The second promise

Ivy's hope drowned in the gutter because washing the dishes took priority over conveying a birthday wish. Her sulking face sought after the standing wine bottle she saved from getting snatched away.

****

"You don't like dancing with me?" Seth said within a few seconds after the girls moved away from teasing.

Ivy shook her head to disagree.

"Then, why do you look so down?" he asked again.

Ivy hesitates for a while before admitting to her upset.

"She was looking forward to this day!"

"Do you mean Bridgette?"

Ivy nods.

Seth recalled receiving the news of Bridgette not willing to attend the prom.

"I agree. Especially for a girl like Bridgette, it probably means a lot. I can guess that she truly feels guilty about her behavior this time."

Ivy looks up to agree with him.

"She does, at last," she said.

"You could have attempted to stop her from crossing the boundary. Bullying itself is an inhuman crime-" Seth said, and as they moved past other kids, he paused to alert himself to keep his voice low.

"I can turn deaf ears and blind my eyes if you kids only keep it to kidding and having fun without crossing the line, but once you go past and step into that sensitive side of anyone, it's over."

Ivy paid attention to listening than enjoying her special prom dance.

"Didn't you ever consider that you should stop her from going overboard?" Seth finally asked Ivy.

He noticed her drop the dance routine, but his experience let him slow down the rhythm into subtle steps, signaling his partner to not lose her composure on a dance floor. She continued to lead.

"I apologize for ruining the good mood," he said to return to silence.

They took a few steps, and Ivy had it enough.

"You think I never cared, Mr. Seth!" she says, urging.

Seth's attention rotates to her.

"With or without me, she would keep meddling others for her own fun. I thought that someday she would realize her flaws. I believed that I should stay by her side regardless because, when that day comes, she shouldn't feel lost and alone. I want to be there for her to tell her mistakes and help her change. If I can achieve that-"

"That will be very nice of you," Seth finished for her.

He smiled to acknowledge her concern for her friend.

"You do care about her, do you?" he asked.

Ivy sweated and panicked somehow to answer the question to follow after what she said.

"Of course! She is my best friend."

***

Chugging the wine down to her second glass, Ivy remembered the incident from her high school.

'Crap! Why do I remember it now?' Ivy wonders as she turns to check at Bridgette, who is seriously washing the dishes without getting distracted.

'She did change after that incident, but you're still the same Bridgette I know and liked.'

As she said, Ivy felt her cheeks burn in red.

"I'm so stupid!" she muttered to herself, pouring another glass full of red wine, her third glass.

Leaning against the couch, seated on the floor, Ivy stretched her legs to its cramp and watched the movie still playing.

It wasn't her favorite movie or so. She watched it once, and that's all. However, Bridgette's wish made her sit through this story, regardless.

Instead of chugging, she takes little sips, alarming herself not to take a risk. Her eyes traveled again to Bridgette and found her still busy in the kitchen.

If not for Parker, she would neglect her birthday, also ignoring the forgetfulness of Bridgette. Blaming him inside her mind, she continued watching the movie.

Time passes, and Ivy almost reaches the end of her third glass when Bridgette called her name. Disturbed to her solitude, Ivy hissed as she turned to see Bridgette holding a cake with several candles that Ivy counted so fast that when it ended, she lifted her gaze to stare at Bridgette.

"What is this?" she asked.

Bridgette felt puzzled by the way Ivy reacted. She looked at the time and the cake, checking if it's still holding its layers. She then counted the number of candles, considering the possibility of getting the number wrong. No, there were exactly 30.

"What? It is for you!" she replied.

"Happy Birthday, Ivy. I don't know if this count as a surprise, but I wanted to invite you to eat with me and then celebrate your day," she added, expressing her desire to cook for Ivy, explaining the cake she made from scratch by herself.

Bridgette signaled Ivy to blow the candles first as the cake is heavy to hold for hours.

Following her words, Ivy automatically moved to blow all 30 little candles. It took her a while to get all of it. She struggled slightly because of Bridgette's solo singing of the evergreen birthday song. When she finished, the kind friend clapped her hands for a long time.

Ivy smiled at last from Bridgette's effort in remembering the day. She returned with a hug and proceeded to cut the cake. Only after tasting the first bite did she guess that it was not a traditional birthday cake but a different one.

Bridgette caught the reaction on her face.

"It took you so long to realize!" she said.

Ivy took another big bite to taste, and she couldn't stop at it.

"Slow down. It 's all yours. I had to stay up yesterday, all night, to make you this custom flavored: Apple and Cinnamon layer cake."

"Your mother makes the best apple pie and cinnamon buns. Since we're both away from home, I thought I could make something to let you feel at home."

Bridgette recalled the pain she had to go through in baking this cake to perfection while managing rehearsals for her major acting debut, yet her face expressed pure happiness in doing it for a friend.

They exchange a few bites, and Ivy took it to the table to slice and plate two large pieces for both to enjoy.

They returned to the floor and paired with the wine, the apple and cinnamon flavored cake tasted sweeter than life itself.

"Did you like the cake, at least?" Bridgette asked.

"You are still holding a grudge. Didn't I say that you did great today?"

"Yeah, but- I feel like receiving constructive criticisms, if- there's any," Bridgette admitted finally.

"Well, you will hear all about it in tomorrow's newspaper. I don't know which one the man works for, but he is a theater critic for a paper," Ivy assures, and Bridgette looks away, smiling in expectation.

"Hey, at least you finally get to achieve your goal, didn't you?" Ivy said.

"A little late than what I planned for, you know it. We both took oath at the same time, same day, the same second, vowing to ourselves to achieve a milestone in our career before we hit 30," Bridgette exclaimed with a short reminiscence.

The two close friends after spending a few years of struggling to enter the world of their dreams, met once, on a random event, so unexpected yet delighted. Ivy just joined hands with Parker, and Bridgette landed on her first major supporting character, playing the Penny Pingleton from the play, Hairspray!

The two reunited for a small chat, and Ivy ended up crashing at Bridgette's place. That night, the two took a vow to mark a feat before they hit 30 years in age. Ivy wanted to make a successful film, and Bridgette wishing to portray a striking character on the stage.

Bridgette's birthday already passed, but she could only unlock her achievement later the year, which is unlike Ivy's situation.

The hard-working female director had to make 14 short films before making a successful one.

Ivy's comment threw Bridgette off the good humor, and she whimpered like a child.

"Come on, Bri. You knew you were going to become the replacement when they shall consider one. Think about it, getting the role of Carlotta from The Phantom of the Opera!" Ivy coaxed.

"I wish the timing could squeeze into a little earlier for my fulfillment."

Ivy laughed.

"But you still nailed tonight. By the way, you are getting better and better at playing negative roles. It must be in your DNA," Ivy remarked.

Bridgette punched and pinched her arms till it hurt. Ivy begged for mercy.

"Then stop teasing me!" Bridgette warned, grinding her teeth with a terrifying expression.

"See! You are a master villain already. You get into the role just like that," Ivy said to snap her fingers, followed by a chuckle and ended up receiving more pinches from her friend.

The two laughed and teased and shared jolly words over time that they forgot even to consider sleeping, despite the growing fatigue in their bodies.

All this talking made Bridgette return to herself. She missed being with friends, spending time freely, chattering, and chuckling together. Having talked about more memories, they revisited the life spent over the years. Now, having both turned 30 years old, they felt growing older and carrying more responsibility on their shoulders.

Throughout, Ivy had her arms clutched against her knees and face resting on top it as she watched Bridgette do the talking.

She would interrupt to pull a tease on her, and Bridgette returns with a casual punch. She liked it all.

In fact, she enjoyed it. The way Bridgette acts now is what she wished to be with for a long time. Bridgette, who bullied others in school for fun, is someone Ivy did not fancy. At first, Ivy did her part as a friend to stop Bridgette from behaving so, yet she found later that her words never had an impact. It hurt the young Ivy, and knowing that she did not care, Ivy thought it would be best to stay by her side and keep her under control. However, over the years, being friends with Bridgette influenced adolescent Ivy to follow her footsteps. The incident with Giselle was an awakening moment for both, and Ivy realized what she had been doing for years when at first, she hoped to stay and keep Bridgette under her care.

Giselle's impact also affected Bridgette to confront her brutal behavior towards others. When stepped outside the home to follow her dream, she faced people who were like her, happen to get bullied herself, fought against it, understood the pain of being on the other side, facing humiliation, and so. The lesson that she experienced changed her at last.

Now, talking and behaving like a normal girl, Ivy found more and more getting drawn towards Bridgette's new personality. It wasn't a drastic transformation, but learning the lesson harshly let the wannabe actor change her ways of treating and respecting others. Underneath all that, Bridgette is still sassy and a hot-headed girl, expressing herself sharply.

"Are you listening to me?" Bridgette repeated to find Ivy lost in her own thoughts.

She waved her hand until the dormant statue reacted.

"Ye- Yeah. Yes, so what happened backstage,"

Bridgette resumed some tales from backstage while the show was ongoing, and Ivy listened to her.

Her mind returning to a place of stimulation. She remembered Parker reminding her to fulfill her promise.

When the two took pledges to improve their career, Ivy added another one to her list.

She had two wishes to achieve before turning 30. One is her passion, she finally accomplished, but the other included her personal life.

Ivy listened to Bridgette's talk and worried inside to herself whether to fulfill the second and last pledge on this day before she misses the opportunity. As her mind pondered, without a word, she leaned forward, closing the distance between Bridgette and herself. Their eyes meet on halfway to follow it near. Bridgette confusedly watched what Ivy was planning to do.

Meanwhile, Ivy, having reached up close to Bridgette, was in her turf. She smelled the rosy scent emanating from her and her white skin that shone under dim lights in the living room. Swallowing, she hesitated a million times, asking herself if it was the right moment.

But the more she panicked, the more her guts pushed her to accomplish her second promise.

With a single stretch, she kissed Bridgette without having second thoughts. It was not out of passion, but a kiss to express her eternal love for this close and dear friend.

With a kiss through which she wanted to convey for a long time about her true feelings. The heart that's been throbbing for Bridgette ever since she figured out herself.