Parallel History - Friends, forever

The day I became Bianca's friend, I got a big blowout from my mom. I couldn't understand what I had done wrong, but what hurt most was the way she referred to my new friend, didn't she have the right to have a happy life like everyone else? Just being quiet is impossible, it was the first and last time I answered it.

I ran away from home right after our argument, I was heading for the beach, the only place that came to my mind at that moment, besides when I am upset I usually look at the sea, it is relaxing in a way. I just sat in the sand and started crying.

Some time had passed, not much, for me it was only a few seconds, but probably a considerable time had passed.

"I think I should go back, they'll be worried about me" I speak looking at the starry sky.

Inside the village you can't see the stars so well, it is a vision that even living in a small village you can't see every day.

"I finally found you." I hear a familiar male voice.

I look back, directing my gaze in the direction the voice had come from, there was my father. I always got along well with my father, I understood myself like no other did, it would not be strange to say that he was my best friend, whenever I felt down he would come to me, even when I tried to hide.

He sits next to me, but says nothing, just keeps looking at the sky with me, in silence. I knew she didn't want to force me to talk, she just expected me to take the first step, and if she did, she would tell me what had happened, which I did after a few moments.

"So there's nothing to worry about, you just made a friend," he says right after I finish explaining.

"Aren't you gonna tell me to stop talking to Bianca? Like my mother..." as much as I knew he wouldn't say something like that I wished for confirmation.

"Of course not. Why would I do something like that? You must choose your own friendships. My duty as a father is to support you in your choices, in case anything goes wrong I will be here to help you too."

Look at me always focusing on my eyes, just as he had taught me, a way to show trust to other people.

"But, my mother..."

"You need to think about what you want to do, you 'want' to be her friend?"

"Sure!" I answer loud and clear.

"So just be, your mother will accept in time, wait and see."

~3 years ago~

It's just been two years since I became friends with Bianca. At first my mother always fought with me, it was almost part of my routine to hear her talk about our friendship, but in time she gave up complaining about me. Stubbornness may be my greatest strength.

"No." Bianca says hiding under her covers. "I definitely don't want to leave here."

"Get up soon" I say sighing. "You said yourself, you can't avoid a vision, so just face it."

"You may be right, but there's also something I've never tried." Your sound comes out a little muffled from being with so much cloth on you.

"What would that be?" I ask.

"Lying in bed like this is never gonna happen."

I feel a puncture on my forehead.

"What kind of foolishness is that?" I scream pulling your covers.

We don't usually fight much, but something happened on this particular day. Bianca had had a vision, the first since we became friends, told me that she was surrounded by two boys. As her visions usually show bad things she had the conclusion that they would frighten her.

"I told you, if anyone dares to intimidate you, I'll break their faces in a beating." I speak.

It may seem strange for a girl only twelve years old to talk about protecting someone two years older, but that's how our relationship developed in those years we spent together. Bianca is very shy and afraid to defend herself, she is also too low for her height, so I don't seem to be younger than her, on the contrary.

I forced her to leave the house, as always we just walked around the city for a while and then we were killing some time on the beach, but today something was a little different, some time ago I saw two boys following us, Bianca seems not to have noticed. But what bad luck to think the vision would happen so quickly.

"Bianca, come closer." I'm calling.

I told you a little plan I had worked out. At first she didn't want to follow, but with a little persuasion she ended up accepting to participate. I pretend to part with it.

~Pov Bianca~

Shortly after I was separated from Clara the boys who were following us were approaching. One of them was already familiar to me, he lived near my house and we talked before the incident with my parents, he even tried to talk to me a few times, but his mother always stopped him.

"Bianca... Bianca, I'd like to tell you something..." He seemed nervous.

I see Clara running behind them right now.

"Relax, Clara, he's not..." I try to say something, but it's too late.

The scene that followed was identical to that of the day we met. Clara kicks sand that goes straight into the boys' eyes, then a wood is thrown, hitting the face of the one who was trying to talk to me while stuttering.

"I... I don't think he wanted to intimidate me," I said, looking at the girl who was laughing and making a sign of victory with her fingers at me.

"What?"

~Pov Clara~

The plan was carried out with great mastery, there was only one problem, I ended up hitting them without them deserving it.

"I'm sorry." I'll say after I lift it.

"What kind of person strikes first and asks later?" says passing the hand where the wood had hit.

After a while we finally got to talk normally.

"My name is Curt and I would never try to intimidate her" speaks with a little indignation in her voice.

"So tell me why did you try to talk to her only when I left?" I feel like everyone there is a little afraid of me, now I understand the boys' feelings.

"You're scared, they say every boy that comes near you catches you at the same time."

This way I discovered that all the boys in the village were afraid of me. After a while of complaining he turns to Bianca.

"I... even when we were talking..." Your friend gives you a little push on your back. "Please come out with me, I like you Bianca" says quickly.

"No thanks."

An immediate response, Bianca has no mercy. The boy lowers his head with a red face, his statement was refused with an overwhelming response, not even a second thinking.

"Why?" asks.

"Well, at least we don't have a close relationship. I don't have feelings for you either."

His words are destructive, but his expression is calm and he has a beautiful smile, he is not doing it for bad, in fact I am sure he is not even noticing.

"So let's be friends!" says Curt still a little down.

"No thanks."

"Once again refused instantly?" I say astonished.

"How can I become friends with someone like that out of nowhere?" he asks. "We can talk, of course, but we just become friends with someone in time."

I can remember the incident we met in, although your words to me were different. I look at Bianca, she was looking directly at me with a smile on her face, I'm sure I could hear her say 'one more just like you'.

This way we gained two more people for our group, in fact the entry of these new members was kind of forced. Curt and his friend, to tell you the truth, I can't remember the name of the second...

~Some days after meeting Curt~

I was once again at Bianca's house, in those days I was spending more time here than in my own house. We were lying in your bed talking.

"At least this time it wasn't a bad thing." Bianca says relieved.

"I told you, if you think the worst is always gonna happen, you're just gonna go crazy."

Bianca just agrees by shaking her head.

"And Curt?" I ask.

I notice Bianca, when I speak Curt's name she gives a kind of crooked smile, this is a mania I've noticed from her, when something is uncomfortable her smile looks like this.

"You did!" I speak.

"What?" frightened question.

"That 'don't want to talk about it' smile of yours."

"I don't do that," he says with his closed face.

"Of course he does," I say. "The other day when an adventurer came to talk to you near the guild was the same thing."

"Do I really do that?" says astonished.

"All the time..." That makes me think of something." I got an idea!

"It has nothing to do with testing how many steps you can take in the water before you sink, right?" Bianca says, sitting down while she has a little laugh.

"No, this time it's different," I answer. "Wait a minute, didn't I say forget about that?"

She laughs again, now different than when we first met, Bianca is much happier. I know, I know, I'm too much.

"How about that? Every time you need my help for something and can't talk about a singing smile like that, I'll do the same thing," I say cheerfully.

"Why is that?" he asks.

"Just do it, it'll be a secret code between you and me."

After that we started doing it, of course it was freely and spontaneously forced by me, every time someone would bother Bianca she did it. I basically kept smiling every time I saw my mom's friends whispering and looking at me, it really turned into a code between the two of us.

~Day of the fight in the forest~

"I'm sorry" I'm keeping it down.

I don't even know if she could hear me. I'm not apologizing for not being able to fight, I'm just asking forgiveness for leaving you alone once again. We didn't talk much about the time when she was always alone, we just pretended that we had always known each other. Maybe this way I could forget what I'd been through before.

That last smile of mine was our secret code, but I will change the meaning just once. I don't want your help, I know very well there's no way out of this. With that last smile I want to convey my feelings to you. You were the best thing that happened in my life, you also helped me through all my difficult times and you were by my side whenever I needed you. Thanks for everything.

~Obtained the title "The Friend"~

Goodbye.