Friends and Memories

      I growled slightly. I knew Caleb meant well, but I didn't appreciate him barging into my room, plus, Mom and I had had an argument, and neither of us had yet apologized, so I wasn't feeling absolutely ecstatic to hear what Mom had said.

      "-that we could-"

      "Caleb, I'm busy, I can't go anywhere, ok?" I said, standing up and stretching my Water Draik wings.

      "She said she would come to the bookstore with us!" Caleb finished, giving me a dejected look. "I can't go to the bookstore unless she comes with us, you know. And I haven't been for two whole days!"

      The bookstore was Caleb's favorite place in Neopia, but Mom had forbid him to go alone, because of a certain... incident that happened, involving some books, and a lot of colored smoke poofing into the air. However, since us older ones (my sister Lia, a faerie Lutari, and my brother Samuel, Sam for short, the magma Jetsam) could travel to the bookstore whenever we wished, we were never very eager to go with Caleb.

      "Please, Julie, you never do anything fun with me!" the Hissi whined, pulling at my light turquoise dress. I batted his wing away, glowering.

      "You never ask me to do anything fun. Just go to the bookstore with me, go to the bookstore with me," I replied, bitingly. He withered under my glare, for I knew he hated displeasing me, preferring to keep on my good side.

      "Get out." I sighed, pointing at the door. When he didn't move, I took his shoulder, and led him out of the room, shutting and locking my door behind him. When I was sure he had left, I went to my desk and pulled out a picture from the drawer. It was of a red Draik, and a blue Cybunny, arm in arm, smiling. I turned it over gently in my hands, reading the memorized writing on the back.

      Rachel and Julie

      A tear was trembling on my eyelashes, but the words underneath were worse.

      BFF

      I face planted onto my bed, shoulders shaking as I cried. I cried, and cried, and cried until I drifted into the land between dreams and wakefulness.

      *

      "Jewels, what did you get on the test?" The blue Cybunny carefully unwrapped a sandwich from its package of white paper.

      "I got an A+," the red Draik replied, sipping from her Berry Cola Slushie.

      "Really?" the Cybunny squealed, gleefully, "I did too!" They high fived each other, then the Cybunny ripped her rainbow doughnut in half, handing it to the Draik, and the Draik slid two of her four chocolate chip cookies to her friend.

      *

      "She's really nice, Jewels!"

      "No. Didn't you see how she snubbed me while we were eating and ignored me when I tried to say something during the conversation?" The Draik looked away, and the Cybunny thought she could see tears in her eyes. But when the other neopet looked back, her eyes blazed. "We're through, Rachel, if you want to be friends with that so called 'nice' Sophia, then you can't be friends with me."

      "Jewels-"

      "Don't call me that."

      "-She's a royal Bruce, I'm sure she doesn't mean it!"

      "Get out of my room, Rachel. I'm not your friend anymore."

      Slowly, haltingly, the Cybunny stood, and left.

      *

      "I'm royal now!" The squeal could be heard from all the way across the cafeteria. "We're almost like sisters!"

      The sound of a high five drifted to the Draik's ears, and she ignored it, icily. But even so, an ache was hidden in her heart, memories of when that same Cybunny had said, "We're almost like sisters!"

      The two friends' visits had abruptly stopped, although the Cybunny lived only a few blocks away. If you peered just right through the window, you could see the Cybunny's house through the neighbors' and neopets' backyards.

      'We're not friends anymore,' the Draik reminded herself. 'I'll just ignore her.'

      But it was harder than it seemed.

      *

      I snapped up, sweat beading my forehead, tears streaming down my face.

      Rachel...

      'Not her....' I thought, 'No...'

      Rachel...

      Rachel...

      The name echoed in my mind. Rachel the Cybunny. I looked at the picture still clutched in my hand. It was slightly bent now, but still easy to see. I looked at the words on the back.

      Rachel and Julie

      BFF

      Trembling from my dreams, I stood, and looked out the window. If you looked just at the right angle, you could see her house. And there it was. I could see her bedroom window. The room was dark, so I assumed she was out shopping with her friends.

      Friends.

      I wasn't her friend anymore, but I could remember being it. I could remember going shopping with her. There was a knock on my door. Quickly, I hid the picture and unlocked the door, and Mom came into the room.

      "I'm sorry about the fight, Julie," she apologized.

      "It's okay," I replied. Mom put her arms around me.

      "Anyway," she said, and the hint of a smile danced in her voice. "We're having your favorite for dinner, mashed potatoes and gravy with peas. As a peace offering."

      *

      "Julie, hurry up!" Lia and I exchanged smiles at Caleb's call. Mom had decided to have a family outing today, three days after my dreams of Rachel. We were going to Pizzaroo, then the grooming parlour, then the bookshop (of course). Sam, coming behind, chuckled. Then, suddenly, I stopped in my tracks. There, standing in front of Pizzaroo with a dark haired girl, was Rachel. The royalgirl Cybunny was smiling and giggling, but when she saw me, she too stopped. We stared at each other, then she came hesitantly towards me.

      "J-Julie?" she stammered. "Is that you?" I nodded slowly, eyes wide, then my mind snapped back to reality, and to what Rachel had done to me. I backed away. Lia put her hand on my shoulder.

      "What are you doing here?" I growled, harshly. Rachel stepped towards me and I stepped back again. "Get away from me!"

      "Julie, I'm really sorry!" she said, anxiously. "Really! I promise!"

      "Where's your 'friend?' " I spat.

      "She's not my friend anymore," Rachel admitted. "She found someone else she liked better than me. You were right all along."

      "No!" I snarled, pulling farther away from her. "You don't know how much you hurt me! I won't forgive! I won't!" Passersby were beginning to stare, but I didn't care. Tears began welling in my eyes. Mom pulled me into her arms. Mom knew who Rachel was. Mom knew I had been hurt by her. I cried into Mom's shoulder. Rachel looked horrified. I was beginning to feel that she was telling the truth, but bitterness loomed high over the little spark of uncertainty. Cradling me in her arms, Mom turned, and whisked me home.

      *

      I sat with my head on my arms, gazing through my open window at the dark, velvety sky. It had taken me nearly an hour to calm my nerves after the incident. Lia and Mom had stayed with me the whole time, and let me stay in my room. My sister brought me my meals. Now, after resting all afternoon, I was not tired. I was daydreaming about woodland Unis when a little white weewoo landed on my windowsill. I sat up, curiously. The weewoo seemed to be holding a letter. It had no address, only the words 'To Julie.' The weewoo laid the letter on my lap, and I opened it. Inside it read as follows.

Julie,

I'm really sorry. I didn't know that I had hurt you so much. Please forgive me. And... Do you think we can still be friends after this? I miss doing everything with you. I miss pretending to be your sister. I miss you. And I want you to know that you were right about Sophia, the royalgirl Bruce. She was only pretending to be my friend because I am limited edition. You really were my friend.

Miss you,

Rachel

      I stared in shock at the letter for a second, then I smiled. I really did miss Rachel, whether I had known it or not. Now that I was given a second chance, I wanted to be her friend. And I would be. Taking a pen, I turned the paper over and wrote,

Rachel,

Yes, we can be friends.

Your friend,

Julie

      When I handed it to the weewoo, he hopped out of my window again, and disappeared. After a few minutes, I peered through the window at just the right angle, and saw Rachel's house. Her light was on, and the silhouette of a royalgirl Cybunny appeared in the window. I knew she was looking at my window, so I waved.

      And she waved back.

The End

I hope you enjoyed reading this! This is my second short story! Yay! Cheers!