Free Char by Mercy Amare

that’s it. He didn’t try to kiss me, or have sex with me. Which was kind of nice. But it also made me miss Aaron. So when I wake up, I decide to call Aaron to see how he is doing.
    “Hello,” a very sleepy voice answers.
    “Aaron! Hey!” Yep. I totally forgot about the time difference. But it’s six. Which means he should be up for his early morning work out.
    “Char?”
    “Oh my God. Have I been gone so long that you forgot the sound of your best friend’s voice?”
    “Never,” he says. “But you did wake me up.”
    “You usually get up at five,” I say. “Did you decide to skip your early morning work out?”
    “Yeah, kind of…”
    I hear a muffled voice in the background. A girl. “Oh I get it now. You finally took my advice and got laid.”
    “Shut up,” he jokes. “So how is New York City treating you?”
    “New York is surprisingly good. Even my dad has been a bit less douche-like. It’s been nice,” I tell him. “I even met some people that I will be going to school with. And I made a new friend.”
    “I’m okay with you having a new friend, but make sure this new friend knows I’m the best friend,” he says.
    I laugh. “I told him all about you last night, and he won’t be replacing you. I promise.”
    “Him?”
    “His name is Tristan. He’s a sophomore at Columbia and I will be going to school with his little brother. I met him at a party last night,” I say. “By the way, New York parties are even lamer than we expected. Anyway, he introduced me to some people I’ll be going to school with, then we ditched the party. I brought him to my house to piss off my dad, but it turns out I actually got his approval.”
    “That seems unfair. We’ve been best friends since we were five, and your dad still doesn’t approve of me. How come he got the stamp of approval?”
    “I have a feeling it has something to do with his zip code, his college of choice, and his father. His dad owns some big company — Becker Industries — or something like that. But don’t worry, Tristan isn’t your average New Yorker. I think you’ll like him. Are you still coming up for Labor Day?”
    “Absolutely. I can’t wait to see you. But I have to go. I’m pretty sure there is about to be a round two.”
    “Ew! Remember to wrap it before you tap it.”
    He laughs. “Trust me, I will. This ones a little crazy.”
    “Later,” I say.
    “Bye.”
    I hang up the phone, and fall back onto my bed. I wonder for a moment if I should feel jealous that Aaron was with another girl, but I’m not. It would be stupid to be jealous, because he’s my best friend. I definitely don’t see him as anything more, but part of me is sad because it feels like we are both moving on. I’ve been here two days, and already I have a new friend… and he’s already found somebody to share his bed with.
    My phone vibrates, and I look to see a text from Aaron.

    Aaron: You will always be my favorite girl. She’s just a filler until you finally realize that you’re in love with me.

    Me: LOL. I do love you. Always.

    Aaron: Just remember that. And do me a favor. Don’t fall in love with Tristan.

    I don’t know how to respond. I read his message about ten times. But I can’t reply. I want to tell him that I won’t. Because I won’t . But for some reason, I can’t type the words. My phone vibrates again. This time, it’s a text from Tristan.

    Tristan: Will be in front of your place in 10 minutes. We are getting breakfast, and you are spending the WHOLE DAY with me. Be prepared.

    Me: What if I say no?

    Tristan: You won’t. 9 minutes.

    I look down at my pajamas and run to my closet. I’ve got nine minutes to look cute. Or at least look like I didn’t just wake up.

    11am
    Filler girl.

    I get dressed, brush my teeth, and fix my hair in record time. Twelve minutes later, I am sitting in Tristan’s limo. Not bad. I’ve never gotten ready so quickly before.
    “You’re late.”
    “You can’t expect a girl to