“Oh… I’m sorry.” I already knew that of course.
“It makes school a lot tougher for her.”
“I can imagine.”
He shakes his head. “But there’s something else,” he says. “I can’t quite put my finger on it. Something she’s not telling me.”
I wonder what it could be. Could she be pregnant? Could she be on drugs? “Maybe a lover’s quarrel?” I suggest. “Has she broken up with a boy recently?”
“She did, a year ago,” he tells me. “But I don’t think that’s it. She’s been over Jonathan for a while, I think.”
I bite my lip, mulling it over. Despite all the creeping I’ve been doing, I haven’t seen any clues.
“Keep talking to her,” I say. “That’s all you can do. She’ll eventually open up. You two sound close.”
He smiles. “We are. Thank you, Mischa. What would I do without you?”
I blush.
“Really. I’m so glad we found each other,” he says. “You’re fun, sweet, and give great advice.”
And to think, it was all because of Ava. “Me too.”
If it weren’t for my obsession, I would have never become fixated on Renee and Joel, and would have never met either of them. “Did you have a chance to talk to your wife about it?”
He buries his face in his hands. “I did.”
“It didn’t go well?”
He rubs at his face furiously. “We had a fight about it.”
“Oh no,” I say and I’m appalled at myself. I’m appalled because this makes me sort of happy. I know it shouldn’t but it does. I like Ava, despite the fact that I’ve never met her. And I like Joel very much. But Renee, not so much. She strikes me as spoiled, and a little selfish if I’m honest. I generally try not to judge people on appearances, but it’s a nagging feeling.
“She had no clue, and at first she didn’t want to believe me,” he says. “And then I kind of accused her of not giving a fuck, of being too caught up in her stupid store and spending too much time with Grant.”
Fuck.
“Grant is a guy she works with.”
I know. A beautiful stylish silver fox.
“He’s her business partner. They both own the shop.”
Interesting.
“Anyway, it was bad, Mischa. She was livid. She stormed off and called me an asshole.”
“You’re not an asshole, Joel.”
He laughs. “Joel rhymes with asshole, what can I say.”
I smile. “Well, it might rhyme, but you’re definitely not an asshole. You’re the sweetest guy I know.”
* * *
About to headto yoga class, I decide to take the stairs down. I’m wearing my favorite Lululemon yoga pants and tank top, paired with my new sneakers. I’ve got my cool new bag over my shoulder, pink with white polka-dots. With my short bob in a tiny ponytail, I’m looking rather girly.
I’m in a great mood, and excited to see Joel. I’m eager to see how things are going with Ava. I hope they’re getting her help. I know how messed up I was, and if it weren’t for Brian and his mom, who knows what could have become of me.
