Have a Good Life

"So, what are you going to do now that you're back in town?" Linda asked her daughter during dinner that night.
 

 

"I think I'm gonna go to Melany's tomorrow, to visit. I'm not sure about tonight. I'm really tired." Anna replied. Melany was her best friend since third grade.
 

They'd never fought. Never argued. They'd been through so much as friends, at each other's sides, no matter what. Melany was always there for Anna. When Anna's father died, Melany was there for her. When Anna began cutting, Melany was there for her, along with Zach. When Zach broke her heart, Melany was there, too.

 

And Anna was there for Melany, too. When Melany broke her arm in the sixth grade, Anna was there for her. When Melany's mother was diagnosed with breast cancer, Anna was there. And when her mother passed away, Anna was there. Their friendship became closest in the middle of their Junior year of high school.

 

"Mel, where are you? You haven't been in school for the past four days. What's going on? Are you okay? Call me back." That was the sixth message Anna had left for Melany.

 

It was October 12, Junior year, and Mel hadn't been acting the same last week. She didn't show up to school for four days that week. Anna had tried to call her father, but he only said that she was sick and wasn't feeling well.

 

Anna waited for about a half hour, until she gave up and went over to Melany's house. Knock, knock, knock. The door creaked open slightly, and Anna saw Melany's face poke through the crack.

 

"Hey," Mel said quietly when she saw that it was Anna.

 

"Hey, how are you?" Anna asked.

 

"Fine," Mel replied simply.

 

"Can I... come in?" Anna asked hesitantly. Mel nodded, and stepped aside, swinging the door open fully. Anna entered her house and followed Mel to sit next to her on the loveseat.

 

"What are you doing here?" Mel asked softly. She didn't look the same. She was wearing a pair of her boyfriend, Peter's, boxer shorts and a loose white t-shirt. Her curly brown hair was piled up on top of her head in a messy bun. She wasn't wearing any makeup, and had horrible bags under her eyes, probably from lack of sleep.

 

Melany usually took care of herself. She always wore makeup, no matter what. Even if she was going swimming or if she was staying home all day, she wore makeup. Also, her hair was always down. On the hottest day in the summer, her thick curls were hanging down loosely on her chest. So it was weird for Anna to see her so... vulnerable.

 

"I came to see how you were doing. Your dad said you were sick."Anna said.

 

She nodded. "I am."

 

"With what?"

 

She hesitated. "Um, I've been nauseous and throwing up."

 

"That's all?" Anna asked.

 

Melany nodded. Anna gave her a look of disbelief.

 

"What? I'm telling the truth." Mel retorted.

 

"Is there something you want to tell me?" Anna asked.

 

She shook her head. "No."

 

"Mel, are you pregnant?" Anna asked.

 

She hesitated. "What would give you that idea?"

 

"Well, for one, you said you were nauseous and throwing up. Two, your b***s are two times the size they were. You had to use the bathroom every two minutes the other day, and you've gained weight."
 

"I..." Mel began, but stopped and shook her head.

 

"Have you taken a test?"

 

Mel nodded.

 

"And?"

 

"Positive. Three different ones. All positive."

 

"Does your dad know?"

 

"No. He just thinks I'm sick."

 

"And I'm guessing Peter doesn't know either."

 

Mel shook her head. "No. I'm ashamed of myself."

 

"Don't be. You're a strong girl. You'll make the right decision. I know you will. You know your options. Think about them, good and hard."
 

Anna hugged her friend, before she broke down crying in her shoulder.

 

Mel decided that she and her father didn't have the money to pay for another child. After her mom died, her father had to work twice as hard, making only a small amount of money to be able to take care of himself and for Melany. So she decided to have the baby adopted.

 

Mel hated that she had to do that. She loved little kids and would have done almost anything to be able to keep that boy. (Yes, it was a boy.) Sadly, though, they didn't have the money. She ended up giving him to a gay couple that lived down the block from them. She was able to visit him regularly and be a part of his everyday life. Peter, on the other hand, decided that he couldn't be a father. He and his family moved to Australia or something.

 

"I think I'm going to bed now, mom." Anna stated, pushing out her chair and kissing her mother on the cheek before padding upstairs.

 

She changed into a pair of pajama pants and a tank top. She squirmed under the covers of her childhood bed and closed her eyes.

--

 

After what seemed like an hour or two, Anna heard a small bang come from her window. She looked around in fright, glancing at her clock. 12:24. So it had been a little more than an hour or two.

 

She heard another bang come from her window. She rubbed her eyes sleepily and walked over the her window, looking out into the darkness. At first, she couldn't see anything, but then she spotted a figure. It was a boy. He was tall, and his tight jeans gave him away. Zach.

 

Anna rolled her eyes before opening her window and whisper-screaming out, "One second!"

 

She grabbed a sweatshirt and headed downstairs, careful not to wake up her mother. She clicked open the door and walked around the house, searching for Zach.
 

"What are you doing here?!" she whispered when she saw him.

 

"Visiting my ex girlfriend. Problem?"

 

"Yes, huge problem! It's 12:30 at night. I don't want anything to do with you. Can you please face that we're done? Can you please get over it?"

 

"No, I can't, Anna." he whispered.

 

"Why. Not."

 

"Because. I'm not over you." he replied simply.

 

"Too f*****g bad." she seethed. "We're over. Me and you are done. We've been done for three years."

 

"Then can we please just be friends?"

 

Anna laughed. "Friends? What gives you the idea that I'd want to be your friend? After what you did? I don't think so."

 

Zach looked hurt. "I'm leaving in two days. I'm going to Europe, for school, for four months. Photography. I was hoping to run into you before I left. And I did. I was also hoping for you to forgive me before I left. I still want that to happen. I hope you know that I'm sorry. Genuinely, truly sorry."

 

Anna looked at him for a second, stunned that those words had escaped his mouth.

 

"Zach... I..."

 

"Have a good life, Anna." He said quietly before trudging away into the darkness of the night.

--

When Anna met Zach, he was a sarcastic troublemaker. He acted annoying and obnoxious. He was juvinial and inappropriate. He was the student who always managed to get the class off topic, and knew how to turn any conersation into a dirty one.

 

He was late to class and didn't do homework. He was social and had many friends. Zach was the handsome player who got a different girl every other day. The first time Anna met him, she was repulsed.

 

"Zachary Johnson. You're late. On the first day of school. Seriously? Are you kidding me?" Mrs. Whipp said when he arrived to class on the first day of school of their senior year.

 

"Sorry I'm late. It's not my fault Cathy Winslet tried to f**k in the janitor's closet." he said with a smirk.

 

"Zach, really? Are you seriously going to be that disrespectful to me? On the first day of school? Seriously?"

 

"Yes." he mumbled.

 

"Seriously?!" Mrs. Whipp used her famous line. Students made fun of two things about her. One: her name.Whipp? Especially when she heard her name, she'd say, "Who's Mrs. Whipping me?" Two: When she got mad, she'd only say two words. Seriously? Really? Seriously? Really?" They couldn't help but make fun of her.

 

"I'm going to call your parents." she said as she walked back to her desk.

 

"You say that every day," Zach muttered under his breath as he took a seat next to Anna. She rolled her eyes as he looked her up and down. The bell rang, and Anna gathered her things up and quickly left the room.

 

"Hey, what's up?" Zach greeted Anna, running up behind her in the hallway.

 

"Nothing." she muttered, incresing her pace.

 

"You wanna have lunch today?" he asked.

 

"Not with you, thanks." she said, rolling her eyes.

 

"Why not? I'm hot, right?" he smirked.

 

"Do I know you?"

 

"Zach Johnson. I think we're neighbors."

 

She nodded.

 

"Come on, lunch?"

 

"No. Unlike the majority of the girls in this school, I don't want you. I don't think you're attractive. I think you're obnoxious, crude, disgusting, and disrespectful. So go take your selfish a*s away from me and talk to someone who cares." she spat.

He smiled. "Well, I do love a challange."

 

They played a game of hard-to-get for the next two months. He'd ask her out constantly, and she'd reject him. Meanwhile, he'd have a new bed buddy almost every night. She finally gave in, going out to dinner with him.
 

They ended up having a great time on the date, ending the night with a goodnight kiss. They went on several more dates afterwards, eventually going steady. There was something about her that made Zach stop having sex with s****y girls. He was completely dedicated to her. He respected her and her opinions. She wanted to wait a while until they had sex, and he agreed to that. He knew that he could wait for her, and he did. Zach Johnson waited... for once.