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10
Elizabeth
“You want to go where?” I shriek, my heart already beating faster at the suggestion.
“Oh, don’t panic.” Julianna waves off my panic before turning back to her reflection in the mirror.
I don’t know why she’s wasting so much time putting makeup on. She doesn’t need it. Julianna looks like a freaking porcelain doll with her long raven hair and big piercing blue eyes.
“It’ll be fun to go have a few drinks and do a little dancing. I think it’ll do us both some good,” she says.
“You can’t be serious. Zane’s, really?” I sit on the toilet lid, burying my face in my hands. “When you talked about coming down this weekend to hang out, I was thinking you meant more like dinner and a movie.”
Julianna and I met through her sister, Lori, and we’ve been best friends since junior high. We’re normally like two peas in a pod—sharing the same taste in music, movies, and books—which is why I assumed we’d have the same type of hangout in mind when we made plans for the weekend.
“You might be thirty now, but nothing says you can’t have fun every once in a while,” she teases.
I raise my head to give her a dirty look and she sticks her tongue out at me. She still has two more years before she’ll be thirty, something she delights in reminding me of.
“But Zane’s?” I whine, dropping my head in my hands again and pretending to cry.
Zane’s is one of the only bars in our small town, which means it’s packed pretty much every weekend. Usually with half the people I went to high school with. None of which I care to see tonight. Or ever.
“Hey, I’m the guest here. It’s my choice. You agreed to do whatever I wanted, remember?” That was before I knew drinking and dancing were on the table.
Lifting my head again, I cut my eyes at her even though she doesn’t notice or care. “I’m just not sure I’m ready for a wild night out. I’ve been working on taking baby steps, and you’re trying to get me to run.”
“Okay, look,” she starts, putting down her eyeliner before turning to face me, “I didn’t want to play this card, but truth be told, I need a fun night out. Things with Christopher haven’t been good lately, which is partly why I’m here. I had to get away from him and all the bullshit back there. So if you won’t have fun for yourself, will you please do it for me?”
“Fuck,” I groan, getting up to go change my clothes.
Julianna’s husband is a shithead. We all know it, but it’s not something she openly talks about. If she’s admitting things are bad, they must be really bad. She’s always been a great friend to me, so, I need to be here for her.
Even if it means getting drunk and going dancing.
Brenden
The high school’s front desk receptionist peeks her head into my office door. “What are you still doing here?”
“Just finishing up some paperwork.” I shoot her a smile, and her cheeks flush a deep pink.
After my talk with Allison about Lizzy, I decided to leave it alone. For two weeks now, I’ve been fighting every urge to see her again. My extra workload has certainly aided in that endeavor, filling hours of my day with student files and paperwork.
The real test came when I received a call from Lizzy’s sister, Cat. She left a message scolding me for not telling her about Lizzy’s panic attack, and then thanked me. She said she’s seen big changes in Lizzy, and her gut tells her I played a role in that.
The prospect of Lizzy changing simply from meeting me is unlikely. Even if she feels the same kind of insane connection with me as I do with her. So, ignoring her request to see Lizzy again was for the best.
“It’s Friday. Don’t you have a date or something tonight?” Susan pries as she steps into my office, twirling a piece of her blonde hair around her finger. She’s being about as subtle as a flashing neon sign.
Susan is an attractive woman and fun to flirt with, but I’ve made it a rule to never get involved with anyone I work with. It tends to make the whole no strings thing a tad difficult.
I considered making plans with Angela, thinking a night with her would be a welcome distraction from my continuous thoughts of Lizzy. But the idea of spending time with someone I don’t truly care for is no longer appealing. It’s not enough.
Lizzy stirred all this shit up inside me. She made me feel more alive. It may be crazy and stupid, but I want more of that.
“Nope, not tonight.” I keep my tone flat, eyes focused on my paperwork, hoping she’ll take the hint.
“Oh, well…don’t work too hard. I guess I’ll see you Monday.”
