her hand. He steeled himself for the onslaught of blame. He was over an hour late. He knew it. He was willing to accept his punishment as long as it kept Gaia away from Charlie the Suave for a few seconds.
"I know, hit me," Ed said when Gaia reached his side. "Let me have it. I know you hate me."
"Thank God you're here," Gaia whispered, glancing at Charlie over her shoulder. "Can we go now?"
"Hey! Gaia the Brave!" Tim Racenello sauntered up to Ed and Gaia and handed each of them a beer. "Hey, Shred," Tim greeted Ed, chucking his chin in his direction.
"Hey," Ed said, forcing a smile. Had it escaped Tim's attention that he'd just interrupted the nice little triumphant moment Ed had been having?
"So, Gaia," Tim said, shaking his hips comically and dancing right up to her. Ed almost cracked up at the unabashed look of irritation on Gaia's face. A look that Tim, of course, was oblivious to. "Want to dance?" Tim asked.
Gaia reached out, took Ed's beer, and placed it with her own on top of the stereo console at the end of the hallway.
"We're leaving," she said, swinging around to face the door. Before Ed turned to follow her, he saw Tim's face fall so quickly, it defied the laws of physics.
And that was when Ed discovered what bliss felt like.
From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Time: 8:05 P.M.
Re: re: tonight
hey g!
i'm in! i'm in! but I can't get there till late. my dad has this business dinner thing and the client's bringing his son and my dad is just so incredibly sure that we'll hit it off he can barely keep the sadistic smile off his face.
right. I mean, the man means well, but the last son of a millionaire had back hair and an excess of toe cheese.
don't ask me how I got close enough to find that out.
anyway, I won't be there till around 10:30-11. hope you're still there.
see ya!
mary
TIRED HEATHER
There was kissing. That much she remembered.
MORE HERE THAN SAM
HEATHER LEANED AGAINST THE wall in Tim's hallway, staring at the white front door of the apartment. She wasn't sure why she was staring at it, but she'd been doing it for so long, she was sure there was a reason. If she could only remember ...
"Heather?"
She moved her head too fast, and her eyes started to swim around in their sockets. Heather giggled. She felt like a fish in a very round bowl. She reached out and grabbed her friend Laura's arm, although she wasn't sure if it was Laura, or Megan, or someone else entirely who had said her name.
"Hey!" Heather said, rubbing the sleeve of Laura's sweater between her thumb and forefinger. "This is
really
nice."
"Are you okay?" Laura asked, pulling her arm away. Heather just stared at it.
"Yeah. Did the door, like, do something to offend you?" Megan asked, scrunching up her entire face so that she looked like a cartoon version of herself. "You looked like you wanted to kill it or something."
"I'm waiting for Sam," Heather said, blinking. At least she wished she was.
Megan's eyebrows shot up. "Sam's coming?"
"No."
"Oh."
Megan and Laura exchanged pitying looks that Heather wasn't about to stand for. These two were boring her, anyway. She had to find someone to talk to. Someone who wouldn't constantly re-mind her that she was supposed to have this perfect boyfriend as part of her supposed perfect life.
"I have to go," Heather said, walking along the wall away from them. She stumbled over her own feet and heard Laura and Megan giggle but ignored it. Like they were ones to talk. How many times had she walked them home, stopping every few feet so they could vomit in the sewers? She was allowed to get drunk every once in a while. Although she wasn't sure exactly how she'd gotten
this
drunk. She'd finished off the beer that Scott had given her and decided to call it a night, but somehow her head was now spinning out of control.
Where was Gaia? Where was the bitch hiding? Heather suddenly felt an intense need to tell the girl off. More intense than the usual, day-to-day,
"I know, hit me," Ed said when Gaia reached his side. "Let me have it. I know you hate me."
"Thank God you're here," Gaia whispered, glancing at Charlie over her shoulder. "Can we go now?"
"Hey! Gaia the Brave!" Tim Racenello sauntered up to Ed and Gaia and handed each of them a beer. "Hey, Shred," Tim greeted Ed, chucking his chin in his direction.
"Hey," Ed said, forcing a smile. Had it escaped Tim's attention that he'd just interrupted the nice little triumphant moment Ed had been having?
"So, Gaia," Tim said, shaking his hips comically and dancing right up to her. Ed almost cracked up at the unabashed look of irritation on Gaia's face. A look that Tim, of course, was oblivious to. "Want to dance?" Tim asked.
Gaia reached out, took Ed's beer, and placed it with her own on top of the stereo console at the end of the hallway.
"We're leaving," she said, swinging around to face the door. Before Ed turned to follow her, he saw Tim's face fall so quickly, it defied the laws of physics.
And that was when Ed discovered what bliss felt like.
From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Time: 8:05 P.M.
Re: re: tonight
hey g!
i'm in! i'm in! but I can't get there till late. my dad has this business dinner thing and the client's bringing his son and my dad is just so incredibly sure that we'll hit it off he can barely keep the sadistic smile off his face.
right. I mean, the man means well, but the last son of a millionaire had back hair and an excess of toe cheese.
don't ask me how I got close enough to find that out.
anyway, I won't be there till around 10:30-11. hope you're still there.
see ya!
mary
TIRED HEATHER
There was kissing. That much she remembered.
MORE HERE THAN SAM
HEATHER LEANED AGAINST THE wall in Tim's hallway, staring at the white front door of the apartment. She wasn't sure why she was staring at it, but she'd been doing it for so long, she was sure there was a reason. If she could only remember ...
"Heather?"
She moved her head too fast, and her eyes started to swim around in their sockets. Heather giggled. She felt like a fish in a very round bowl. She reached out and grabbed her friend Laura's arm, although she wasn't sure if it was Laura, or Megan, or someone else entirely who had said her name.
"Hey!" Heather said, rubbing the sleeve of Laura's sweater between her thumb and forefinger. "This is
really
nice."
"Are you okay?" Laura asked, pulling her arm away. Heather just stared at it.
"Yeah. Did the door, like, do something to offend you?" Megan asked, scrunching up her entire face so that she looked like a cartoon version of herself. "You looked like you wanted to kill it or something."
"I'm waiting for Sam," Heather said, blinking. At least she wished she was.
Megan's eyebrows shot up. "Sam's coming?"
"No."
"Oh."
Megan and Laura exchanged pitying looks that Heather wasn't about to stand for. These two were boring her, anyway. She had to find someone to talk to. Someone who wouldn't constantly re-mind her that she was supposed to have this perfect boyfriend as part of her supposed perfect life.
"I have to go," Heather said, walking along the wall away from them. She stumbled over her own feet and heard Laura and Megan giggle but ignored it. Like they were ones to talk. How many times had she walked them home, stopping every few feet so they could vomit in the sewers? She was allowed to get drunk every once in a while. Although she wasn't sure exactly how she'd gotten
this
drunk. She'd finished off the beer that Scott had given her and decided to call it a night, but somehow her head was now spinning out of control.
Where was Gaia? Where was the bitch hiding? Heather suddenly felt an intense need to tell the girl off. More intense than the usual, day-to-day,
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