Chapter 42: Ahliyah

" How do I look?" I asked looking in the mirror. I was trying to debate on whether or not I should change my dress again or not.

" You look beautiful. You need to leave before you're late." Carter got up kissing my forehead ushering me to leave the apartment. Mercedes was presenting her art at the museum and I wanted to be there to listen to her speak about her pieces and catch up with her.

I held the doorknob looking back at him. " Are you sure you don't want to come?" I asked him.

" I'm sure." He smiled.

I parked the car in the back of the parking lot and followed the crowd. As I walked in there were beautiful pieces of art hanging up. I walked to the back of the museum and Mercedes was talking to a small group of people asking about her work.

The group of people walked away and she ran to me giving me a big hug. " I'm so glad you're here. I've been waiting forever for this moment and now that's its finally happening I don't know what I'm supposed to do," She freaked out. I held her hands sighing because this was supposed to be a beautiful moment for her.

" Look at all these people, they're here to see your work. You worked so hard on this for yourself, you've moved back and forth between states to do this. " I encouraged her.

Mercedes walked back out there and talked to people about her work. I walked around looking at the painting and I stood in front of one that caught my attention. There was a lot of sadness in it, I tried to figure the emotional meaning behind it.

" That painting was after the recent breakup between Lorenzo and I. I didn't know what else to do and painting was the only way I could allow that emotion an outlet without hurting myself." She said.

" I didn't know the breakup between you to was that bad."

" It wasn't. I struggled to be there and it was a lot we were trying to work through but none of it seemed to work." She walked off wiping the tears out of her face.

Everyone left the museum at midnight and I went to Mercedes place. We drank root beer and ate chips, she raised her eyes and laughed.

" I want to know about this new boy you have in your life. I've told you about Carter and I, you owe me." I wiggled my eyebrows laughing.

She nodded her head grinning. " He was leaving Florida as I coming to visit Lorenzo. I stopped by the local diner to get me something to eat and we talked."

" What's his name?" I asked.

She took a sip of her root beer and looked up. " His name. His name was Elias." She said.

I choked on my chips and root beer. I didn't know what I was supposed to say, but I listened and I wasn't going to tell her that we knew each other. I hope she was talking a different Elias though.

" That's nice. Is.. Is he treating you nice?" I asked.

" Yeah, He's the one who made sure I had a place to stay while I was here. He also bought me some more canvases and paints for my work." She said.

I smiled and laughed with her but something turned in my stomach telling me she was going out with the Elias I once knew.

" Well, you should bring him by sometime." I told her.

She nodded her head and I told her goodbye and went home. When I got home, I went in the backyard to call my dad hoping for something good.

" Ahliyah? How.. How are things going? " He asked.

" Things are going good. How are things going with you?" I asked,

The line went quiet and it sounded like he was cleaning up whatever mess he made inside his house.

" Things are the same nothing has changed since you seen me last." He said.

" I was calling to check on you, that's all." I said. I was going to hang up the phone until he shouted my name from the other end.

" I know I haven't been in your life and I know there probably is no way we could start over. I just need a chance, please. Let me make it up to you." He said.

I didn't say anything because what was I supposed to say. ' Come back in my life and hopefully you won't drink or do anything reckless.'

There was a fat chance none of that was going to change. I hung up without saying anything else about giving him another chance. I screamed in the backyard at whoever was listening because I was in some twisted version of a nightmare.

My friend was going out with my ex-best friend and my father wanted a second chance. I knew life was laughing at me wondering why I keep giving second chances to people or letting them in far enough where they come back and end up hurting me.

" Hey, Ahliyah. There's this really cool movie and you should come and watch it." Carter said.

I smiled sitting next to him and laid on the other end of the couch. I watched the movie closing my eyes slowly and fell asleep.

Carter sat a cup of tea on the table and sat beside me. " You were crying in your sleep, I don't know what's wrong. There was some tea in the cabinet and I thought it would make you feel better." He said kissing my forehead.

" I'm fine and thank you." I told him.

Everything was going to be okay. Elias was no longer apart of my life and my father would have to figure things out before he got another chance.

' You're going to be okay. You're going to be okay. Your going to be okay.' I reminded myself.

Carter left to the store to buy more groceries, I sipped on my tea and looked in the backyard smiling. I was going to be okay.