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“I know, I know, but what have you applied for? What do you want to study?”
Jenny pushes around her bruschetta with a fork and shyly looks around the table. Though she’s exuded confidence most of the time I’ve known her, I have the feeling that she’s scoping us out to see who might judge her for her choices.
“Mechanics and engineering.”
No one says anything, and I know that that’s only going to make her anxiety worse, so I jump in before the silence stretches too far.
“Jenny, that’s an amazing idea. You’ll be fantastic.”
Her eyes glitter with nervous excitement.
“You think?”
“I do. After everything I’ve heard about you, I think you’re going to ace it. Just remember that you’ve always got free study buddies at the garage. You’re going to be top of your class for sure.”
“Bri’s right, Jen. You’re one smart cookie. And we’ll fight anyone who says otherwise, you hear?”
Now her cheeks burn crimson, and she ducks her head so that a sheet of fair hair covers her face from either side. Modesty is a good trait to have, but I’d hate it if this was more fear of not being good enough.
“Where did you apply?”
“Well, most of them are actually out-of-state, but there’s one that is only a few hours away. I figure if I went there, I could come visit more often. And I know I said they were both idiots, but I don’t think I want to be that far away from theguysat the garage.”
Her admission comes with a guilty glance my way, and I offer back a knowing smile. So she’s got a little crush? That’s adorable. Maybe theguyswere a better influence than they thought.
The dinner comes to an end with Kealy already a little drunker than she had planned.
“I’m going to gohome, I think. I haven’t drunk wine since the baby was born, you know.”
Jenny’s Grandma takes Kealy and Jenny home, leaving myself, Dani and Cadie.
“Where to next, ladies?” Dani asks.
“I know just the bar.”
****
The bar we’ve been taken to is dark and playing rock music. Large men in biker jackets line the bar, holding large glasses of beer.
“You can take the girl out of the garage, but not the garage out of the girl,” I hear Dani chortle.
The bar is underground. One of those dive bars that you have to access through a dip at the edge of the sidewalk. If I were a different person in a different city, this would be in equal parts fascinating and scary. It would be an adrenaline moment.
But as it happens, I am me, and I’m in the same city that my ex was sighted recently, and I am not feeling the fun kind of adrenaline. Time seems to take a break from being normal and slows to a crawling pace as I search the room, pausing on every face, searching for that of my tormentor.
Twice I check, and the noises around me flood back into consciousness as my shoulders sag in relief.
He’s not here.
“What’ll it be, ladies?”
Dani takes charge of the drinks while Cadie and I search out an empty booth. My phone vibrates just as we’re sliding in, and I see that it’s a text from Xander.
“Here you are ladies, three cosmopolitans, because we’re attempting to be fancy.”
Cadie slips two glasses towards Dani and I.
“To Jenny getting into college!”
