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Chapter 2: That day we met
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2024-10-29 19:42:56"buzz buzz,buzz buzz" the alarm clock rang as it vibrated and fell to the ground. Lola laid in bed with her eyes wide open,looking drained. she couldn't get any sleep because she spent the night vomiting due to her hangover.
"Never again" she whispered to herself as she got off the bed.Lola lived in a spacious apartment. It had a big bedroom,big kitchen,the bathroom and toilet were of decent size as well.Sluggishly she walked to her bathroom,she wore the same clothes she had on the previous day because she was too drunk to take them off. She took up her toothbrush and applied toothpaste on it, shortly after brushing she had her shower, then proceeded to have breakfast. While sitting on her couch eating cereal and watching TV,her eyes wandered to a framed picture beside the TV.The frame had a picture of Bart and Lola,they had on college graduation gowns. Lola stared at it for a while and smiled"It feels just like i met him yesterday"She was deep in reminiscing about the first time she met her best friend.- It was a sunny Wednesday morning and the 4th year pupils of eastern elementary were all gathered in the gym. The pupils practiced karate every sports day because martial arts was added to the school's P.E curriculum.A teacher arrived at the gym some minutes after the students. She was a tall and beautiful woman, she always had a warm smile on her face. The students referred to her as "Miss nice teacher" because she was always friendly with people around her, only other teachers knew her actual name.Miss nice teacher arranged the pupils in pairs of two based on their genders and body build. After the arrangement there were two kids left,a boy and a girl. There was nothing else to do than pair them together.Bartholomew, usually called "bat" by the bullies in his class,was a frail looking boy with glasses and braces. He was really short compared to other kids his age.Bartholomew was paired with Lola. Lola was known all around the school as a trouble maker. she had the most detentions and principal visits in class 4.Lola was 9 years old,same age as Bartholomew,she had short curly hair and a tomboyish appearance.Both Bartholomew and Lola got on the mat and the teacher instructed them to begin with a hand gesture. Lola smirked and took her stance. She swiftly ran towards Bartholomew who was frozen with fear. Bartholomew let out a high pitched scream and covered his eyes with both hands. When Lola closed in on him and swept his feet off the ground with her right leg,he fell to the mat, flat on his back. He passed out as a result of hitting his head on the mat so he was taken to the school nurse.The very next day at school, Bartholomew was being taunted by Jamie and Sandra,the bullies in his class. On getting to school,Lola witnessed the scene and got upset for some reason. She walked up to Jamie and smacked his mouth, this resulted in another visit to the principal's office for her.School was closed for the day and Lola was allowed to go home after being given a strong warning from the principal.She didn't live very far from school so she usually walked home because her mother was always to occupied with work to pick her up.While walking home,she noticed Bartholomew sitting on a swing. She stared at him for a bit then proceeded with walking."wait,wait!"Bartholomew called out as he stood up and followed her."what do you want?"she asked without even looking back."I..um,i just wanted to thank you,thank you for standing up for me.""Idiot,i got in trouble again because I was trying to stand up for your sorry butt.""I'm... really sorry i got you in trouble,you don't have to help me."he looked down at the ground with a sad looked on his face. Lola stopped and turned to look at him."Why do you let them treat you like that?, they always treat you like trash.""well,i have no friends and nobody to talk to, I'm an only child. I know they're bullies but when they taunt me,i feel like I'm being talked to."His voice was shaky."You stupid or something?,i don't have friends or siblings but you don't see me killing myself about it."Lola started to sound angrier than usual."Look Bartholomew, you can't let people treat you like that,if you want friends then you should make some real ones. I.. could be your friend if you want, it's not like i need friends, I'm doing you a favor."Bart raised his head."You'd be... friends with me?""Yup!,that way I'll always be able to save your sorry butt from bullies""But.. I'll just get you in trouble again.""Doesn't matter,if i get detention again you'd just have to wait for me like you did today. So.. wanna be friends?"Lola smiled, before now Bartholomew had never seen her smile genuinely before."Yes..yes let's be friends"Bartholomew was confused and happy at the same time."Great!"she went closer to him and gestured for a handshake."Bffs?""What's a...Bff?"Bartholomew asked her."It means best friends for ever, anywhere i go,you go, and anywhere you go i go, forever.""Oh..yes, let's be Bffs."He shook her hand happily."We're Bffs now Bart, I'll call you Bart from now on, your name is kinda hard to pronounce."They both laughed and continue walking home."Sure,i don't mind,Lola.".-Lola smiled on the couch as she reminisced, however the sound of her ringing phone snapped her out of it. Bart was the one calling,she picked up the phone call.
*Helloooo Sleepy head.*"Hey Bart."*Slept well?*"No,no i did not,last night was hell. Why'd you let me drink again?!"Lola lamented.*I'm sorry I'm sorry,i tried to warn you but you never listen.*Bart laughed while talking."You at home?, We should binge watch something together since we're basically jobless now."*Err, I'm a bit occupied at the moment, you should go, I'll meet you at home, there's pasta in the fridge but don't eat all of it!*"Yes yes sir."The call disconnected."I wonder where he could be, did he get a new job so quickly?""I'll just ask him later i guess."She stood up and kept her bowl of cereal on the table as she prepared to go over to Bart's house.Related chapters
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Bart could hear his own heart pounding loudly. His thoughts were all over the place as he tried to process what Lola had just said."A... date?"Bart asked as he gulped."Yup, let's go on a date."Lola answered almost immediately."wait a sec,not hanging out,an actual date?, like a date date?."Bart felt like the moment he waited his whole life for finally came, he went from feeling depressed to bursting with joy, although he didn't let it show."yupp,an actual date, I have an awesome idea, with this idea we'll get into relationships with awesome people in no time!"Lola said as she proceeded to eat. Bart came back to reality immediately he understood what she actually meant,he felt bitter, more bitter than he felt when he came home."Oh....a date- I'm not interested.""What's wrong?"Lola asked as she put the fork down,she knew her best friend too well,he was awful at keeping poker faces."I'm not interested,i feel like... I'm never going to be with anyone. It always gets complicated
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Bart sat there, totally frozen, just staring at Stephanie."You see Mr. Bart,i gotta say, it's really rude to be thinking about another girl while you're on a date with me."Stephanie took a sip of her coffee. Upon hearing this,Bart snapped out from his current state."I'm really sorry Miss Stephanie, you're totally right, I'm acting very rudely, please forgive me."Stephanie put down her coffee mug and smiled."I'm kidding.""You are?""I mean, it's wrong to be on a date with someone and think about someone else but this is pretty different.""It's- different?""It is. Bart,i actually didn't come out here looking for a boyfriend, I'm too busy for a relationship right now.""Lola forced you into coming?""Not quite. I just thought I'd be fun to hang out with new people, hopefully make a new friend.""I really didn't want to go on a date with anyone,i did it for Lola.""Yeah? You're a fun guy,i can tell. You just have a lot on your mind right now. Wanna be friends?""You and i?"Stepha
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Bart walked over to their table and stood over a totally wasted Lola.“Seriously though, what am I gonna do with you”He looked across the table at George who just sat there quietly.“Hey, George, listen I’m so sorry about this, man.” “What’s there to be sorry about?”“Well, I wasn’t totally honest with you. Lola and I are actually best friends; we’ve known each other for almost our whole lives. We just thought it’d be awkward if our dates found out that we were that close with each other”“It’s fine, it’s really fine but, you have to be more careful, Bart.”“What do you mean?”“If you want something, you gotta look for it, and when you find it, you’re supposed to hold on to it. Don’t hand something you really want to someone else so willingly. You’ve always been a wise man, Bartholomew; don’t go acting like a fool.”Bart just stood there, totally speechless. George gulped down his last shot of tequila, a
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Bart stared at Lola passionately and she stared back at him, trying to know if he was no longer upset. “You seriously don’t know why I am upset with you?” “I honestly don’t. Is this because I threw up again and you had to help me?” “That’s not exactly it.” “Then what’s wrong? I hate when we fight Bart, it makes me feel empty and sad afterwards” Lola lowered her voice as she spoke, she wore a very sad expression. Bart sighed. “You’re really a handful sometimes yunno?” “I know, I know. I really upset you and I’m sorry” Lola faced the TV and placed her head on Bart’s shoulder. “I don’t think I was upset with you, Lola. I wasn’t upset. I’m worried about you, you get me so worried some times and I just can’t help it” “It’s not like I’m a child though” “I know but, I’m supposed to be your drinking buddy. Your only drinking buddy. I don’t like when you get drunk but it’s fine if it’s me” “So you’re upset because you’re jealous?” “Who said anything about jealousy?” “Then what a
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“No no, it’s nothing like that I promise. I just admired you and I didn’t know if I’d ever see you again so I decided to take my chances, I don’t usually do things like these. I’m actually a really shy person” He explained, nervously stroking the back of his hair as he wore a smile which didn’t do a good job at concealing his anxiety.Lola’s anger dropped, when she looked at him acting like that, She remembered Barth.“Okay, Josh. You’ve earned a few seconds of my attention” Lola said, giving him a smile meant to put him at ease.Josh stood back, marveled at the sudden change in behavior of the strange woman standing in front of him.“My name is Joshua, Josh for short. I live not so far away from here. I work remote jobs from my home. Lola, this might sound sudden but can I have your number? You look fun and I’d like to hangout with you sometime if you don’t mind” Josh said.“hangout? Like a date? You never asked if I was single” Lola said.“Are you?” Josh asked.“hand me your phone.”
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It had been a few days since Bart and Lola returned from Visiting her mother.The new living arrangement would have been inconvenient for Lola but since she was living with Bart, the fact that she was now a homeless person didn’t bother her much. At the same time it really bothered her because she was freeloading but Bart kept telling her he didn’t mind having her around.“What do you want for breakfast?” Lola asked. Like every other morning, Bart was preparing for work and she offered to make him breakfast.“I’ve told you it’s really fine, Lo. You don’t have to make me breakfast. I’ll make you breakfast” Bart says as he adjusts the apron worn over his work clothes and enters the kitchen.Lola follows him into the kitchen immediately. “I think I know what this is about. You’ve been trying to stop me from cooking for a straight week. I just know” Lola said.“No Lola, this isn’t about you not knowing how to cook anything suitable for human consumption. I just don’t like stressing you” B
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Lola was still at a loss for words as Bart stood in front of her. They stared each other passionately. There was no speaking, their eyes said everything there was to be said.Tears dripped down Lola’s face as she hugged Bart tightly.“You came, you son of a bitch, how dare you decide me” She said. She was laughing and crying at the same time. Eventually Bart started laughing too.“I’m sorry I did that, I was already on my way when you called. I wasn’t going to ruin the surprise for any reason.” Bart said.They broke the embrace and Bart wiped the tears off her face.“That’s what makes me so happy, you just noticed my absence and you immediately set out to find me. Mr. Adamson, you’re so obsessed, it’s almost like you can’t do without me” Lola said, she had a sly smile on her face.“Keep dreaming, Janette. I’m just here because we made a promise. I’ll have you know that I’m the type of man that keeps his promises” Bart said.“huh, I see. Well, I think that’s really cool. Look at you go
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Bart arrived at the hospital. He paid the driver and gave him something a little extra for making him laugh and taking his mind off pressing issues at that time. “You were very entertaining sir. Thank you” He said as the cab drove away. The driver then waved out the front seat window as he drove out of sight. Bart walked in to the counter area where he met a nurse. “Hello there, what can I do for you?” She asked. Her face was buried in files that needed to be attended to. “I’m looking for a patient, she goes by the name ‘Vanessa’. Used to be a doctor, a friend of mine told me she was admitted here.” Bart explained. The nurse looked up at him for some seconds and focused back on her papers. “are you a cop?” she asked. “no, I’m not. I’m a friend of her daughter. Why would you even think that?” Bart questioned. He felt uneasy because his time was being wasted. “That’s exactly what a cop would say. Are you related to the family?” she asked. “I’ve been friends with her daughter sinc
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“oh what’s that look I see on your face?” Vanessa says as she gives a sly smile.“What look are you talking about? I don’t know about anything, how did Bart even come into the picture?” Lola asked. At this point she had been avoiding eye contact with her mother.“Look honey, if you’ve had a man follow you around as long as that young man has been around you, chances are that he’s in love with you and he doesn’t know. Either that or he knows but for some reason he can’t tell you. Maybe fear of ruining the friendship in the likely event where you aren’t interested.” Vanessa said.Lola scoffed and put both hands on her hips. “you don’t know Bart like I do, Mom. I think if he was in love with me I’d know after all these years.”Vanessa cleared her throat and closed her eyes. “well, maybe I’m wrong about him feeling something for you. But then again, what about you? What do you honestly feel for him?”Lola was taken by surprise. She was used to freezing or getting defensive whenever she wa
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“Mother please, can you just let me embrace you for a while longer? We don’t have to talk about this.”Vanessa sighs. “You’re right, now isn’t a good time to bring that up”Vanessa with her pale, weak arms, embraces Lola tighter.“Mother…what— what even happened? You look so…. Different.”She couldn’t stop the tears from rolling off her face and dripping on to Vanessa’s hospital clothes.“Life happened my dear, life happened. Just when you think things might go good, your daughter leaves you, your husband leaves you, you quit your job and cancer shows up.”“I had to leave mom, I had to. You made it seem like I didn’t mean anything to you.”“If only you could see, you were and still are the best thing I have but I couldn’t make you see that.”“Mom, mom I don’t want to talk about any of this right now. Can I just be here? I just want to be here.”Lola was sobbing so pitifully as she rested in her mother’s embrace.“How did all of this happen? Why did it have to happen like this?”“It’s
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The atmosphere inside of the taxi was a particularly uncomfortable one for Lola.Diane sat next to Lola at the back seat of the taxi, She tapped her phone unconcerned about the person sitting next to her.Lola’s demeanor was calm and quiet at this point, she had no words. She had realized that maybe she was the problem, maybe she was the reason for the issues between Vanessa and herself.“I wonder if things would be different if I just acted a bit mature that day” she muttered silently.“I guess we’ll never know”Diane who appeared to be busy with her phone at first, gave a rather swift reply.“How is she?”Lola was on the verge of breaking down into tears but she held herself.“It’s not looking good, mom has…cancer”Diane put down her phone on her lap and placed her right hand on Lola’s shoulder.Lola could no longer hold back the tears, she placed her head against her half sister’s shoulder and cried bitterly.The taxi driver raised his eyes to the mirror, he felt pity even if he co
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“Me?”“Yes, you sir! You’re him!”“Young lady, I don’t think I’ve ever met you before”“Oh but you have, my face didn’t change that much did it?!”“Remind me who you are again? I’ve gotten pretty old.”The old man smiled and started laughing.“You’re totally him, it’s been ages!”Lola leans in an they share a warm hug.“My God, you’re all grown up. A fine woman you turned out to be.”“You don’t look so bad yourself, you’ve looked like this since I was a kid.”“What can I say? Blessing of youth.”“Definitely blessing of youth. Where did you go off to, old man?”“It’s a long story, back then my son wanted me move in with him and stop selling ice cream.”“Your son?”“Yup, he lived in California.”“Bart was heartbroken when you just disappeared.”“I know, I figured he’d hate me. After all, you both spent most of your free time with me.”“He doesn’t hate you, I’m sure he doesn’t.”“How’s he by the way? You two are married now right?”“What?!”Lola let out a surprised expression, her cheeks
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Bart was confused and worried at the same time. Lola and Vanessa weren’t two people that usually saw eye to eye. So why the sudden call, and why the sudden disappearance of Lola?“This is all too urgent, I don’t like the urgency of this. It’s something that makes me nervous”Bart put Lola’s phone in his pocket and left the apartment.Lola on the other hand, had gotten to her destination. A place she hasn’t been in forever She stood at the closed train station as a cool breeze graced her face, causing feelings of nostalgia to rush in.“Has it really been that long?” Lola said, brushing some strands of hair behind her ears from her face.“It’s quite shameful that I no longer know the way to my mom’s house, come to think of it, I’ve been here only a handful of times”Lola’s childhood wasn’t one she liked remembering, she often thinks that without Bart, her childhood would have been even more depressing than it already is.The year Lola graduated from high school, Her mother broke the n
