“I don’t know. My biggest problem is I have a hotel room tonight but then I’m going to be out on my ass. All the guys are already full at their places, and my roommates are couch surfing with their friends. But if I have to get my grades up couch surfing isn’t going to work.”
There’s another long pause but this time I can hear her tapping on something in the background as she thinks.
“I have an idea, but I need to see about a few things first.”
“Care to clue me in?”
“Not yet. But I will call you later either way, okay?”
“Okay.”
“And it’s gonna be okay, all right? We’re gonna figure this out and get you back on track. I still don’t know if you needed to fall on the sword quite so hard, but we will get it sorted.”
“Thanks, Nora.”
“Anytime. I’ll call you later. Love you.”
“Love you.”
I hang up the phone and sit back in the car, taking a deep breath. I’m thankful because my older sister is a Type A—take the bull by the horns and sort shit out type—and knowing I’ve got her on my side makes me feel like I might actually have a chance at getting out of this mess.
TWO
Violet
I sipthe drink Joss had the bartender fill from the giant steampunk looking tank at the bar, wondering how it’s possible for a drink to actually taste like a color, because this one tastes distinctly purple. She’s chatting with several guys at our table, talking about local bands and some of the photography work she’s doing. I’m normally her wing woman on nights like this as she needs me, but now I’m single, I guess technically we’re each other’s wing women.
One of the guys at the table has grown bored with her story and has made his way closer to me. His blue eyes rake me up and down before they stop at my lips, watching me as I drink. A lazy grin spreads across his face, and I can already imagine the lines that might be coming next, so I drink the rest of it quickly, stand abruptly, and hook my arm with Joss’s.
“I need a refill, come with me?” I give her a pointed look and she nods.
“Let me guess, you don’t like him either?” She raises a brow at me when we get to the bar.
“He barely talks. He just looks and grins and looks some more.” I glance back over my shoulder at the offender.
“He’s pretty. He’s not used to having to talk.” She shrugs like it’s not a problem.
“I need more than one-word answers to keep a conversation going.” The exasperation seeping into my tone.
“So, what was that thing Elvis said… a little less conversation and—“ she counters with her own dose of sarcasm.
“Yes, I know. Elvis has the answer to everything. But what’s the point when it’s going nowhere fast?”
“To have a one-night stand, Violet, not find your next great love. There’s an in between stage you know. Between the jerk who breaks your heart and the next guy you’re willing to take a risk on. You’re in the middle of it, and not using it to your advantage if we’re being honest here.” She shakes her head in disappointment, and I resist the urge to roll my eyes again.
My roommate is one of my favorite people on earth. We met in the first week of grad school when we took our Intro to Art Theory class together, and she moved in with my ex and me a week later when her relationship ended after an argument at a metal concert. She’d shown up at my door at 3 a.m., given me a giant hug, a box of fresh donuts, and we stayed up the rest of the night watching Pulp Fiction and discussing ‘90s Britart.
But she was always way more of a free spirit than I ever could be. I aspired to her levels of broken give-a-fuck-lessness but had yet to achieve them. She was still determined to make this the “best breakup of my life” though. Which, considering it was one of the only, meant it was a sink or swim situation at this point.
“I’m just not feeling it.” I shrug.
“What about the bartender?” A little smirk starts to form on her lips as he approaches us.
He grins back at her as he reaches us and leans his elbows on the counter.
“I feel like you’re plotting something, and I might need to be worried,” he says loudly over the music, as he runs his eyes over her.
“Maybe.” Her smirk gets wider, and she gives him a similarly lascivious review.
