand how everything that I thought was my life could just change so fast.”
Nellie leaned towards her again. “Sometimes life just turns us upside down.”
“Did that ever happen to you?”
She nodded once. “Yes.”
Caelyn could see that her roommate didn’t want to tell her exactly what had turned her life upside down. But something told Caelyn that the other girl understood perfectly how she felt right at that moment. “I’m really confused right now,” Caelyn groaned.
“It’s okay to be confused. You’ll figure this out.”
“I will?”
“Yeah.”
Caelyn nodded gratefully. “Thank you so much, Nellie. You know, I’m really sorry if me and Alicia ever made you feel—“
Just then the door opened. “I heard my name,” Alicia said, striding into the room with color high in her cheeks. She saw Caelyn and didn’t bat an eyelash. “Were you saying something?” Alicia continued, staring right at Caelyn.
Caelyn had wanted to apologize to Nellie for not including her, for allowing Alicia to become the center of attention, but Caelyn knew that Alicia was already angry and would use any excuse to start a fight.
Caelyn shook her head. “I was just…whining.”
“What a surprise.” Alicia folded her arms and raised an eyebrow. “You look like something the cat dragged in.
“Alicia!” Nellie cried. “That’s not nice.”
“I’m not always nice, but at least I’m honest.”
“Sometimes it’s better to keep your opinions to yourself,” Nellie replied.
“Not my style.” Alicia walked over to the bookcase and started searching. “I could’ve sworn I still had my old statistics textbook here somewhere. I had the best notes and Ben was saying he’d love to use them.”
Nellie looked at Caelyn and mouthed a silent apology as Alicia continued to browse through the nearby bookcase. She seemed to suck up all the air in the room, Caelyn thought.
Caelyn finished blowing her nose and wiping her eyes. “Thanks, Nellie.”
“I didn’t even do anything.”
“You did though,” she replied.
Alicia pulled a book from the bookcase and stood up, spinning to face them.
“What did Nellie do?”
“She just listened,” Caelyn said. “And she didn’t get mad at me.”
Alicia pursed her thin, red lips. “I know you don’t want anybody to be mad at you, Caelyn. But you haven’t exactly made it easy for anyone to understand why you’re acting this way.”
“I know I haven’t made things easy.”
Alicia glared at her with annoyance. “So what is it? You don’t trust me now?”
Caelyn sighed deeply. “Of course I trust you.”
“Doesn’t seem like it.” Alicia was clutching her textbook so hard that her knuckles had turned white. “It feels like you suddenly decided that I’m not worth keeping in your life anymore. And I really thought we were friends. Like—I considered you my best friend, practically. I imagined us years from now, still meeting for
And that simple, kind gesture caused Caelyn to burst into tears. She sobbed like she hadn’t sobbed in her whole life—big, heaving cries as if someone had died.
She put a hand over her face and cried, unable to even say an intelligible word or stop the flood of tears.
“I’ll get you some tissues.” Nellie went to the bathroom and came back with a box of tissues and handed it to Caelyn, who was finally starting to get control of herself.
She wiped her eyes, laughing with embarrassment. “Sorry, I don’t even know what came over me.”
Nellie looked at her with big, serious brown eyes that seemed to know more than they should. “You don’t have to apologize for anything.”
“I feel like I should be apologizing for everything.”
“Well whoever made you feel that way is an asshole.”
Caelyn laughed, blew her nose, crumpled the tissue and threw it in the trash nearby. She sighed deeply. “I can’t understand how everything that I thought was my life could just change so fast.”
Nellie leaned towards her again. “Sometimes life just turns us upside down.”
“Did that ever happen to you?”
She nodded once. “Yes.”
Caelyn could see that her roommate didn’t want to tell her exactly what had turned her life upside down. But something told Caelyn that the other girl understood perfectly how she felt right at that moment. “I’m really confused right now,” Caelyn groaned.
“It’s okay to be confused. You’ll figure this out.”
“I will?”
“Yeah.”
Caelyn nodded gratefully. “Thank you so much, Nellie. You know, I’m really sorry if me and Alicia ever made you feel—“
Just then the door opened. “I heard my name,” Alicia said, striding into the room with color high in her cheeks. She saw Caelyn and didn’t bat an eyelash. “Were you saying something?” Alicia continued, staring right at Caelyn.
Caelyn had wanted to apologize to Nellie for not including her, for allowing Alicia to become the center of attention, but Caelyn knew that Alicia was already angry and would use any excuse to start a fight.
Caelyn shook her head. “I was just…whining.”
“What a surprise.” Alicia folded her arms and raised an eyebrow. “You look like something the cat dragged in.
“Alicia!” Nellie cried. “That’s not nice.”
“I’m not always nice, but at least I’m honest.”
“Sometimes it’s better to keep your opinions to yourself,” Nellie replied.
“Not my style.” Alicia walked over to the bookcase and started searching. “I could’ve sworn I still had my old statistics textbook here somewhere. I had the best notes and Ben was saying he’d love to use them.”
Nellie looked at Caelyn and mouthed a silent apology as Alicia continued to browse through the nearby bookcase. She seemed to suck up all the air in the room, Caelyn thought.
Caelyn finished blowing her nose and wiping her eyes. “Thanks, Nellie.”
“I didn’t even do anything.”
“You did though,” she replied.
Alicia pulled a book from the bookcase and stood up, spinning to face them.
“What did Nellie do?”
“She just listened,” Caelyn said. “And she didn’t get mad at me.”
Alicia pursed her thin, red lips. “I know you don’t want anybody to be mad at you, Caelyn. But you haven’t exactly made it easy for anyone to understand why you’re acting this way.”
“I know I haven’t made things easy.”
Alicia glared at her with annoyance. “So what is it? You don’t trust me now?”
Caelyn sighed deeply. “Of course I trust you.”
“Doesn’t seem like it.” Alicia was clutching her textbook so hard that her knuckles had turned white. “It feels like you suddenly decided that I’m not worth keeping in your life anymore. And I really thought we were friends. Like—I considered you my best friend, practically. I imagined us years from now, still meeting for