Once Upon A Friendship | The Plug’s Girl

CHAPTER ONE ONCE UPON A FRIENDSHIP The alarm on Tori’Briannae's phone had been going off for the last ten minutes. She finally reached across the bed, grabbed it, and silenced it without even opening her eyes. Five seconds later, her phone started ringing again. Tori sighed heavily and pulled the blanket over her head. She already knew who it was. “Girl, if you don't get up!” Nari shouted through the phone, sounding way too excited for this early in the morning. Tori slowly opened one eye. “Nari…” Tori mumbled sleepily. “Don't ‘Nari’ me!” Nari said with a laugh. “We graduate today!” Tori slowly sat up, rubbing her face. “I know,” Tori said, her voice still tired. “No, you don't,” Nari said dramatically. “You acting way too calm.” Tori looked around her room. Her graduation cap was sitting on her dresser beside her purse. Her clothes were laid out neatly, exactly where she had put them the night before. For a second, she just stared at everything. Today was really the day. No more high school. No more waking up early because somebody else told her she had to. No more pretending she cared about assignments she was never going to remember. She was done. Tori smiled to herself. “Damn,” she whispered, almost in disbelief. “What?” Nari asked immediately. “Nothing,” Tori said, shaking her head. Nari laughed. “You better not be getting emotional on me,” she teased. “Girl, bye,” Tori said, rolling her eyes even though Nari couldn't see her. “I’m serious,” Nari said. “Get dressed. I'm coming to get you.” “You always rushing me,” Tori complained. “Because if I don't rush you, we'll be late!” Nari stated excitedly. “You're the one that's always late,” Tori shot back. “That’s not the point!” Nari said, laughing. Tori couldn't help but laugh too. That was Nari. Always loud. Always rushing. Always making everything feel bigger than it really was. Tori couldn't even remember what her life felt like before Nari. They met when they were eleven. Tori had been sitting by herself at school, like she usually did. She wasn't sad. She wasn't being bullied. She just liked being alone. Nari didn't understand that. She walked right up to her anyway. At first, Tori thought she was annoying. Then somehow, that annoying girl became her best friend. Then her best friend became her sister. And somewhere along the way, they stopped imagining their futures separately. It was always: “Us.” Tori stood up and walked toward her mirror. She adjusted her long wig and studied herself for a moment. Graduation day. She smiled softly. Her phone buzzed again. NARI: GIRL HURRY UP Tori shook her head with a small laugh. TORI: I'm coming. She grabbed her purse. Before walking out, she looked around her room one more time. She didn't know it yet, but she was looking at the last morning of one version of her life. --- Across town, Nari was doing exactly what Tori expected her to be doing. Running around. “Where my earrings at?” Nari asked frantically, digging through her things. “Girl, you had them yesterday,” Nari’s aunt called from nearby. “I know!” Nari shouted, getting more frustrated as she searched. She finally found them. Nari quickly put them on and looked at herself in the mirror. For once, she was quiet. Graduation. She had dreamed about this day for years. Not because she loved school. She couldn't wait to leave. She wanted something bigger. She wanted money. She wanted a nice house. A nice car. Nice clothes. She wanted to be able to buy whatever she wanted without looking at the price first. Most importantly, she wanted to make sure nobody ever looked at her and thought she was less than them because of where she came from. Nari picked up her phone. A message from Zique was waiting. ZIque: You ready for today? A small smile spread across Nari's face. NARI: Been ready. She locked her phone and grabbed her purse. --- Tori's phone buzzed again. This time, it wasn't Nari. Pharaoh. Tori looked at his name for a second before answering. “Hello?” Tori said softly. “You up?” Pharaoh asked, his voice calm and slightly amused. Tori smiled. “Unfortunately,” she said jokingly. Pharaoh laughed quietly. “You graduating today and already complaining?” he asked. “I’m tired,” Tori replied with a sleepy laugh. “You ain't even left the house,” Pharaoh teased. “Exactly,” Tori said, smiling. Pharaoh laughed again. There was something about his voice that always made Tori relax. They had known each other from school for a while. Nothing had ever been forced between them. No chasing. No rushing. Just conversations that slowly became longer. Looks that started lasting a little too long. A friendship that felt like it might be turning into something else. “You coming today?” Tori asked, suddenly more curious. “To graduation?” Pharaoh asked. “Yes, Pharaoh,” Tori said, rolling her eyes playfully. “Wouldn't miss it,” he answered simply. Tori smiled. “What you doing tonight?” Pharaoh asked. “Probably going home,” Tori replied. “Probably?” Pharaoh repeated. “I don't know,” Tori said with a shrug. “Well, don't make plans,” Pharaoh told her. Tori raised an eyebrow. “Why?” she asked suspiciously. “You'll see,” Pharaoh said with a small laugh. Tori smiled. “Bye, Pharaoh,” she said softly. “See you later,” he replied. Tori hung up. She stared at the phone for a second. Then smiled. --- By the time Tori got to school, Nari was already waiting. “You finally made it!” Nari shouted, throwing her hands up dramatically. Tori laughed. “You literally told me to hurry,” Tori reminded her. “And you still took forever!” Nari said, grabbing Tori's arm. “Come on.” They walked inside together. Side by side. Like they always had. They took pictures. They fixed each other's hair. They laughed about teachers. They talked about what they were going to do after graduation. “Girl, when we get this money…” Nari started excitedly. Tori turned toward her. “When we get this money, what?” Tori asked, smiling. Nari paused dramatically. “First thing I'm doing is getting my own place,” Tori said. Nari's eyes lit up. “See? That's why I love you. We thinking the same!” she said excitedly. “You always say that,” Tori said, laughing. “Because it's true!” Nari insisted. Nari leaned her head against Tori's shoulder. “One day, we're gonna look back at this,” Nari said softly. Tori looked down at her. “And?” Tori asked. “And we're gonna laugh,” Nari replied. Tori smiled. “Together,” she said. Nari looked up at her. “Together,” she repeated. Neither of them knew how important that word would become. --- The graduation ceremony began. Names were called. Families cheered. Phones were held up everywhere. Then— “Tori’Briannae…” Tori's heart jumped. She stood up. The crowd erupted. Nari screamed louder than everybody. “THAT'S MY GIRL!” Nari yelled proudly. Tori laughed as she walked across the stage, trying not to let the huge smile take over her face. Her heart was beating fast. Not because she was nervous. Because she knew she had just closed one chapter of her life. When she returned to her seat, Nari immediately grabbed her hand. “I'm proud of you,” Nari whispered, squeezing her fingers. Tori squeezed her hand back. “I'm proud of you too,” Tori said warmly. They smiled at each other. Two girls. Eighteen years old. Graduated. Still together. Still dreaming. Still believing they had everything figured out. Outside, cameras flashed as they took pictures. Drey and Cy-Fi were celebrating with Tori. Nari's family was celebrating her. Then Pharaoh showed up. He walked toward Tori holding flowers. Tori's eyes widened in surprise. “These for me?” she asked, pointing toward the flowers. Pharaoh smiled. “Who else?” he asked casually. Tori's cheeks warmed. Nari immediately noticed. “Ooooh,” Nari teased, dragging the word out. Tori looked at her. “Stop,” Tori warned, trying not to smile. “I ain't say nothing!” Nari said innocently, raising both hands. “You didn't have to,” Tori replied, laughing. Pharaoh chuckled. For a moment, everything felt perfect. Then Zique walked over to Nari. He hugged her and whispered something into her ear. Nari smiled. Tori noticed. Pharaoh noticed too. Their eyes met for half a second. Neither said anything. There was something different about the way Pharaoh looked at Zique. Something quiet. Something neither girl fully understood yet. Nari looked back at Tori. “So…” Nari said, smiling. Tori raised an eyebrow. “So?” she asked. “You ready to finally get this money?” Nari asked excitedly. Tori laughed. “Always,” she answered confidently. Nari held out her pinky. Tori looked down at it, confused. “What?” Tori asked. “Promise me,” Nari said. “Promise you what?” Tori asked. Nari's smile faded slightly. “That whatever happens…” She paused. “…we don't leave each other behind.” Tori stared at her for a moment. The joking expression disappeared from her face. She hooked her pinky around Nari's. “Promise,” Tori said sincerely. Nari smiled. “Promise,” she repeated. They smiled at each other. Two best friends. One dream. One promise. And neither of them knew how much it was going to cost to keep it. TO BE CONTINUED…