i am sorry

Jade headed for the front door and opened it. The hallway’s light bathed her roommate, and, more importantly, her tear-soaked face.

“Connie, I’m sorry.” She pulled the door shut and ran down the stairs, halting in front of her. “If I go, I’ll have to forfeit my college graduation and maybe never land my dream job! If I don’t, the money will go to one of his or her living descendants. I have to get the money because it’s mine—but I don’t want to give up my future.”

“Everyone’s sorry.” She sniffed, wiping a mitten against her round cheeks. “No one sees the true me.”

“I really do. I’m your roommate.”

Connie scrunched her face. “Anyone can live with me!”

Jade thought more carefully about her next answer. “Connie, I’m not living with you because you’re heavy. I’m not here to insult you. I just…” She blinked at the sidewalk.

“Your money’s your friend, not me.” She huffed and told Jade she was going for a walk. “Don’t know when I’ll be back.” She started off, shoving Jade’s hand away and walking briskly down the partially snowy sidewalk, some people looking at her and then down at their glowing iPhones while wrapping their scarfs tighter and pulling their coat collars closer to their necks. Jade shivered while watching her and then headed back inside.   

Jade squeezed her hands on the plane so hard her seatmate asked her to calm down. She tried calling her roommate pretty frequently once she landed…

The buzzing woke Jade the next morning. She leaned on an elbow as she took her iPhone from the bedside table and answered it.

“Hello?”

“Um…Connie’s ran away. I don’t know where she is.”

Jade’s eyes shot open and jerked upright. “Ran away?” She whipped out of bed and got dressed. “It must be below freezing! Where’d she go?”

“I don’t know.” The sigh hurried Jade. “I don’t know. I need to find her.”

Discussing Connie and Jade’s attempted conversation the past night, Carole drove throughout Olympia with Jade on the phone, calling her name and asking complete strangers whether they’d seen a heavyset girl with a long pink scarf and some cobalt mittens. Nearly everyone said no. Some said they didn’t know a Connie lived here in this city.

Jade kept throwing out areas where Connie might’ve gone until her mouth became dry. Then she slammed herself against the back seat of her taxi.

“What? We’re looking for—”

“Someone who shouldn’t have taken off like that!”

“Oh, sorry to help!”

Jade wanted to scream at him but then climbed out after giving the driver his due money and hurried into the place. In her best way, she apologized and then talked about finding Connie together on her way up the stone steps and towards the huge wooden door.

“Do you mean it?”

“Best friends never lie.”

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***