Page 102 of Tell Me I'm Enough

Before I can turn around and leave, one of her roommates comes out of the room laughing and almost runs straight into me.

“You scared theshitout of me!” she says breathlessly, holding a hand to her chest.

I laugh a little. “My bad. Is…is Simone here?”

She looks back into the room and then back at me. “Um, yeah, she’s here.”

She walks past me, heading down the hall, and I just stand there for a second, staring into the room where Simone is sitting on the floor, pulling clothes out of a dresser and folding them into her suitcase.

She looks up at me and smiles.

A little wave of relief hits me that she’s not obviously mad at me.

“Hey! What are you doing here?” she asks, face lighting up in that way that warms all the cold parts inside of me.

I rub the back of my neck, feeling those earlier shots starting to really hit now.

“I…I um, I haven’t heard from you all morning, and you know…with how last night went. I just didn’t know if…if you were mad at me, or if I ruined the night for you or anything.”

She looks so confused, and then a small smile spreads across her lips. She frantically looks around for her phone, and when she finally finds it and turns it on, she sees the missed texts.

She lets out a little laugh. “I’m so sorry, Mason. I never even saw your texts. It’s been a hectic morning with packing and still trying to convince Lydia to come home for the break…I—” She looks up at me, trying to reassure me. “I wasn’t upset about last night…worried, yes. Mad? Never.”

“Why would you be worried?”

She raises a brow. “I don’t know, maybe because I’ve never seen you that wasted before…and because of some of the things you said…”

I try to pull more memories from last night and what I could have said, but mostly come up blank. I remember flashes of the night, but nothing I said.

“You don’t remember, do you?” she asks.

I lean against the doorframe to play off needing to steady myself a little, and cross my arms, shaking my head no.

I watch her fold a couple pairs of leggings as she weighs her words. “Well, the one that stood out the most tomewas…you wanting to put a bullet in your head over going home for the holidays.”

I wince, wishing that wasn’t a thing I had said out loud…especially to her.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to—”

“Didn’t mean to what? Have emotions?”

It’s silent for a moment.

“Why are you always apologizing for the way you feel, Mason?”

I shrug. “I don’t know. Cause I…I didn’t mean for you to hear that, or for it to upset you. I was just drunk and…the holidays kinda…suck for me.”

She stands up and walks over to me at the door. “Don’t ever apologize for feeling your emotions. I only worry that they come out loud and messy in ways that can hurt you when you don’t let them out when you need to.”

“I—I don’t really have anywhere to let them out at. Never have. It was something I was taughtnotto do, actually. Don’t have anyone to talk to, even if I knew how.”

Her face drops, and I see the sadness written all over it. “You have me. I’m your friend. I care, and I’malwayshere to listen.”

What is it about this girl? I’ve never talked to anyone this easily since…since probably my mom.

I tried to with Jackie…and we see where that got me…hurt. But that risk isn’t here with Simone. She genuinely cares…with no motives, no gains, and no benefits out of it.

I’ve literally never met anyone like her. Never felt this safe around someone before.