The Heart of the Ocean

“It’s okay to say no when

People want too much from you.”

Aide didn’t return home that morning. She didn’t want her grandmother to see her in this situation -wearing crumpled clothes that had dried over her body and her unkempt hair flying everywhere. Alexandra was no foul -one glance and she would know something had gone terribly wrong the night before. As much as she loved her Nana, she was not ready for the questions that would arise. She was trembling from the cold and desperately needed to sleep –she had no energy to face her grandma.

She didn’t realize when her feet guided her to Aileen’s front door. The red-haired was shocked at the sight of her –her tired and sleazy image wasn’t something she was familiar with. She quickly ushered her inside before grabbing a warm blanket and a cup of tea for her. Aide smiled before reaching for the hot cup to warm her palms.

Aileen had so many questions –she had been worried sick for her. She hadn’t slept the night before –the black circles beneath her eyes were proof of her restlessness. She had been pacing her bedroom, calling her phone number again and again only to be met with the voice mail. A wave of anxiousness and fear had overcome her whole being, but she didn’t know what to do. Aide was usually the one getting her out of trouble –she didn’t know who to contact and what to do.

As they sat in her living room, Aileen’s emerald eyes took in her shaking form. Aide buried herself beneath the soft blanket, finding comfort in its warmth. She sipped the flavored beverage slowly as she sat on the love seat of the brown couch.

“What happened?“, the red-haired finally asked, “I’ve called you so many times but you never answered.”

Aide’s eyebrows furrowed before reaching in her pocket for her phone. She pulled out the device, only for it to start licking saltwater. She shook her head in disappointment before throwing it carelessly on the couch.

“Alastor threw me in the water”, she finally mumbled.

Aileen sat straighter in her seat –her eyes widened in panic.

“B-but you don’t know how to swim!“, she managed to yell.

“Exactly.”

Aide rubbed her tired eyes with her fists before glancing at her worried friend. She’d decided not to mention anything about her merman. It wasn’t that she didn’t trust her friend –she just wasn’t sure how she would react to the revelation. Aileen was a sweet girl but not a fool –she would probably think she’s crazy. And she had enough of that for the last years –she didn’t want anyone else telling her she was imagining things. She wanted to enjoy her reality for a while, without anyone spoiling it for her. Was it selfish? Perhaps. But couldn’t she be selfish for once in her life?

“Are you a-alright?“, the shocked girl stuttered, “How did you manage to get out?”

“Fortunately, the idiot was drunk and didn’t realize he threw me in shallow waters”, Aide smoothly repeated the lie she had practiced in her head, “I just waited until they left and then, stood up and walked to the shore.”

“Oh my!“, Aileen’s hands flew to her mouth, “I’m so sorry, Aide! This is my fault!”

Aide watched in confusion the tears falling down her friend’s cheeks.

“How could this possibly be your fault, Ail?”

“If you didn’t come to my rescue, this would have never happened”, the girl mumbled guiltily.

“No!“, Aide shook her head in disappointment, “We’ve been over this, darling. You are responsible for your own actions. You cannot control the actions of other people! Alastor Steel is an idiotic brat that does not know what respect is! It is a matter of behavior –he would have done the same thing to somebody else. It just happened to be us at the time.”

“But-”

“No buts, Ail!“, she firmly interrupted her, “I will not allow you to feel guilty for something that wasn’t in your control. You are my friend and friends have each other’s back! There was nothing you could have done to handle the situation. Let’s move on and just forget about it.”

“You could have drowned, Aide!“, the red-haired pointed in frustration, “You don’t know how to swim!”

“You think it’s that easy to get rid of me?“, she smirked slightly.

“Aide, don’t do that!“, Aileen stood up anxiously, “This is serious! You can’t joke about it!”

“I just don’t want to think of myself in the damn water anymore, okay?“, Aide suddenly yelled, “This is my way of handling a serious situation. I want to ignore it and move on!”

They sat in tense silence for a while, breathing heavily and trying to calm themselves. Aide knew her friend well –she was aware of how sensitive Aileen was. The girl had been through a lot –as a result, she was often the one to take the blame even if she wasn’t at fault. Aide just wanted her to take a break and just understand she couldn’t control everything. Perhaps, yelling at her wasn’t the best way to do so but she had been through a lot in one night. She just exploded to the wrong person.

“I’m sorry for yelling, Ail”, she finally said, “I’m not angry at you. A lot has happened in one night and I’m just losing my cool.”

“It’s alright”, the red-haired smiled sadly, “I was just so worried that something wrong had happened, and I...I couldn’t do anything. And the thought just terrified me.”

“Oh, Ail...“, Aide’s eyes softened at her vulnerable state.

“I’m sorry for pressuring you on the matter”, her flaming hair fell into her face as she shook her head, “I know that water is a...sensitive subject for you.”

Aide opened her arms and Aileen leaned in for a hug. They sat comfortably on the couch, drinking their warm beverage and watching cartoons in order to relax. They didn’t notice when sleep had clouded their senses –the ringing of a phone woke them up hours later. Aide glanced at the different cartoon as Aileen answered –her friend informed her grandmother of her whereabouts ceasing her worries.

It wasn’t long before a sneeze escaped her, making her groan internally. What could she possibly expect? She was thrown in the ice-cold waters of October and then, dried her clothes upon her body with the help of the autumn breeze. She may not have felt it then as she was too distracted with her merman, but she definitely felt the aftermath now. She was sick and that meant being supervised by Nana until there were signs of improvement. Aide groaned in denial –could this get any worse?

The girls were exhausted and didn’t plan to do anything for the rest of the day. So, they emptied Aileen’s storage of cookies and continued to watch whatever came up on the TV. After a few rounds of hot chocolate, a series of sneezes, and four episodes of SpongeBob, they heard a knock on the door. Aileen stood up to answer it as Aide finished yet another paper box. When her nose was swollen and red, the red-haired returned with a familiar face.

“I’m so exhausted”, Petra exasperated as she slumped on the armchair.

Aide rolled her eyes before another sneeze escaped her. She pulled her blanket tighter over her shoulders before taking a few sips of her warm drink.

“And my head...“, Petra touched her forehead with a pained expression, “...damn, my head is killing me!”

“That serves you right”, Aide narrowed her eyes, “You were so wasted last night; you called me batman.”

“You are bluffing, right?“, the blonde asked.

“Of course, I’m bluffing. Everything was so wonderful last night”, she gave her a fake smile, “I don’t know what I enjoyed more! The fact that you were completely intoxicated and couldn’t even walk straight? The fact that Aileen was sexually harassed? Or perhaps, the fact that I was thrown in the sea when I don’t know how to fucking swim?”

Petra’s eyes widened at the revelation.

“You’re joking, right?“, she sat straighter in her seat as she gazed at them.

Aide raised an eyebrow as she pointed to her appearance. She was covered with blankets, her nose red and the bags under her eyes dark from tiredness. Her wild hair was pulled in a messy bun and she was wearing Aileen’s pajamas. She was surrounded by crumpled paper and was trembling from fever.

“Do I look like I’m joking?“, she asked sarcastically, “Because I surely look like I had a hell of a night –and not in a good way!”

“And you think this is my fault?“, Petra asked in confusion, “I don’t understand...”

“That’s the point, P”, Aileen said, “You don’t understand that sometimes you put us in uncomfortable situations. We try to support you and be there for you but...this time you took it too far.”

“How did I put you in an uncomfortable situation?“, Petra tried to defend herself, “It’s not my fault Aide got sick! We were at a beach party! It was supposed to be fun! Okay, I did drink alcohol but that’s what people our age do! It’s not a big deal!”

“It is a big deal”, Aileen bit her lip nervously, “I had to get you home and explain to your mother why her daughter was drunk.”

“So, what?“, Petra shrugged her shoulders, “I know my mother might be a bit intimidating, but-”

“It is not our job to constantly get in trouble for your bullshit!“, Aide butted in, “Aileen isn’t obliged to be interrogated by your mother for your behavior!”

Petra stared at her in disbelief.

“Look, I know that my behavior is not the best at all times and I’m sorry for this. I understand that perhaps you didn’t have fun at the party, but we are friends!“, Petra tried to explain, “Friends do stupid things sometimes, but we always have each other’s back. I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable. I’ll be more careful next time.”

“You still don’t get it!“, Aide was shaking in anger, “We didn’t want to come to this party –we came for you. And still, you lied to us –you said it would be cozy and casual. You ditched us almost immediately in order to be with Thomas –and no, I didn’t expect you to be with us when your crush was the reason we went to the party in the first place! I just expected you to at least check on us from time to time as we did with you!”

“Why are you being such a bitch?“, Petra suddenly shouted, making Aileen’s eyes widen dramatically.

“Because you’re acting like a child!“, Aide fumed.

“Is this about drinking again?“, Petra groaned impatiently.

“I wish it was about drinking –at least then, alcohol would have affected your behavior”, Aide shook her head in disappointment, “I’m talking about your general behavior –you can’t continue to act like this!”

“You are not my mother, Aide!“, Petra yelled, “You have no right to tell me what to do! If you didn’t want to come to the damn party, then you could say so! There is no need to ruin a perfect night with your bickering!”

Aide couldn’t find the correct words to say –her anger was clouding her judgment. She had made it known she didn’t want to go to the party. She had accepted because she knew how much it meant to her. Aileen was manhandled and harassed in the damn party. She had almost drowned in the damn party. And yet, they still had taken care of her wasted self, making sure she arrived home safely.

A perfect night –what an irony.

“You know what?“, Aide said calmly, “I’m so tired of dealing with you.”

She stood up, making her way to where her things lay. She changed quickly, despite Aileen’s pleas to calm down and talk things out. She didn’t want to talk things out –she was disappointed and angered. She wanted to go home and sleep. Just as she passed through the living room, Petra appeared with a guilty expression.

“Look, Aide”, the blonde mumbled, “I’m sorry-”

A loud sound left them speechless.

She had closed the door as she left.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

End of chapter 11!!

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