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“I did,” I said, smiling at Kella’s choice of words. She was such a potty mouth, “And then he turned up on the doorstep,” I laughed at Kella’s shocked expression and her half open mouth.
“Really?” She glanced under the table at my foot, “And he didn’t run after seeing that?” She joked. I stuck my tongue out. Nobody could ruin my mood today.
“Are you forgetting that he caused that?” I retorted, mimicking her tone, “Anyway, we ate pizza and watched Die Hard.”
“So romantic,” snorted Kella, “He sounds like a catch.”
“I’m going out,” I announced, brushing cereal crumbs off my shirt. Kella eyed me curiously, “He may have invited me to his place for dinner,” I smiled mysteriously at her.
“Careful you don’t wind up in a barrel of acid in his basement,” She said snidely, chuckling at her own little joke. I glowered at her, my hands firmly on my hips so she knew I meant business. “Sorry,” She shrugged. She smiled brightly, her brown eyes wide with fake enthusiasm, “That’s great news, Lil!”
“Oh fuck off,” I grumbled, grinning at her, “Can I borrow your car?”
The nearest mall was less than a ten mile drive. It had been ages since I’d gone clothes shopping, and now twice in a week. On the way, I’d called Gem to see if she was free. I would have asked Kella, but shopping with Kella was like shopping with a two year old, and I needed to focus. Besides, I was really enjoying Gem’s company.
I met Gem at the entrance. She was already waiting, with two coffees in her hands.
“You read my mind,” I grinned, grabbing one of the coffees off her and taking a big sip. I sighed as the warm liquid ran down my throat. Gem laughed.
“No, I just assume everyone is like me on a Sunday morning, unable to function without several hits of caffeine,” She joked, “So, why are we here again?”
“We are here so I can knock the socks off Dane tonight. He invited me over for dinner,” I explained how he’d turned up last night, and how we’d watched movies and eaten pizza.
“And you want something cute and sexy to woo him tonight, right? I know just the store,” She grabbed my elbow and led me inside to a small boutique. We’d barely made it through the door when she stopped suddenly, “Hey, your cast is gone!”
“Yesterday,” I nodded, sticking my foot out to show her. After two more showers, and a night to breathe, it didn’t look or smell nearly as bad as it had yesterday. Gem had already begun skimming the racks as if she were in a time trial, I stepped back, afraid to get in her way.
“What are you, like a professional shopper?” I joked, staring at wha
t was fast becoming a mound of clothes in her arms. She rolled her eyes at me, giggling.
“No, I’m just a girl with way too much spare time and parents who feel guilty about not being around,” She kept her voice light, but I caught the underlying sadness that hid there. The few times she’d opened up about her family I got the feeling things were tense.
“Thanks for this, Gem. You’re a good friend,” I reached for the clothes in her arms and began sorting them into yes and no piles. She looked surprised, as if my acknowledgement of her friendship had meant a lot to her.
“Anytime, Lily,” She smiled. My phone buzzed in my pocket. I reached for it, juggling the dress and my bag. It was from Dane, “Dane?” Asked Gem. I glanced at her, surprised, “Your face just broke into this big grin,” She laughed. I blushed, embarrassed my feelings were so obvious.
“I can’t wait to see you later, Lil,” I read aloud. Gem giggled, practically hanging off my arm, at which I couldn’t help but laugh too. “God Gem, he is…I don’t even know,” I said, lost for words.
“I’m really happy for you, Lil. I’m glad he’s gotten past whatever last year was too,” Her eyes lit up as I held a blue/green silk slip dress against my body, “Yes! Try it on!” She demanded, pushing me into the change rooms. I laughed, not needing much encouragement. Without even trying it on, I knew the dress was perfect.
As I changed into the dress, I thought about what Gem had said. Did it worry me that Dane had closed off when I mentioned last year? Yes, though I was still more than willing to give the guy the benefit of the doubt. Some things are just hard to talk about, and I respected that.
I admired myself in the mirror, before opening the door to show Gem. Judging by her screams of delight, we had a winner. The dress was stunning, but at close to a month’s rent it was way more than I could afford. Swallowing hard, I reached into my purse for the emergency credit card mom had given me.
If this wasn’t an emergency, I didn’t know what was.
“So why did you move here? You lived pretty far away right? Were there closer colleges you applied for?”
Gem’s question caught me off guard as I stirred my latte. Shopping was hard work, and required regular replenishment. This was our second refreshment stop in under an hour; the first had come after I couldn’t pass up the aroma of some freshly made pretzels.
“Do you get along with your family?” She asked, licking the froth of her spoon.
“I get along so well with my family, it’s not even funny,” I thought of Anna and mom back home. Imagining home made me think of Abby, one of the biggest factors behind my decision to move. I needed to create my own memories.
“Last year, my twin died. She had cancer. After dealing with that, I just needed to get away from everything that reminded me of her. Start afresh.”
“Oh Lily-”
