Waving her hand, Jade said, “Oh, he’s just my obnoxious twin brother. We’re all going to a frat party tonight, so you wanna come?”
Smiling, I said, “Sure, that would be great.”
Clapping her hands together, Jade yelled, “AWESOME!” at the top of her lungs. Running over to me, she pulled me into a hug. “Oh, I’m so excited! This is going to be a great year!” Running over, she jumped back on my bed and grabbed the fuzzy pillow and the picture of Gabe and me and said, “So, spill!”
Giggling at her, I looked over at Ash and said, “Good luck this year.”
Ash smiled and said, “Thanks,” while giggling at me.
“Um, bitches! I want to hear this love story now,” Jade yelled from my bed.
Lifting my hands in the air, I said, “All right. All right. I surrender!” Taking a deep breath, I told Jade and Ash our story.
An hour later, I said, “—So Gabe is going to Arizona University and I’m here.”
Sucking in a breath, Jade wiped away tears and asked, “Do you have any regrets, Sarah?”
Before I could even think about it, my mouth opened and I said, “No,” and smiled at her. I didn’t have any regrets. I never would with Gabe.
Tilting her head, Jade asked, “Why?”
Taking a deep breath, I said, “Because we learned from those things. Sometimes you have to go through sucky shit in order to get to the beautiful of situations. That’s what Gabe and I did. I think if you don’t make mistakes, if you don’t mess up, then you don’t grow. You don’t really know if someone is really there for you until you go through the shit.” I looked at her. “It’s so simple for people to stay with you through the good times. But what about the bad? That’s when you know they are there for you. Through the thick and thin. That’s what makes it so beautiful.”
I took a second to wipe away the few tears that fell from my eyes. “We stuck through it. Because if you can get through the bad stuff, then the good stuff is amazing. It’s so worth it.” I smiled. “That’s why I know Gabe and I will make it through these four years at separate schools. We’ve already gone through so much bad that we can get through anything. That’s what makes it beautiful, because we are willing to work through it.” I took a second. “Together we can get through anything.”
I was looking down at the ugly brown carpet covering my room. Lifting my head, I noticed Jade’s reaction first. She was staring at me with tears in her eyes. Gulping, I barely heard her say, “I want that someday.”
“Someday?” Ash asked. Waving her hand back and forth, she said, “I want that now.”
Before Ash and I both knew it, Jade was tossing a pillow at Ashlynn, hitting her square in the face. Ash grabbed the pillow. Threatening to throw it back at Jade, Ash yelled, “What the hell was that for?”
Being a smartass, Jade shrugged her shoulders. Dramatically she said, “Oh, I don’t know. Ash, you don’t even know what you’re missing.” Looking over at me, Jade said, “We need to get this girl laid,” and nodded her head back towards Ash.
“HEY!” Ash screamed. “I can hear you, ya know?”
Tossing her hand in Ash’s direction, Jade smiled and said, “Yeah, I know.”
“Just out of curiosity, why are you still a virgin?” I asked. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with being a virgin going into college. You hear stories and think college is all about getting drunk and laid. I think you can do that, but there’s a smart way to do it and an idiotic way.
Leaning back on her elbows, Jade rested her head against the wall. Sincerely, she asked, “Yeah, why, Ash?” as she let her legs dangle over the bed and swayed them.
Crossing her legs, Ash held onto the pillow and had begun to twist the fur in her hands. Taking a deep breath, she said, “It’s not like I believe in waiting till you’re married.” She looked up at us. “Honestly? I think that’s stupid. I’m more or less waiting for that guy.”
“What guy?” Jade asked with a hint of sarcasm.
Raising my pointer finger, I shushed her. Looking over at Ash, I said, “Go on.”
Giving me a quick smile, she said, “I want that guy who gives me butterflies. The kind of guy who makes me nervous in the best way. Who sweeps me off my feet. And brings me chocolate and aspirin when I’m on my period. Who not only wants to fuck me endlessly but is also just as satisfied holding me in his arms.” Looking at both of us, she smiled and said, “I just want truly, madly, deeply.”