Page 4
Izzy replies back immediately and saves me from launching across this table and throttling Troy and his oversized muscles with my bare hands.
Izzy:
On a scale of 1 – prison time, how bad is it?
Me:
25 to life.
I glance across the table at him, and he’s still rambling on about my diet and me just going for a walk every now and then but I’m tuning him out. It’s really for his own good. My phone rings, Izzy’s picture popping up on my screen, and I let out a relieved sigh.
“I’m so sorry. I have to take this,” I say, and he finally shuts his mouth, nodding at me. I answer the phone and immediately have to pull it away from my ear to avoid permanent damage.
“Ali!” Izzy screams into the phone, and the people at the tables surrounding us all turn to look with wide eyes.
“Izzy, are you okay? What’s wrong?” If I didn’t want to get out of here so badly, I would be laughing my ass off right now. She is so goddamn dramatic.
“I fell down the stairs, and I think my leg is broken. You have to come here!” she wails, adding in some fake tears that sound very convincing.
“Did you call an ambulance?”
“No, I need you. Please, Ali. It hurts so bad,” she screams, and I grab my bag from the floor in preparation.
“Okay, Sweetie. I’m coming right now, okay? Just hang tight.” I hang up the phone and look at Troy with an apologetic look. He looks genuinely concerned, and I bite my lip to hold back my laughter.
“I’m so sorry. I have to go.”
“Of course, do you want me to drive you?” he asks, standing up to go with me.
“No, it’s okay. You stay here and eat your dinner. We’ll be fine,” I tell him, standing, and rushing out of there with another quick “I’m sorry” as I race past him. As soon as I’m outside, I dial Izzy again, and when she answers the phone, I can hear the smile in her voice.
“How was that?”
“You’re so over the top,” I tell her, finally letting the laughter spill out, and she joins me.
“It got the job done, didn’t it?”
“Yeah, just remind me to submit that little performance for an Oscar this year,” I laugh, sliding into my car, and locking the door, thankful that my windows are tinted and no one can see me.
“I’d like to thank God, first and foremost, and of course my parents for always believing in me,” she says, launching into a fake Oscar acceptance speech that makes me laugh even harder as I pull away from the curb.
“Over the top,” I say again, interrupting her, and she laughs.
“So, what happened to make you use the 911?”
“I’ll tell you all about it later. Right now, I’m gonna go home and drown myself in a bottle of wine.”
She laughs again. “Okay. Drink a glass in my honor.”
“Of course, you saved me. Love you, Girlie.”
“Love you, too. Talk to you tomorrow.”
I hang up and chuckle to myself as I remember Troy’s face in the restaurant. I’m so glad we made up that silly little system. It’s usually Izzy using it but I’m grateful that it was there when I needed it, too. I sigh as I drive back home, ready to get this whole thing over with. One date down, only two more to go.
Chapter Two
Alison
