Chapter Nine - Figment of My Imagination

I had walked this far to East Jasmine to talk to her. I would not let her slam the door on me. She better not.

She opened the door and blinked on me. "You're not on drugs this time?"

"I was never in drugs." take deep breaths, Sammy. Resist the urge to punch your best friend in the age. Even though your best friend is a snobby stuck-up materialistic rhymes-with-witchy girl.

She raised her eyebrows. "Fine. What do you need?"

Another deep breath. "Marissa, you have to believe my story."

"I can't. I refuse to believe mumbo-jumbo crap like that. It's non-ethical."

I rolled my eyes. "You don't even know what 'non-ethical' means, Marissa."

"So? I'm still not believing your bull—"

"Please." I locked my eyes with hers. "You really have to believe me. It's the only way I can get back to my real life, and...it's the only way you'll be better."

"Better?"

"Since when did you care so much about your parent's money, huh?" I asked softly.

Her grip on the brass doorknob tighten. I saw her knuckles get even whiter.

"You're not supposed to know this, but in the future you lose all your money. You become middle-class. And what will you do then? Buy me BCBG sunglasses for my birthday or instead spend your money on wiser things like, for example, things the birthday person would actually want. Just because it's expensive doesn't make it a wonderful gift. Sometimes the thought is what counts more."

She stammered, "But...but you've always liked BCBG. You've always liked the same things I do. You've always let me buy anything and everything for you. You've always encouraged me to use my money while it lasts, right?"

I stopped short. What? I did? Did the Sammy in this new world really tell her all that stuff in then past?

"That's not true. I was stupid then. I didn't realize these things. Now I do. I want you to see them, too." I urged. Marissa looked down.

"In the future your family starts falling apart. Your parents start fighting all the time and spending no time at home. Your dad has a gambling problem. And you have no one to talk to about all this but me. But then you and Mikey start bonding more and..." I shrugged, "I don't know. When you and Mikey started bonding more, I saw this happiness in you I've never seen before. Like you were perfectly content with having a brother you could be close to. That money didn't matter as family did."

She blinked and looked up at me. "Is this all true?"

I nodded slowly. Suddenly I was getting it myself. The more I talked the more I got it. The more I understood how Marissa's parents should have solved their problem long ago. The more I understood her connection with Mikey.

The more I understood my mother.

My mother hadn't known. She hadn't realized that family matters more than anything. Money can buy you things, but if you have no family to be with, what's the point of having things? Why would you want money when you have no one at all?

Why didn't I just tell my mother I missed her? Why hadn't I just gone to Heather before and tried to befriend her and be nicer to her instead if always trying to get revenge on everything she did for me?

I started crying right then. This trip to this "new" world was making me realize things in a whole new perspective. I would seriously have to change things when I got back.

But if I never got to go back, I may as well fix things here and make things better for myself. That way, if I have to stay in this reality forever, then at least I'll have made it a better place.

Marissa stepped outside of the doorway suddenly. "Sammy..." she looked like she was about to cry, too.

"Yeah?"

"You're crazy, you're seriously crazy... But for some odd reason I want to believe every word you say."

"Why?"

"I just had this weird vision-image in my head. Like déjà vu except I don't ever remember it happening. But it was...I saw my parents fighting. You're right."

She was seriously going to believe me? This was going better than I had expected.

"Look, I still think you're crazy but your words still have some wisdom." she laughed a little. "I'm not saying I'm going to suddenly start following your preachings right away, but maybe I'll slowly stop trying to be...such a...so..."

"Materialistic?"

She nodded. "Just look at me," she said, "I'm a terrible person."

"Don't say that." Marissa was the last thing from "terrible". She was Marissa. MY Marissa. MY best friend Marissa. And I loved her too much to hate her. Even if she was going to be like this.

I missed the old Marissa so much. What if I never got her back? I started crying all over again. Look at the baby I've become. I've become a softie.

"Please stop crying...Sammy...Sammy, please stop crying. We're all right here waiting. Oh god oh god..." Marissa was whimpering now.

"What did you just say?" I asked. What did she mean "we're all right here waiting"? What?

"Nothing." Marissa blinked. "I just said 'Don't cry'. That's all...why?"

"You said something else. You said you all are waiting...or something."

She shook her head. "I said 'don't cry'. Nothing else. You okay? Maybe you really are going crazy."

I laughed nervously. Must have been a figment of my imagination.

Or I must really be going crazy.