New Experiences

*snap* *snap* "Hey are you okay?" Beverly asks Alec.

Alec, who seems to be in a daze, answers, "Yeah. Yeah, I'm okay." She seems to be captured in her own mind.

Beverly shakes her to wake her from this distant gaze. It works.

"Hey sorry, I got distracted. What were you saying, Bev?" Alec askes clearly troubled from whatever she was facing in her mind.

Bev starts, "I was just wondering if you're okay. You seem distant and depressed. Anything you need to talk about?"

Alec can clearly see the look of concern followed by panic. "Yeah. I just, ya know, spaced out. I didn't get much sleep last night." Alex answered twirling a coin through her fingers. It was her nervous habit, or when something was wrong she also did that.

Bev knew Alec too well to let this be. "Look Alec. Don't tell me that everything is okay. I know you, and I know that when you lie you play with a coin. Don't pretend that you don't do that." Bev then studied Alec to gain the full response. Alec couldn't, no wouldn't, escape this conversation saying everything was fine.

Alec hated when Bev did this. But she knew that her friend would press matters forward. "Okay, you got me. I had a pretty rough night. My mom and Dad fought again and it was all night." It wasn't the whole truth but Alec knew that it would get Beverly off of her back.

Beverly felt relieved. Her posture relaxed and she began to comfort Alec. "Hey, it's okay. You can sleep at my house if you need to. I promise it will be better." She smiled. "And remember that we'll be going to college soon, so you won't have to worry much longer."

Alec showed a smile. She knew her friend would be at ease for now. What Bev didn't know is that they wouldn't be attending the same college like they planned. Alec couldn't afford it. When she got offered a scholarship to Columbia, Alec couldn't help but take it. It was a full scholarship for journalism and traveling. "Yeah! I can't wait!" Alec said to Beverly knowing that she wasn't going to see her best friend of 13 years after going off to college.

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The day before going to college, Alec still hasn't told Beverly.

Today is the day I'm going to tell her, Alec thinks to herself walking up to Beverly's house. She knocks on the door and prepares herself for the conversation she is about to have. Beverly's twin, Leo, answers the door.

"Hey Leo, is Bev here?" Alec asks him.

"Yeah, she's upstairs, everything okay? You seem nervous." Leo tells her.

"Maybe, we'll see after this conversation," she says.

"Oh no, you still haven't told her. I thought we agreed to tell her weeks ago." Leo says to Alec. "You know that she isn't going to take this lightly, especially not because I'm going to the same school."

"I know," Alec says. Leo and her both going to the same school was pure coincidence, they both got scholarships for writing, both of their passions. They, often times, entered short story contests together and were even working on a novel. Alec loved writing horror and adventure stories, while Leo always brought passion, love, and a pool of emotion into his stories. They worked as a great team.

"Well, I guess I better go face the upcoming tragedy. Say a prayer for me not to die.' Alec said and then started up to Beverly's room. Beverly's room was quite opposite of what you would think. Beverly, who was a bright, bubbly, and extremely girly person, had black painted walls. Many band posters that were considered emo. Vinyl records hanging in cases on every wall. A record player and a radio. A king size bed in the middle of her room, the bedspread was a black and white marble. On the far side of the room, close to the closet, was a vanity with marble storage containers.

The door was slightly ajar, so Alec went in. Beverly was sitting on her bed scrolling through something on her computer. Beverly looks up at Alec and says, "Hey Alec."

"Hey Bev, can we talk?" Alec asks.

Beverly answers with a look of both curiosity and confusion, "Yeah sure, what do you need."

"Well, it's about college," Alec starts, "I kinda can't go to the one that we planned to."

Beverly looked disappointed, "Oh, well what are you going to do? You were really looking forward to going."

"Well I was, I was, um," Alec stuttered.

"Hey it's okay, there's nothing to be nervous about, you know that in this house it is a peaceful environment." Beverly attempts to soothe Alec.

The attempt doesn't work much as Alec tries again, "I was, wuh wuh was off fuh erred a sch schol ahr sh sh ship."

Beverly then looked a bit happier because she knew going to college was Alec's dream. " Where to?"

Seeing Beverly's calm, and pleased face calmed Alec down a little. " I I wuh was oh offered a scholarship to Col Col um be-be uh."

Beverly's emotions changed in a flash. Alec could see the anger filling up the calm in Beverly's eyes, "COLUMBIA! YOU'RE BLOWING ME OFF FOR MY BROTHER! REALLY!"

Frightened tears started spilling out of Alec's eyes. She cowered behind her hands as if they would save her from the anger of her friend. Alec didn't know how else to react. She was awful controlling her emotions.

Beverly was always jealous of Alec and Leo's bond. Beverly saw Alec first, Beverly was Alec's friend first, yet Leo and Alec had more of a bond. It was more than writing, they just understood each other in the way twins are supposed to. Like Beverly and Leo were supposed to. But they didn't, and Beverly hated that. It was the very first day of Kindergarten, Beverly spotted Alec all alone, and walked up to her. Alec always joked that it was the red hair that that attracted people to her, Beverly believed it was true. Alec was always different than the rest, she liked to know what was going on, but she hated to be in drama. She knew that she was attractive, but didn't flaunt it, like many attractive people do. She was confident, but never overly so. She was extremely intelligent, but not nerdy. She was a very emotional and genuine person who felt a spectrum of feelings for everyone. Alec could be described as the perfect person but hated being called that. She could have any person, notice person, not guy or girl specifically, but just person. Anyone she wanted she could have. Her unique physique was refreshing, never a burden. She even looked different but in an amazing way. She looked delicate, like a porcelain doll, and was that pale too, but instead of being insecure about it, she owned it, which made her so much prettier. Alec was covered in the cutest freckles and had two perfect dimples. Her eyes were the best physical feature about her though. One a light chocolaty brown and the other a striking grey-blue. Beverly envied how Alec could do everything so effortlessly. Beverly thanked God every day that Alec was HER best friend. That Beverly swept her up before anyone else could. Now Alec had betrayed Beverly by choosing Leo over her. Even while Alec cried she looked beautiful. The tears magnified Alec's exquisite eyes and you could see the flecks of gold in the brown one and flecks of green in the other. Her face never got red or blotchy and was still a perfect shade of porcelain.

Beverly was fuming, she was passed just angry, she was outraged, "WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME SOONER!!! IT WOULD'VE HELPED TO KNOW BEFORE THIS!!!! A DAY BEFORE WE HEAD OUT!!!"

"Please....." Alec whispered while Beverly was taking a breath in between yelling. "I wanted to, but I just couldn't... Please stop yelling."

"STOP! STOP! REALLY! YOU WANT ME TO STOP?!" Beverly yelled some more.

Alec was still shedding tears, and could only muster up a quick nod.

"FINE! IF YOU WANT ME TO STOP THEN GET OUT!" Beverly yelled.

Alec quickly walked out found herself in Leo's arms only a second after shutting the door of Beverly's room. She could smell his expensive cologne that he saved up to buy. He was taller than me, and I was chest level to him, which only made me feel more secure. He whispered into my ear "How about we go to the lake, our place." I nodded in agreement.
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