“I asked if I could talk to her. She said no. I can’t help that.”
“But you can try harder. You have not done anything to show her that you want her back. So what she said she didn’t want to talk to you. Try a little fucking harder. It’s not that complicated.”
The two best friends walked down the aisle in complete silence. Keliah wanted to give Gabrielle a chance to let her speech sink in and Gabrielle wanted to soak it all in. Gabrielle parted her lips several times, preparing to say something but she never spoke. She just continued to think a little more. Gabrielle ended up putting her potato chips back and her and Keliah left the store empty handed after an hour of walking around and talking. Gabrielle drove Keliah to the campus so she could get settled back into her dorm and prepare for classes the next day. Keliah began rolling her suitcase to her dorm but when she looked back and saw that Gabrielle was still sitting in her car with it running, she walked back and knocked on the window. Gabrielle rolled down her window and gave Keliah a look.
“What?”
“You aren’t even going to help me carry all this shit upstairs?”
“Uh, no…you got it.”
“Gabrielle!”
“Okay, I don’t wanna see Meredith.”
“What did I just tell you about you needing to start growing some balls?”
“Well can I start growing them tomorrow?”
“Pathetic. Sweden has made you weak. If you don’t talk to Meredith tomorrow, I will make you and I’m not joking.”
“Yeah yeah. Tomorrow. Promise. Love you.”
Gabrielle grinned at Keliah who just stuck her tongue out at her before rolling her suitcase inside. Keliah knocked on the door since she left her key on her nightstand for break. Meredith popped her head behind the door to her and Keliah’s room and tried to peek behind Keliah.
“Hey Keli, you alone?”
“If by that do you mean is Gabrielle not behind me then no, she is.”
“Shit.”
Keliah giggled and pushed Meredith aside.
“I’m just joshing with you. Move.”
Keliah rolled her suitcase inside of her and Meredith’s room and began to unpack.
“How is the Compton Bar fam doing? Did you tell them I said hi?”
“Actually no I didn’t. I had like a mental breakdown and didn’t really talk to them.”
“That’s funny.”
Keliah blurted out.
“What?”
Keliah hung up a shirt in her side of the closet and shook her head even though her back was facing Meredith.
“Nothing. Continue.”
“No, what is funny about me having a mental breakdown?”
“Nothing’s funny, it’s just Gabrielle told me the same thing.”
“She had a mental breakdown? Really?”
“Yep.”
“Oh.”
Meredith sat back on her bed and watched as Keliah hung up her clothes.
“Why aren’t you talking to her, again?”
“Because Keli. When someone hurts you, you don’t just go fleeing back into their arms.”
“You don’t refuse to resolve the conflict with them either.”
Meredith thought about it. She didn’t know what to do. Meredith wasn’t going to just forgive Gabrielle and start a relationship. Deep down she wished she could just forgive her and do that and pretend that nothing ever happened between them but it did and it affected Meredith deeply. How are you supposed to go back to the person that hurt you the most? Gabrielle was Meredith’s first girlfriend. They were young and awkward and didn’t know how things worked in a relationship but as they grew, they grew together and formed that special bond that Meredith missed dearly. She wanted Gabrielle back but she just didn’t know how to get her back.
“I guess you’re right. Maybe I’ll listen to what she has to say. It can’t hurt…I hope.”
“Finally! Now help me with a cute outfit to wear. I want to look sexy for Georgia when I go back tomorrow.”
“In that case we need to go shopping.”
Meredith grinned as Keliah nudged her shoulder.
“My clothes aren’t even that bad.”
“Keli, you coordinate your sweat pants by color!”
“So?”
“I don’t even think you own jeans.”
“Because they aren’t comfortable.”
“But they make you look nice and womanly, unlike sweats. Come on, I’m sure there are some Black Friday sales still going on at the mall.”
Meredith wasn’t really into dressing up, or looking decent. When it came to clothing, her motto was: as long as I feel good. But Meredith was excellent at dressing other people. She drove Keliah to a department store and took her upstairs to a sweater section. Keliah shook her head as she scanned the selection of clothes quickly.
“I said make me look sexy, not eighty. Is this even my section?”
“Chillax. You will look sexy.”
Meredith pursed her lips and squinted her eyes as she concentrated hard on finding the correct sweater that had just the right material and color. That was key. Keliah followed behind her and just watched as Meredith went through several many different sweaters. The selection of sweaters was large and Keliah stopped looking when she got through with all the cream colored sweaters.
“Yes!”
Keliah looked up to find Meredith holding a sweater in the air with a satisfied grin on her face.
“This is the one.”
The sweater was a dark Christmas green. Meredith stressed that it
