Suddenly, Rose’s expression drops and tears fill her eyes. I quickly move to sit on the floor by her side, and pat her back. Rose has been my best friend since we were assigned as dorm mates freshman year. I would do anything for her.
“Is something wrong?” I ask in a concerned voice.
Rose sniffles a bit and bites her lip as I give her an encouraging glance. We’re besties, and I’m willing to wait for her answer. In fact, looking back, I’m not sure I would have made it through that first year of school without her by my side. Meeting new people can be really difficult for me. Sometimes I just lock up, you know? I’ll meet someone really cool with all the same interests as me, and I get so excited about it inside, but on the outside all I can get out is a wildly cheesy smile and a dreadfully lengthy awkward silence as I fail to find even the simplest of words in response.
Rose is just the opposite. She makes friends everywhere she goes. Every cashier, security guard, and front desk clerk on campus knows her by name. She can spin up conversation like nothing you’ve ever seen, and I was lucky to have her by my side to introduce me to everyone my freshman year.
Plus, her confidence is contagious. When I’m with her, I’m able to step out of my comfort zone and strike up conversations with new people. I can act almost as extroverted as she does because she’s rubbed off on me a lot and has really helped to pull me out of my shell.
In a way, I look up to her for this. I respect her so much, and it kills me to see the usually bubbly Rose so despondent. I shimmy in a little closer to her, a concerned look on my face.
“Are you okay?” I ask again. “You’re looking a little under the weather.” That just makes her expression fall.
“I have a really important meeting tonight,” she finally sputters out through barely muffled sobs. I pat her back soothingly.
“For what? School?” I smile at her innocence. “Sweetie, any professor will understand! Just call them up and say you’re sick. It’s no big deal.” I supportively put my hand on her shoulder.
“No, you don’t understand,” she says, her gaze refusing to leave a spot in the roughly worn carpet in front of her knees. “You know my family is poor, right?”
I sit back and bite my lip. I’m getting a little confused here. I can’t help but stupidly smile as I shake my head no.
“What are you talking about? Your dad is a plumber and your mom is a nurse at one of the biggest hospitals in the city. Last time I checked, those are pretty fair-paying positions.”
Rose nods tearfully.
“Yes, but my parents can’t afford tuition at NYU, Lucy! And you know how expensive student housing is.”
“Yeah, it’s a crime,” I agree with her lightly.
“Well, the last few years of my schooling have really put my family in a financial rut. So I decided I would try to lighten the load a bit. I got a job,” she says, looking up at me nervously.
I eye her with surprise, pulling back a bit.
“A job? We’ve lived together the last four years. How has this never come up?” I’m beginning to think Rose has gone delirious from a severe fever or something. I continue to gaze sympathetically at her, lost for words.
“It isn’t exactly a normal job,” she says with her voice trembling and sounding somewhat tentative. She’s like a little kid trying to tell her parents they broke the antique lamp that has been passed down through the family for generations. But that doesn’t make sense because I’m her friend. Why would she ever feel like she needs to hide things from me? Or worse, to earn my approval? Rose should know I have her back no matter what. That’s just what friends do.
Take sophomore year for example. That’s the year my parents divorced. Their marriage had always been bumpy. Even so, no one saw it coming.
My dad called me up out of the blue one day and told me that my mom decided she wanted her freedom back. She declared that domestic life was not her destiny. She handed him divorce papers, packed her bags, and took off to backpack Rome. It rattled my dad, rightfully so, and I was worried out of my mind.
But Rose stepped up to the plate. She came with me and spent a week living at my dad’s house helping him get his ducks back in a row. She helped clean and cook while I helped Dad find a suitable divorce lawyer. She was really there for me with no judgment, and no expectations. Rose should know that she can expect the same unconditional friendship and support from me.