Eleanor stares at Joey with eyes filled with mixed emotions. If her eyes represents the sky, then it would be a gloomy day with rain clouds but with a small ray of sunshine hidden those rain clouds. Like her gaze, his heart is also feeling chaotic at the sight of her presence. Despite missing her for a while since what happened, he felt terribly guilty for not being honest with himself (and her) and feel that he is responsible for her broken relationship with Taylor.
"Would it even change anything if I say that I'm not ok?" Eleanor asks as she struggles to hold back the tears in her eyes.
Joey could only remain silent as Eleanor continues to stare at him with disappointment. Tears begin to run down from her eyes, making the young boy feel more guilty inside. He didn't expect one mistake would eventually create such a big chaos.
"Now you're leaving LA and I'm only left with a few minutes to talk," Eleanor says. "It's crazy, Joey."
Looking at Eleanor's sad face, Joey felt his heart crushing into more pieces as the guilt feels heavier for him to carry. Seeing his childhood best friend who he knew had feelings for him looking heart broken because of all the stupid mistakes he did, made him feel ashame of himself. Now he can't even make up to her since he has to leave, which only makes her feel more broken. Remembering back now, he had always cared for Eleanor as a sister. At some points, he had to admit, there were times he found her feisty nature to be cute and attractive. Yet, maybe he wasn't mature enough to know what he really felt, despite understanding just how lovely she is. Now he knows one thing, is that the young girl definitely deserves someone better than him.
"I'm sorry, Eleanor," Joey says with the guilt still lingering tightly in his heart. He felt like his apology is useless whatsover. Yet, it was still better than leaving without a farewell. At least, that's what he thought.
"I'm sorry I caused all this mess. My immature ways only put you and Taylor on bad terms. Your sister and I...we never meant to lie to you in a way. But in this case, I was wrong for not being a mature enough about what I truly want," Joey says. Though it was the hardest thing for him to say to a crying girl who is his best friend, he knew he owe her an apology.
"You and Taylor could've just told me about it," Eleanor says in between sobs. "Why did you lie to me?"
"We never meant to lie to you that way. In this case, it was my fault. I couldn't be clear with both you and Taylor," Joey says.
"So now you're just going to leave me like this?" Eleanor asks with an emotional tone.
With guilty eyes, Joey sighs as he looks down at the ground, avoiding any eye contact with Eleanor. Again, he felt uncomfortable having to explain to her about the situation they are in. Yet, this is gonna be the last time he could ever see his best friend. By that, he had to do the best in this moment.
"I'll miss you, Eleanor," Joey says. "But I can't stay here when my dad just kicked me out. At least, I have to find a place to stay while looking for a job."
Hearing this, Eleanor couldn't hold back her tears any longer. Like rain drops, tears starts to run down from her eyes, though she quickly wipes them away in an upset manner. Looking at the crying girl, Joey felt his heart crushed into a million pieces. In an impulse manner from within, he starts to step closer to Eleanor as he gently wraps his arms around her. Feeling his warm embrace, Eleanor puts her head on his chest as she continues to sob while letting herself soak into him. Slowly, she puts her arms around him tightly. Despite still being upset with the man, she knew that heart is gonna miss him more.
"I will miss you, Joey. Damn, I never thought I would need to say this to you," Eleanor says in between sobs. "But at least just give me the chance to tell you, you are my first love."
Hearing this, Joey felt a thunder just hit his heart in a quick swift. As his heart felt weaker sinking into both guilt and shock, he felt worse about his behaviour towards the girl in his arms. Embracing her right now in the last moment, he realized that even though he ended up falling in love with Taylor, Eleanor had always stayed in his heart, in a special place no one else could replace. The girl he cared for like a little sister, he knew well he's probably gonna miss her much more with the guilt lingering in his heart.
Slowly, Eleanor removes her arms from Joey's embrace as she slowly pulls away. She stares into his eyes which are filled with guilt. Even with a broken heart, the young girl manage to gather enough courage to form a small smile at the boy.
"Thank you, for being my best friend, Joey," Eleanor says in a low tone.
While staring at her sad eyes, Joey could only stay silent with his lips shut close. Remembering how close they were since they were little, he felt like he kind of took his teen years for granted for not realizing sooner of his own feelings. He wanted to blame himself for figuring things out late, but to his sense, he is still growing. Growth will bring different paths in life. Mistakes will be made in the process, but that's what's gonna make people learn and grow.
"You should go see my sister. I can tell you, she's gonna miss you much more than me," Eleanor says.
"Where is she?" Joey asks.
"Waiting outside," Eleanor says. In this state, her heart feels better after telling Joey to see Taylor. In this moment, she realized that she had forgave both him and her sister after what happened.
To be continue...