My eyes blink up at the building before me.

Horizon Spa.

"You brought me to a spa?!" I ask Remi in a shocked tone.

"Uh-huh," she smiles, proud of herself for coming up with the idea. "What do you think?"

"Rem, I can't afford this."

"Well, it's a good thing that you don't have to...and that I got my allowance yesterday."

"You're not spending your allowance on me," I tell her.

"B, would you just shut up and say thank you? We could both really use this. Especially me, I've got a freakin' knot on the right-side of my back that needs to come undone," she says as she rubs at the spot, and I can't help but giggle.

"Thank you, Rem. This is very sweet of you."

She smiles. "You're welcome. Now, can we please go inside? I can't wait any longer."

"Let's go!" I tell her, and she pulls me by my arm.

"I got super lucky with reservations. Nabbed the last two spots."

"Wow," I say as we walk into the dimly lit lobby. Relaxing music that sounds like waves crashing plays in the background, which complements the wall fountain that's going on behind the tall auburn counter where a lady dressed in all white stands.

"Hi," Remi greets her as I stand to the side.

"Hello!" the woman says back. "How can I help you today?"

"We have reservations at 2 PM. Under Remi Baker."

The woman starts typing, then skims the computer screen. "Ah, yes. Miss Baker. 2 Spa Massages and 2 Manicures/Pedicures. Is that correct?"

I tug at Remi's shoulder. "Remi, we don't have to do all that."

"Bella, what did I say?"

I press my lips together. "Sorry, you're right...thank you!"

"That's better," she nods, before facing the lady. "That's correct."

"Great. We'll have you wait over there," the lady says, gesturing to the white sofa. "Your technicians will be with you shortly."

"Thank you!" Remi and I both say.

I'm not much of a massage person, so I could've done without it, but Remi is really the best for setting this day up. She always goes above and beyond when she knows that I'm hurting, and this spa day was definitely that.

I opt for the Marshmallow nail color and take a seat at the pedicure chair next to Remi's.

"What color did you decide on?" I ask her.

"Red...duh." She looks at the polish in my hand and rolls her eyes. "Typical," she states of the basic color that I ended up with.

"You're right, Rem. This day was very much needed."

"Told ya. Are you relaxed?"

"Way more than I was this morning, that's for sure."

She looks me over and presses her lips together. "How you holding up?"

I open my mouth to say something, but then I pause, trying to figure out the best way to answer that. "I'm hanging in there," I tell her truthfully.

"What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, B. I promise you, you'll come out of this stronger."

"I know. It's just hard to imagine that right now, feeling what I'm feeling.

"What's the hardest part about all of this?"

I take some time to respond, even though I have the answer right away.

"At the end of the day, Nico's my best friend. And I don't want to lose that for anything in the world."

"I don't think you ever could. The love that you two have for each other goes way deeper than lovers, even best friends. If I knew better, I'd say you guys were practically sou-"

"Soulmates," I say at the same time that she does.

"Yeah," Remi says, exhaling with a soft chuckle.

I just smile.

"You're lucky," she continues. "You were fortunate enough to find your soulmate at 7 years-old. It takes people a lifetime to find that. Sometimes, they don't."

"Yeah, but sometimes I wonder if I was better off without one. Might have saved me the hurt that comes with the heartbreak of it."

"A soulmate is forever, B. It never leaves you. That's the beauty of it. It'll always be with you even when you think it's not."

I nod at her words, then tilt my head at her and squint my eyes. "When did you become such a pro at giving good advice?"

"Hey," she holds up her hand and says, "I've always given good advice." We both laugh, and then she stops. "But really, B, I'm not telling you anything you don't already know. I'm just reminding you."

"Thanks. Sometimes, I need the reminder."

She reaches for my hand and smiles at me. "That's what besties are for."

I smile back, truly feeling grateful for my friendship with Remi. We may be total opposites in every sense of the word, but she's the salt to my pepper. My wingwoman. My partner in crime.

"Okay, so last question, and then we can stop talking about Nico," she says. "What's your plan? Are you just going to leave him be or try and initiate a conversation?"

"I don't think that there's anything left to say. He knows where I stand. It's really up to him to decide if he wants me in his life the way that I'd always hoped for. All I can do now is live my life, keep it going forward, figure out who I can be without every part of my heart and mind tied to Nico."

Remi shakes her head, deep in thought. "Damn, all this time I thought that Nico was a lucky, rich bastard. But I would never want his life if it meant having to deal with parents who dictate my every move."

"Yeah, it's not easy being a Bradford heir," I add on.

***

I couldn't thank Remi enough for today. It was honestly perfect, and even though we spoke about Nico, spending time at the spa definitely served as a distraction.

Remi ended up staying over for dinner, and now were in the living room roasting S'mores by the fireplace with Grandma Ruby and mom.

We're all laughing at Grandma Ruby, who just burned her marshmallow pretty badly.

"You know? I never knew the secret to roasting a perfectly good marshmallow," she says.

"Maybe try not holding it in the fire for too long," mom mocks as she continues to laugh.

"I'm glad you find this funny," Grandma Ruby playfully says, but then she, herself, starts laughing. It's hard not to.

I'm in the middle of making a S'mores sandwich when Remi gets a text from her friend Lara.

"Looks like Stevie Parker is having a party tonight," she says as she skims the message.

"Don't know who that is," I tell her.

"Some rich kid who went to Sherman," she explains as she watches me struggle with the gooey marshmallow. "Wanna go?"

I bite the melted marshmallow off my thumb and remark, "not really", but then I look at Remi and she seems let down by my answer. She spent all day trying to cheer me up - which she succeeded at - and I feel like it's my turn now to be a good friend to her. "But, then again, I could use a good party."

I'm not going to lie, if Stevie went to Miller Prep, I'd probably have to avoid this party because that would mean that Nico would be there. And even though Danny will most likely be present, I'm not afraid to see him.

"Are you sure?" Remi asks. "We don't have to."

"No, I think it'll be good for me. I could use the social interaction."

She smirks at me before saying, "Proud of you."