Chapter Twenty
"Hey, can I come in?" I peek in as I open the door to Millie's room.
She's sitting at her desk with her back towards the door, but turns to look at me and I can see the surprise on her face.
"Hi, of course," she jumps up from her chair and glances at me, probably wondering why I'm here.
It's been a while since I was in her room the last time, so I look around and notice a few changes right away. New posters of boy bands and singers on the wall, new photos on display and a bookshelf that wasn't there before. When the photo of her with Gina, taken on Millie's birthday, reminds me why I'm here, I sigh and turn my attention back to Millie.
"Are you okay?" I ask with concern in my voice.
"Not really," she sighs and I don't miss the sadness in her eyes. "Gina wouldn't talk to me. I apologized a million times already, but she simply ignores me."
"I'm so sorry," I tell her and decide to pull her into a hug to try and comfort her. I feel her arms around me, holding me tight and soon she starts sobbing.
"She thinks I betrayed her," I hear her desperate voice and I stroke her hair gently. "But I couldn't just let her leave like that. I knew mom would be furious if she found out and you would have been too," she lifts her head to look at me and our eyes meet. "I didn't tell mom that she left, but she got suspicious."
"You wanted Gina to do the right thing and told her so. It was brave from you and I want to thank you for that," I reassure her that I appreciate what she did, that's why I'm here and I can see a small smile play in the corner of her lips as she pulls away from me and wipes hear tears.
"Mom said she went straight home after she left," she looks at me hesitantly.
"She did, so your sacrifice wasn't for nothing after all," I encourage her with a smile.
"Will she ever talk to me again?" She falls back into her misery in a matter of seconds.
"I'm sure she will. Just don't give up on her, please," I tell her softly.
I've always been so grateful about Gina and Millie being best friends, because she's the kind of girl I would have wanted as my daughter's friend. She's so much like her mother. Reliable, caring and understanding, not to mention both are fun to be around and so far the friendship of the girls have been working almost as well as our friendship with Alicia.
"I miss her already," she admits and I wish I could do more to help.
"I think she misses you too," I try to be the voice of my daughter, because I'm sure that deep down it is exactly how Gina feels, even if she wouldn't admit it openly.
"I'm so angry at Keith, it's his fault," she raises her voice slightly and I don't blame her for trying to find a scapegoat. I'm still blaming Keith too, even if I know Gina is just as guilty. "We always said we won't let any boy get in the way of our friendship and look what happened. She's barely known him for 2 months and we are already at odds," she makes a point and suddenly a sharp fear takes over me.
"Do you think she likes him more than just a friend?" The question pours out of me automatically. If anyone knows the answer to it besides Gina, it's her best friend.
"I don't think I should talk to you about it. I'm sorry," Millie retreats right away as she realizes she already said more than she should have.
"It's okay. I understand," I reassure her, aware that the last thing she needs right now is an additional reason for Gina to feel betrayed by her. I'll have to find another way to get my answer.
"Thank you for coming over. It means a lot to me," she hugs me again and I pull her close to show my affection.
"Of course. I hope to have you over at our place soon," I tell her when we let go of each other.
"I hope so too," her lips curl up a little for a split second.
o-o-o
I find Alicia waiting for me in the corridor when I exit Millie's room.
"How is she?" she asks in a low voice and I approach her.
"I think she's going to be fine. I asked her not to give up on Gina." Now that I say it out loud to Alicia it sounds a little more amusing than serious, but it's my wish nevertheless.
"I'm sure she won't. She misses her," she confirms as we walk down the stairs together.
"She told me so," I reply with a sigh.
"Thank you for visiting her," she turns to me after we enter the kitchen where I followed her.
"I had to come. Will said Millie has been in a bad shape. It must have been their biggest fight so far." I've been trying to remember when was the last time the girls haven't talked to each other intentionally for more than a day, but I'm unable to.
"Fights in high school are the worst anyway. I'm just glad our friendship started when we were both adults. So we are able to keep our emotions in check," she tells me in a half-playful tone, but I know she is right. Work related fights with Will are sometimes inevitable, but Alicia and I rarely have a disagreement or we are able to resolve it easily.
"Yeah, we've managed to avoid big fights so far," I say it out loud and smile at my friend.
"Let's keep it that way," she returns my smile.
"I agree," I nod.
"Would you like some pie?" she offers and even if I know I shouldn't stay much longer I still accept.
"Just a quick bite," I take a seat at the table and she places a slice of pie on a plate in front of me and herself as well.
"So have you scheduled your second date yet?" She switches to a different subject, which brings an even wider smile on my face.
"No, but he sent me red roses today," I reveal and she seems to be impressed. I already miss the bouquet that I had to leave in the office not to raise Gina's suspicion, but at least I have his card with me.
"What a gentleman," Alicia notes, taking a bite from her pie.
"Right? I'm so impatient to see him again, but it's almost impossible to have privacy in this town and I don't want Gina to find out about us just yet." I feel trapped and I'm aware that we need a good plan. I'm not ready to tell my daughter yet, especially since I fear she might have deeper feelings for Keith and who knows how badly she'd take that I'm dating the boy's father.
"I think I have an idea how to get you two in the same room where you can be alone," Alicia's offer is intriguing. I should have given it more thought to figure out a solution on my own, but I'm grateful to have someone else who does it for me.
"You do? I'm listening."