Three*

Friends are put into your life to help you get through the things that have pushed you down. They are supposed to guide you to finding a way to get up in the morning, a way to get through the day. But sometimes, all you want is to find a way to survive on your own. You just want everyone to leave you alone and for them to stop telling you how to live your life. They have to live their life, why must they control yours too?

“Sis.” Izzy said walking into Shelby's room.

“Yeah?” She asked looking over at him.

“We're all going out to breakfast...you wanna come?”

“Not really...”

“Well I think it would be good for you to come.”

“But Iz, I don't want to. I just want to lay in me bed, and maybe see my nana later.”

“Get dressed, you're coming.”

“I don't want to.” Shelby said, showing no emotion.

“KEITH!” Izzy said walking out of Shelby's room and into the living room.

“Yeah?” He asked looking at Izzy.

“You gotta go talk to her, she doesn't wanna come.”

Keith walked up the hall and into Shelby's room. He looked at her and smiled. “Shibbz.”

“I'm not going.” Shelby said looking up at him.

“Why not?”

“Cause I'm not in the mood. And if I know you guys, which I do, you invited Sasha, Chanel, Drew, Ace, David, Denny, Bre, Daniel, and Lexi. And I honestly don't want to be around all those people.”

“But they're your friends Shibbz. They care about you.”

“If they honestly cared about me, they would have called when I was down in Rhode Island. And the only ones that did are you, Daniel, and Bre. My own fucking cousin didn't even talk to me. He never once wondered why I wasn't at the family BBQs. Nothing.” Shelby said.

“Then come and tell him that. Tell these people how you feel.”

“I don't want to, nor do I need to. Once I see my nana, I'm going back to Rhode Island, and I won't look back.”

“Shibbz your life is here, not in fucking Rhode Island.”

“Nope. My life is there Keith.”

Keith paused before he talked, “What about Lulu? What about you and him?”

“I don't know.” Shelby said looking away from Keith.

He walked over and sat down on the bed next to her. “You have to let us in Shibbz. You have to tell us what's bothering you, why you're acting so distant.”

She turned to look at him as her eyes started to get watery. “They forgot about me. They forgot about Shelby. And it was easy. They didn't acknowledge me on facebook, or twitter. They never texted me. Or tried to call. And even when they did, it was only for my birthday. They didn't care that I was gone Keith, they moved on. And it was easy for them. I cried every night because I left you guys. I felt like I was breaking apart from you guys. And then for you guys to not be hurt, that hurt me even more.”

“Shibbz, we cared. We thought about you all the time. Even Drew. You meant a lot to us, and the only reason we didn't call or text or whatever was cause we thought you didn't want to hear from us. We thought that you didn't give a fuck about us and you were moving on.” He paused and cleared his throat. “I think when you left, we all thought that we did something wrong, that we sole-handedly drove you to leaving, and we just never wanted to open that again. We could never forget you existed. Never.”

Without another word, Shelby rapped her arms around Keith and embraced him in a hug. “Keith – that's exactly what I needed to hear!” She smiled and he smiled back at her.

“What did Izzy say to you?” Liz asked Lulu, noticing that he was tense.

“I don't know. He kinda said that Shel wouldn't get back with me.”

“What the fuck does he know?” They were barely talking above a whisper.

“He fucking lived with her for the past 4 years. He probably knows more about her than we do.”

“He may have been with her for the past 4 years, but we knew her way longer than that. And honestly he could spend the rest of his life with Shel and still not know as much about her as you do Litho. She loves you, and no amount of time with Izzy is going to change that.”

“Maybe Cuzzo. But lets be real. She just wants to be friends and I don't think I can be just friends with her.” Lulu said standing up.

“Why not? You guys were friends before you became lovers, and it was all because you needed to think it all over. Now that she needs to think it all over you ain't for that?”

“I know about all the times when she wanted to give up.”

“But did she? No. She stayed by your side even when it mentally killed her.”

“I'm just saying--” Lulu said stopping when he seen Keith and Shelby walk into the living room.

“Breakfast anyone?” Keith asked as Shelby smiled at Lulu. He smiled back and they left the house.