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Me:We’re not on the phone, asshole. Get back here now with my car!
Danny:You’re breaking up. I better let you go.
I pick back up the phone, my fingers flying over the screen.
Me:Danny!
Me:Daniel!
Me:Motherfucking jerkward!
No response. Typical.
Danny Ohara was, as my grandma called him, the big man on campus. The boy with the pretty smile and the charming personality, who played college football and received straight A’s. Everybody wanted to date him, even if it was only for a night or two. His reputation for being a playboy preceded him, and the last thing I wanted was to be anywhere near his radar.
I was, however, the one he zeroed in on at the beginning of our junior year. I went to one football game. One. And that was only because his roommate, Rueben, begged me. We had a math class together, both of us needing that single semester credit to finish our respective degrees. Rueben was sweet and maybe even a little shy, with his wire-rimmed glasses and his straight, white smile. I finally agreed to go and did something I’d swore I’d never do.
Swoon over a damn football player.
Danny was spectacular. He was quick, catching almost every ball thrown at him, including the game-winning touchdown. After the game, he came running up to his friend for a victory bro-hug, and the moment his eyes met mine, I was a goner. Of course, I didn’t agree to go out with him right away. No, I played hard to get. After a few weeks though, I was putty in his hands, just like the rest of the female population at Southern Illinois University. We dated straight through junior year, and when it came time to set up housing for my final year at Southern, I agreed to live with him.
Over the last year, we planned everything. His job as a television news anchor for a small station in San Francisco, and mine behind the scenes in the production studio. We both landed a job at the same station, which I never expected to happen, but since it’s small, apparently everyone uses it as a stepping stone until they can land their dream job at a bigger network. Positions open up all the time.
And now what? I’m just supposed to drive myself out to San Francisco, in the car I no longer have, and work right next to the man who pretty much just threw our future in the trash with yesterday’s takeout?
Fuck that.
Fuck him.
There’s a pounding at the door that pulls my attention. Anger sweeps through me like a tsunami as I stomp toward the doorway, praying it’s the jerk of all jerks on the other side. I disengage the lock and throw open the door, mouth open and ready to let my anger fly, when I find Rueben standing at the threshold.
“Hey, Crick,” he says, giving me a sheepish grin. If I wasn’t so pissed off, I’d find it a little comforting. But I don’t.
“Did you know? Did he tell you he was planning this?” I demand, my hands flying around like jet airplanes as I talk. I’ve always been a talker with my hands, which is a big reason why I’ve never really wanted to be on-screen. Behind the scenes is more my thing.
He holds up his hands in surrender. “He didn’t, I swear.”
“Liar. You’d do anything for him,” I mumble, taking a step back and allowing him to enter the apartment. There are boxes everywhere, pretty much all of our earthly possessions ready for the trek out west.
The door slams behind him, though I don’t think it’s intentional. “Not true. I’d never purposely hurt you to protect him.” I stop in the kitchen and turn to face him. Rueben pushes his familiar glasses back up his nose, a motion I’m pretty sure he does without even realizing, and focuses those dark brown eyes on me. “I had no clue, I swear. He just called me from Kansas City, asked me to come over and, uh, well, get his stuff.”
Rage burns the tips of my ears. “Get his stuff? Tell that thoughtless jerk I want my damn car!” I huff, crossing my arms over my chest and glaring at his best friend.
Rueben clears his throat, his eyes dropping to where my arms are crossed. He quickly averts them, focusing on the floor in front of him like it’s the most interesting floor in the world. “You look nice, by the way,” he mumbles.
Glancing down, I see what our friend is seeing for the first time. Well, besides the fact that I’m pushing my boobs up and almost out of the V neckline of my navy-blue dress. It hits just below the knee, the satiny material wrapping around my abdomen like a second skin. For someone who doesn’t usually wear many dresses, it was a no-brainer, perfect for my graduation ceremony.
Rueben is wearing black slacks with a dark gray button-down and black tie. The only spot of color on his entire body is the small American flag tie tack he received for Christmas last year from his older brother who serves in the Army. His entire family is here, including his older brother, to watch him receive his computer engineering degree. We’re supposed to all have dinner after the ceremony to celebrate today’s accomplishments. My family, Rueben’s family, and Danny’s.
I feel the weight of my anger dissipate, my shoulders sagging where I stand. “What am I supposed to do?” I whisper to no one in particular.
The next thing I know, I’m engulfed in strong arms, surrounded by the familiar scent of Abercrombie & Fitch cologne, and pressed against a warm chest. It’s familiar, yet so very foreign at the same time. All I know is he’s offering me comfort at a time when my entire world is turned upside down.
Everything has changed.
Decisions need to be made, and quick. I’m supposed to start my new job a week from Monday. Our apartment is ready, the keys waiting in San Francisco. We’re supposed to leave tomorrow to start our new life. There’s no way I’ll get any of my money back on the apartment and finding a new job, either in Carbondale or a surrounding town will be hard this late in the game. All of the post-graduation jobs were scooped up months ago. Never mind the fact that I don’t have a car. My entire life is in shambles, but now isn’t the time to fall apart. Now, I have a graduation ceremony to get through and a dinner with my family. With Danny’s family, as awkward as that will be.
I can do this. I just need to take it step by step.
