To Love A Friend

by Jana David

Ian

  I got a call late one night.

  I picked up my phone and froze. It rang and it rang, and I just stared at it; at the picture of Al on the beach, smiling happily at me while the wind blew her hair into her face.

  And then the ringing stopped. Suddenly, a sense of panic set in. I'd just missed it. My one chance to have a final conversation with her.

  I already knew she wasn't coming back. Other than Darcy, I wasn't holding on to that hope.

  She'd left me a message.

  It was short and to the point. “Leave it be, don't come looking for me. Find a Princess who actually deserves you.”

  I fell asleep with the phone on my ear, playing her message on repeat.