Brenda finally made it home and sat in the driveway for a moment, trying to collect her thoughts. She really cared for David and when she was with him he was all she thought about. But Dylan was always in the back of her mind…and in the back of her heart. She'd cried so hard she'd made herself miserable, with a tear induced headache that throbbed. When she saw her mother walk out of the house she groaned. She didn't think she could handle the Spanish Inquisition tonight. She sighed and got out of the car.
"Brenda," Cindy said quietly but urgently, looking back toward the house.
"Mom, what's wrong?"
"Oh Brenda, it's terrible," Cindy said, anguish in her voice. "You remember the Malone's right?"
"Of course I do. Valerie was my best friend for years." Worry shot through her. "Did something happen to Val?"
Cindy put her face in her hands, crying. "Her father killed himself," she told Brenda.
Shocked, Brenda hugged her mother. Valerie's parents and Brenda's parents had been best friends for years. That something like this could have happened was horrible. "Poor Val," Brenda said softly.
Cindy straightened. "She's here, Brenda."
Brenda blinked. "Valerie is here? In Beverly Hills?"
Cindy nodded. "Abby was checked into a…place. She's not handling this very well. Her sister took the younger kids, but they simply didn't have room for Valerie. Bless her heart, she had no where to go. Jim told her she could stay with us."
Brenda's heart was hurting for her friend and she forgot about her own problems for a moment. "I wanted to tell you before you came in. Valerie and Brandon are in your room now, setting up the extra bed. Oh Brenda, I hope it's okay."
Brenda rubbed her mother's arms. "It's fine mom." She kissed Cindy on the cheek. "I love you."
Cindy smiled through her tears. "I love you too, honey."
"How's dad taking this?"
Cindy sighed. "He's devastated. He and Victor were like brothers. They talked just last week and Jim didn't notice anything wrong. He's blaming himself, and I've told him how ridiculous that is." Cindy shrugged. "It's like talking to a wall."
Brenda agreed but didn't say so. They walked back to the house and Brenda found Jim standing at the foot of the stairs, staring into the living room. "Daddy," she said, hugging him. As if pulled from a trance, Jim hugged her back.
"Brenda," he sighed, holding her.
She looked up at him. "There was nothing you could do," she told him firmly.
Jim nodded, but she could see the pain in his eyes. "You better go up and make sure Valerie is getting settled in okay."
Brenda walked toward the stairs, but Jim stopped her with a hand on her arm. "I love you Brenda."
She smiled. "I love you too, Dad."
Nervous, Brenda walked to her room and stopped in the hall when she heard Brandon's voice. "I can't imagine how you must be feeling, Val, but you can always talk to me, any time."
"Thanks, Brandon," a familiar voice said tiredly.
Brenda walked into the room. "Valerie," she said softly, walking towards her old friend.
The other woman jumped up from the bed and rushed toward her, pulling her into a hug. Brenda felt her sobs and simply held her, looking at Brandon over her shoulder. She saw pain in his eyes and realized it must be reflected in her own. Valerie pulled back, smiling at Brenda through her tears. "Brenda," she said. "I've missed you so much."
"I'm so sorry about your dad," Brenda said, holding her friends hands.
Fresh tears flowed down Valerie's face. "Me too," she whispered.
Brenda noticed that Valerie had cut her long hair into a short bob. She was still beautiful, tears and all. Though the circumstances were tragic, Brenda felt like Valerie coming to Beverly Hills was fate. "Good night, Brandon," she told her brother, giving him a small smile.
Brandon nodded. "Good night, Bren. 'Night, Val. Yell if you need anything."
Brenda watched him leave the room, then walked with Valerie toward the beds. "You can sleep in my bed and I'll take the pull out," she told her friend.
"Don't be silly, Bren. I'm not going to take your bed." Valerie sat on the pull out and wiped her face. "I can't stop crying," she said, annoyed. "I cry until I get sick and then I cry some more."
Brenda knew exactly what that was like, having just done it herself. "I can get you some Tylenol," she offered.
"Cindy gave me some a few minutes ago," Val told her. "It was so good seeing your parents again. It reminded me that things haven't always been so terrible."
"Do you want to talk about it?" Brenda asked her quietly.
Valerie thought about it a moment. "I don't think so, Bren. Not right now. Is that okay?"
"That's fine, Val. We can talk whenever you want."
"I won't be in your way very long," Val promised. "I'm going to get a job and find a place of my own."
"You're staying in Beverly Hills?" Brenda asked her, shocked.
Valerie nodded, her breath catching. "I can't talk about it right now, Brenda, but I can't go back there."
Brenda leaned over and hugged her. "Valerie, you can stay here for as long as you need. You're like my sister."
"Thanks Brenda, you don't know how much that means to me," Valerie said, crying again. She stood up. "I'm going to take a quick shower and then I'm going to go to bed. Can we talk more tomorrow?"
"Of course!" Brenda told her. "I'll be gone early, but I'll be here all afternoon. We can catch up then, okay?"
Valerie nodded and hugged Brenda again, then went into the bathroom and started the shower. Brenda got her pajamas out and went into her parent's bathroom for a shower. After she was done she went down to the kitchen where her parents were sitting. "She's really upset," Brenda told them, "but that's to be expected, I guess. I'm going to skip my last class tomorrow and come home to spend some time with her."
Cindy smiled at her. "Thank you Brenda."
Brenda kissed both of her parents. "Good night," she told them, walking back up the stairs. When she got back to her room, Valerie was already asleep. Making as little noise as possible, Brenda laid down to get some sleep herself.
