“Theyll kill me, they wont let me come home… Nick, seriously, you know them. I didnt get in… I dont know what to do now.”
Lily stood in the hallway, smudging mascara and tears across her cheeks. Her bag slid off her shoulder and hit the floor. She could barely stand on her own. Her best friend, Veronica, held her close, soothingly rubbing her back.
“I didnt make it. Not even close. My parents…” Lily choked back a sob. “Dad already saidif I dont get in, Ill be working construction. And Mum… I told her, and she hasnt spoken to me all morning.”
Veronica guided Lily to the kitchen without letting go, sat her down, and placed a glass of water in front of her.
“Dont be scared, youre not alone,” Veronica said firmly. “Well figure it out. We always do.”
“But I thought… We were supposed to… Be in the same class together…”
Veronicas mum peeked into the kitchen. A woman in her mid-forties with a short haircut and steady eyesshe was a teacher, so she knew how to handle young people.
“Whats happened?” she asked gently but firmly.
“She didnt get in,” Lily whispered, staring at the table.
Veronicas mum moved closer, sat beside her, and looked Lily in the eye.
“Well, thats that, then. Youll try again next year. As for your parents… Well sort something out with them.”
And it wasnt just empty comfort. That evening, she called a family meeting.
“We were planning to rent you a flat there anyway,” Veronicas dad said. “Lily can stay with you. She can study quietly, and you wont be alonewell feel better knowing youre together. Deal?”
Her mum nodded in agreement. Veronica grinned. Lily could barely believe it.
“Really? You dont mind?”
“Weve known you since you were little,” Veronicas mum smiled. “Youre practically family. We just need to talk to your parentsbut I doubt theyll object.”
Lilys hands shook, and she turned away so no one would see her cry. Veronica noticed but didnt say a word.
…Theyd met in Year Three, when Veronica first moved to their estate. She knew something was off when she saw Lily lingering outside school, wearing scuffed sandals two sizes too big, watching other kids run home.
Lily never rushed back.
Her family didnt do warm dinners or cosy chats about the day. Five siblings, a father who drank too much, a mother whod slap her for undone buttons… No wonder Lily hesitated. Veronica was the one who approached her firstoffered a chocolate bar. Later, she shared her pencils during art class. Thats how their friendship began.
From then on, Lilys life unfolded alongside Veronicas. They visited Veronicas gran in the countryside together, fought off the boys who bullied them, got scolded by their form tutor together. Veronicas parents even bought Lilys prom dress, knowing shed otherwise show up in something plain.
That autumn, Lily moved to the next town over with Veronica, just as planned. Their little two-bed flat near the bus stop had scuffed furniture and a scratched-up kitchen, but the oven worked perfectlygood enough for the apple cake Lily baked on Sundays. Veronicas mums recipe.
Lily got a job at a bookshop so she wouldnt feel like a burden. She cleaned, cooked, studied maths in her spare time.
“Nick, dyou want pasta or soup?” shed ask when Veronica got home late.
They lived almost like family. A whole year of easy happiness.
When the acceptance letters came, Lily told Veronica first.
“I got in. On a full grant. Im third on the list!” she said proudly.
Tears spilled over. Veronica hugged her tightjust like she had years ago, when Lily was locked out for tearing her coat. Only this time, the tears were happy ones.
But the joy had a bitter edge. Lily was moving into halls, “to bond with coursemates.” Veronica felt like they were parting for good but forced a brave face.
“Will we see each other less now?” Lily asked with a sigh.
“Maybe. But it doesnt matter. Distance doesnt change us.”
Lily nodded. There was a quiet sadness in her eyesand something determined. She wanted a fresh start.
Veronica couldnt have guessed then that “fresh start” meant “without you.”
…Years later, Veronica stood shivering at the bus stop after work. Fifteen minutes late. Her phone buzzedanother message from Lily.
“Cant make it tonight. Teams going out for drinksprojects done. Rain check?”
The third cancellation this month, all vague. Veronica didnt reply. She pocketed her phone and stared at the road.
They barely saw each other now. After uni, Lily moved into techconstantly talking about productivity, networking, onboarding, things Veronica didnt understand. At first, shed nod along, but it got harder each time.
No more silly telly chats, no confessions, no laughing over old school photos. All gone.
Lily had changed outside too. Her socials showed polished nails, plump lips, a sharper nose. Always sleek suits, perfect hair. Stylish, yesbut the old Lily was gone.
Then Veronica spotted a comment under Lilys profile: “Best decisions are made with you.” From some blokeDavid. Director of her company, twenty years older. Weeks later, Lily mentioned offhand:
“Congratulate me, Ive got a man now. Older, but brilliant. His crowds different. With him, Im finally living, not just surviving.”
Veronica congratulated her, but it left her cold. Not jealousyjust something broken between them.
Lily was marching forward, toward her “new crowd.” Veronica? Just living. Work, films with her husband, saving up for bathroom tiles.
Then worse. An old uni mate sent screenshotsLilys texts.
“Ugh, Veronica keeps bugging me to meet up. Shes… fine, but being with her feels like being stuck in the past. So glad I moved on.”
No outright cruelty, but it stung. “Bugging”? Veronica stopped asking.
A month later, Lily called. Her voice was crisp, businesslike.
“Nick, hi. Just a heads-upIm changing my number. Deleting all my socials.”
“Something wrong?” Veronica asked carefully.
“No. Just… starting fresh.”
“And?”
“Look… Youre part of my past. And I dont want to drag that with me.”
Silence. Lily waited. Veronica didnt speak.
“Sorry, but were not friends anymore,” Lily added, quieter. “Bye.”
The line went dead.
Veronica sat motionless, phone in hand. She couldnt name what she felt. Anger? No. Hurt? Not that either. Just hollow, like old furniture hauled away, leaving echoes.
Yet somewhere, a thought lingered: *This isnt over.*
Life went on. Veronica laughedwith her husband, her daughter, her parents. She still remembered Lily, wondered about her sometimes, but never searched for her online. Lily had erased her. Her choice, and choices deserve respect.
…Two years later. Veronica was making potato bake when her phone rang. Unknown number. She answered without thinking.
“Hello?”
“Nick? Its me… Lily.”
Her voice was rough, shaky but familiar. Veronica froze. Old resentment flared, then cooled.
“Sorry to call like this. Didnt know who else to… Its bad. Really bad.”
A pause. Waiting for questions Veronica wouldnt ask. They werent friends.
“Daveyou know, that blokehe left me. Found someone else. My fault, maybe, but… He sacked me too. Didnt even pay my last wages.”
Veronica stayed silent. She knew where this was headed.
“Could you… lend me some? Ill pay back. Just, the mortgage… Maybe two grand? Three?”
“Who is this again?” Veronica asked flatly.
“Its… Lily, remember? We went to your grans, shared that flat… Nick, come on, you *know* me.”
Lilys confidence faltered. Suddenly, she was that little girl again, hiding at Veronicas when her parents were drunk. But pity couldnt turn back time.
“Ah. The Lily who said we werent friends? Not even in a fight, just… because. Yeah, rings a bell.”
Silence. Lily hadnt expected that.
“I was wrong… I was stupid. I get it now. Please, Nick. Give me a chance.”
“If you *really* get it, good. Thatll help you later. But me? I dont go back where Ive been written off. You tossed me aside when life got good. Why should I help now?”
More silence.