Hi y'all! I'm writing this story with my "friend" (hehe... if you want to know more ask me on my main ACC @KittyKat503) and it actually slays (excuse my language) Pls give your honest opinion and any feedback! Credit to me, Music/Aduw (both nicknames for my "friend" if yk what I mean) Ava “Ava!!! You’re back? Oh my gosh, it’s so good to see you!” I spin towards the voice. “Ally!” I yell, running towards my best friend. I open my arms for a hug, but instead, she pushes me to the ground. Oh, right. Ex-best friend. For a second I forgot that she had ghosted me for the past two months, ever since she started dating Jake. “Ally?” I ask, fear laced in my voice. Ally looks down at me, her face filled with rage. I struggle to get up, and we stand there, staring at each other for what feels like hours. I study her eyes and realize what I had originally mistaken for rage was actually pain. I reach out and hug her. She tenses at first, but after a few seconds, she relaxes in my arms. “I’m so sorry,” She sobs, over and over again. “It’s fine, Ally. I’m fine. It’s fine,” I lie. She’s already in pain, she doesn’t need more. I grab her by her shoulders and look her in the eyes. “I miss you, Ally,” I admit. “I miss you too,” She replies. “But I-” She glances over my shoulder and a look of panic flits across her face before quickly disappearing into a small, evil smile. She stumbles backward as if I had pushed her, and brushes her hair out of her face while also wiping away the few remaining tears. She sneers, but her eyes, pleading and full of fear, betray her facade. “Ally? What’s going-” I start, and suddenly someone shoulder-checks me from behind. “Hey, Babe!” says a voice I recognize all too well. I turn around, and sure enough, there is the evil smile I’ve known since elementary school. The blond curls, breathtaking blue eyes, and gorgeous dimples, however, I’ve only seen this year. Over the summer between 8th and 9th grade, Jake went from a baby-faced weirdo to the most popular and hottest guy in the school. He also just happens to be Ally’s boyfriend. “Jakey!” Ally giggles in a high-pitched voice. I haven’t talked to her in months, but I know her well enough to see through her fake smile and voice. Even though the fear in her eyes is gone, I can still tell she’s scared. Not necessarily scared of him, more scared of losing him. The question is, does she really love him, or does she just love the popularity? The Ally I know wouldn’t care about popularity, but then, I’m not even sure if the Ally I know still exists. Ally She hates you, Ally. It’s okay that you’re mean to her because she doesn’t care what you think. That’s what I’ve always told myself. I don’t matter to her, she doesn’t miss me, and my words don’t affect her. But after she hugged me today, I’m not so sure. “I miss you,” She had said. Miss. She misses me. I didn’t think it was possible; I didn’t think she cared. But she misses me. And, honestly, I miss her too. Maybe I should be nice? No. I can’t. I’d lose everything. Jake would break up with me, my parents wouldn’t care about me anymore, and I’d go back to being the friendless nerd that everyone picks on. And my secret… “Right, Ally?” Jake asks, snapping me out of my thoughts. “Um, yeah,” I reply, not caring what he said. Disagreeing means risking everything. Then I see Ava’s face, on the brink of tears. What have I done? “Oh,” She mumbles, her voice cracking. “If that’s all it was…” She turns and runs towards the restroom, crying. “Jake? What did you say?” I ask. “I said that you talk to me about how annoying she is all the time, and the only reason you were friends with her was because she was the only other weirdo willing to be friends with a freak.” I wince at the word “freak”. He thinks I was a freak? If anything it’s the other way around. I’ve become an absolutely terrible person, bullying my best friend just to stay popular. Who needs a boy anyway, if he’s going to be a jerk? Except, I know deep down there’s a side of him, the side I fell in love with at first. And I need to bring that side back. (Continued in Notes and Credits)
(Continued from Instructions) Jake Ava is a threat. Ally is mine. Fear is respect. Right now, Ally fears me. She respects me. She knows that I know. If I tell anyone, her life is ruined. It keeps her with me. If she leaves me, she loses everything. My mom turned too soft, and my sister left. My mom never left, because my dad held respect. She feared him, fear is respect. Fear is power. Fear is everything. Ava could ruin this all. In a way, I fear Ava. But I do not respect her. She has no power over me, the only thing that matters is Ally. If Ally loses me, she loses everything. If I lose Ally, I lose everything. I fear losing Ally. I respect Ally. I love Ally. But I need to have control. Without control, without power, without respect, without fear, she is gone. I will lose everything. Ava is a threat. I turn to Ally. The pain in her eyes is almost unbearable. But then I see the fear. The respect. There’s something else, but I can’t make out what it is. A memory floods my brain. My sister, halfway through the door, pauses. “Megan!” I cry. “Please don’t leave. Don’t leave me here with Dad, please!” There! The same look. A small glint in her eyes. Then a tear falls. One single tear. “I love you Jakey,” she whispers, then turns and closes the door. I collapse against the ground, crying. The cold from the hard concrete seeps into my skin, turning sadness into anger. The blood inside me boils until like I feel like I’m about to explode. Then, like a teakettle when it gets too hot, I let out a high-pitched scream that takes all my breath. All time disappears, and the only thing I can think of is Megan. Megan leaving. Leaving me. Because she didn’t fear me. She didn’t fear my mom. Or was it… was it because she feared Dad? Was it the fear that made her leave? But fear is power, fear is respect. Fear doesn’t make people leave, fear makes them stay. My dad comes home and sees me, half asleep on the floor. “Jake, get up. Where is your sister?” He demands. “I don’t know,” I sob. “She left. She left me.” “Stop crying. Men don’t cry.” “Mike, he’s only ten-” My mother starts. My dad ignores my mom and yells again, “Stop crying!” “Yes, Father,” I say in a cracky voice, wiping away the tears. “Jake?” Ally’s voice snaps me out of my daydream. “Are you okay?” The same look is in her eyes, clouding out the fear. What is it? And how does it overpower fear? How can there be an emotion stronger than fear, if fear is power?
