Friendship

Lucy really felt sick. She managed to walk to the children's playground and let her own body fall on the nest swing. Watching the dark skies above, shivering with cold and hungry, Lucy felt really miserable.

Today really wasn't her day. She let her tears fall down and swinging made her calm down a bit. But not enough to battle her depression.

Lucy noticed she really had to talk to someone now because her thoughts became dangerous. Before, because Lili's granny died, she didn't want to burden Lili with her own problems. And listening to GoCHU, music helped a bit, but now when everyone targeted her weight, she felt bad again.

It was always like this. Why don't you have kids? Why do you listen to such music? Why are you always home? What do you do for a living? Start dieting, you are fat… Always those demands, and questions, from her family members, aunties, and grannies, made her feel not good enough.

That made her feel worthless.

Lucy closed her eyes and breathed out. She took out her phone from her purse and played some more GoCHU music in the headphone she always had with her.

The beats, the vibration, and the lyrics helped her calm down again. She had to translate those worse, and that occupied her brain with unnecessary thoughts.

It took Lili exactly half an hour less than it should have, so Lucy was sure Lili would get a fine for breaking a few speed limits, again.

But she ran to Lucy, a blanket in her hands, and covered Lucy with it.

"How did you know?" Lucy asked, confused, but Lili just chuckled.

"You always do it. When you run from your house, you always don't think and just run out like that without anything warm," she answered Lucy's question and made Lucy wonder how good Lili knew her.

"Did she tell you, you should go on a diet again?" Lili asked the core problem, going straight for it, and Lucy nodded. Lili helped her to get in the car and just then Lucy noticed how weak she was. She was unable to walk without help, her body shaking with cold and not enough energy to go by.

"Fuck, you need to eat more. You are too weak!" Lili shouted when starting the car. She actually looked really pissed, ready to go and confront Lucy's mother. But Lucy stopped her.

"Do you have something to eat here?" she asked, despite the thought of food making her feel sick. She knew she couldn't go on like this for one meal a day.

Lucy shook her head but then grinned.

"Let's have fast food. It's still open and sugary enough to help you with the energy deficit." Lucy frowned because she wasn't used to it, not enjoying the taste of the meal, but now she had no other choice.

"Oh, by the way, my parents are at home and father wanted to talk to you about something…" Lili started, trying to keep a conversation so she wouldn't fall asleep. It was weird how at night the radios all played calming music, making her sleep even more.

"About what?" Lucy frowned, but Lili shook her head.

"I have no idea. He said it's confidential. So maybe some contract again or something like that. I noticed he was really excited…" Lili sighed and took on the fry, and ate it with a somewhat disgusted face.

"It tastes like ashes when it's cold," she noted and Lucy had to agree. It made her laugh just a simple statement like that. Maybe the sugar from the cola drink helped her too because her mood was a lot better now.

They finally arrived at Lili's home when the sun already started rising again. Lili threw a pajama at Lucy and she herself just took off her jacket.

Lucy was laughing once again, because Lili just spent almost two hundred kilometers driving only in her pajamas, and the way she threw herself on the bed, looking exhausted… face down.

The grunt when her phone chimed, and a message appeared, was seriously hilarious. She just didn't even bother to look who it was. It was time for Lucy to do it.

"It's Lei. He wants to video call," she said, but Lili only mumbled something and covered herself with the blanket, rolling herself to the side so Lucy could sleep on the other side of the bed.

Lucy chuckled, and just out of mischief and curiosity, she put the password and called Lei. The surprised and stunned face on the screen when he picked up was something that couldn't be described as confusion.

"I'm sleeping with her today," Lucy said, using the suggestive word, and showed the totally dead Lili next to her. Lei frowned but lowered his voice. So he wouldn't wake her up. Lucy suddenly got an idea.

"Hey, I will send you my contact through Lili's phone. Add me and I will have something to tell you. We can…" Lucy thought about how to formulate it. But then she stopped.

"Lili?" she said, not sure if she really was asleep. The mumbling showed at least some sort of consciousness, so she pressed a finger over her lips and gestured they should be silent about it.

Lei nodded and ended the call. Lucy promptly sent her contact and deleted the message on Lili's side so she would have no idea.

'Do you want to come to Czechia and surprise her?' She sent a message and the immediate positive answer showed it was a really good idea.

'Talk to you later. I'm tired now," she replied and looked at Lili while switching the light off. Lucy was really glad to have a friend like Lili.

She no longer had those thoughts of starving herself to death just to prove her mother wrong. Now she even wanted to have something good, like steak or something. Her mood was a lot more cheerful, and that was just thanks to Lili. She was sure to pay her back for that. Many times.