Odette was meeting her best friend Nixie after such a long time. She was feeling excitement and anger at the same time- excited to meet her friend of twelve years, angry at her for disappearing for nearly a year without as much as a phone call. Well, that was Nixie for you. There were times when she used to disappear for days, just sitting in her bedroom and binge watching all her favourite Netflix series when the world outside got too cold for her. But one year was a lot of time. Too much time. And Odette was hell-bent on showing her how upset she was at her best friend’s behaviour.
But all the anger and resentment faded away when she met Nixie. But it was not Nixie’s physical presence that changed Odette’s emotion. It was what she saw on Nixie’s body- tiny cuts on her arms. Slashes that one would miss if they did not bother looking. Suddenly Odette started imagining the worst. And throughout their time together at Nixie’s place Odette kept stealing glances at former’s arms whenever she could while trying to figure out what could be the reason behind Nixie’s cuts. She had known her long enough to confidently say that there was no way Nixie would harm herself. But then there she was.
Is it because of a guy? Odette thought as she ran through each and every guy her friend had dated but the chances of any of them having such a monstrous effect on her were bleak as Nixie was in good terms with every single guy she had gone out with- something Odette used to find otherworldly as all of her breakups had been like a cyclones hitting a shore.
As the time passed by, Odette could not take it anymore. Her mind was imagining the worst and it was not going to stop any time soon.
“Okay, that’s it.!” Odette put her glass of cold coffee down with a huge bang startling Nixie.
“I can’t take it anymore. Nixie” Odette said, taking her friend’s hands in hers, “what is going on? What are these marks? Is it depression? What made you do this?”
Nixie was not able to say anything for the next whole minute as she looked at the cuts on her own arm- as if seeing them for the first time- and then back at Odette.
“You mean these cuts?” Nixie asked her for reassurance.
Odette nodded. “Are you suffering from depression? Why are you harming yourself?”
Nixie looked at Odette, puzzled. “Odette, it’s actually quite the opposite.”
Before Odette could question Nixie’s statement, the doorbell rang.
Nixie smiled as she went for the door. “These cuts are not from depression. They are from the lovelies who got me out of it.”
Odette was more confused than ever.
“They are the reason for my cuts.” exclaimed Nixie as she opened the door and in ran a husky and a little ginger cat. “You have two more best friends now.”
The husky jumped up to Nixie’s arms while the cat used her claws to climb up to her shoulders and Odette saw in person- with huge relief- the reason behind her happier-than-ever best friend’s cuts on her arms.
KATA 