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The girl turns to face her old friend. “I… Sophie, I’m sorry!”
She looks down at her feet, clasping her hands tightly. She’s not strong enough to look at her right now.
“I-I’m sorry, I really am!” Her voice is shaking. Despite rehearsing it countless times, the words won’t come out right. “I know nothing I say can make up for what I said, but I’m so, so sorry. I didn’t mean it. I loved being your friend. I loved being able to spend time with you. You’re the only reason why every day at school was so fun for me, through all these years!”
Though she tries, she can’t hold back her tears.
“I’m sorry for being such a horrible person! You found something you truly, genuinely loved, and I was scared! I didn’t want to lose my only friend! I was selfishly trying to hold onto you, selfishly wanting to keep you all for myself! When I saw how much fun you could have without me, I felt like I was being left behind!”
Her hands are trembling. Her voice is cracking.
“I was wrong! I was selfish! And, and- I want you to know that you did nothing wrong! So please, forget all those horrible words I said to you! I didn’t mean any of it at all!”
The girl pants. That was it, right? That was all she wanted to say? No, no, she was a dumbass, she forgot the cookies, the cookies-! Alice scrambles for her bag, rummaging for the small sachet of cookies while her tears blur her vision.
“And- and- I baked some-!”
A warm embrace takes her, bringing her out of the cold. “I… I’m sorry too.”
Alice blinks, her friend’s arms wrapping tightly around her.
“I should’ve noticed how much pain you were going through. I should’ve seen how much you hated the club, should’ve known that you were doing it all just for me.”
Sophie’s crying too.
“I was a bad friend. I was a really bad friend. I was so caught up in everything that I forgot to message you on the day we met!”
Alice whimpers, then begins sobbing anew, hugging her best friend tightly. That spring, the frost that had covered their hearts finally thawed, and the eternal winter had finally come to an end.
