I sighed and ran my fingers through my hair, trying to get the dust bunnies from sticking. I climbed up off the floor and sat on my bed.
Texting would be out of the question. Jane was probably drunk and at a party or something, so her typing and reading skills would be sorely lacking. They always kinda were, but when mixed with alcohol, they were illegible.
My best bet would be to call her and try to distract her long enough for her to pass out or hook up with somebody. So it would probably take about five minutes.
“What the hell do you want?” Jane slurred into the phone. I could hear music playing in the background, and laughter and voices mixed with it.
“Nothing. I just wanted to talk.” I started shouting too, but I wasn’t sure if I needed too. It was loud on her end, not mine.
“Are you with those damn blood suckers? They sent you, didn’t they?” Her voice got an edge to it, a fuzzy one thanks to the alcohol, but it was clear that she was suspicious.
“They didn’t ‘send’ me anywhere. I’m at home, sitting in my room. I called to see what you were up to,” I said.
“Yeah, right.” Jane made some kinda hollow laugh that sounded more like a cackle. “Are you with Milo? You tell your brother that he can’t just leave me hanging like this. I’m an attractive girl, you know! I can’t wait around forever for him!”
“I don’t really know what you’re talking about, but I’ll be sure to pass along the message,” I sighed.
“Why doesn’t he want me, Alice?” Jane cried. In the background, I heard a guy yell something about wanting her, but she turned her head away from the phone and shouted, “Shut up, you stupid ass!” When she spoke into the phone again, she sobbed, “I just don’t understand what I have to do make him want me!”
“Jane, he’s gay. That’s a pretty big obstacle,” I told her as gently as I could.
“So what are you saying? Like a sex change?” She sniffled and thought about it for a second. “That’s expensive, but I think I could do that. Then he’d want me?”
“I think you should just forget about Milo,” I said. “It sounds like you’re at a party with a lot of other guys, and you can pretty much get any guy you want. There’s no reason for you to worry about Milo.”
“You think I don’t know that?” Jane snapped. “You don’t think I don’t know how hot I am? I do. But I can’t stop thinking about Milo! I can’t! You don’t know what this is like!”
“I think I do,” I muttered to myself.
“I don’t know what to do!” Jane cried. “I don’t think I can live without him! Really, Alice. I’m trying… and I just can’t do it!”
I had never heard her this upset about anything before, not even when she was drunk. Giving her a quick pep talk on the phone wasn’t working. This was much deeper than that.
“Jane, where are you at?”
“Why do you care?” she asked.
“Jane, just tell me where you are.” I got up off the bed and rummaged through my closet, looking for something that I could just throw on.
“I’m at Dan Kelly’s house,” she answered reluctantly. “I’ll be around if you can make it here.” Then she clicked off the phone.
Dan Kelly had dated Jane when we were fourteen, and he only lived a few blocks away from me, so I knew exactly where he lived.
I changed into a pair of jeans and purple top, and I ran a brush through my hair to detangle the dust from it. I tucked my phone into my pocked and darted out of the apartment.
An early morning rain had turned into a dense fog as night rolled in. The street lights cast eerily across the fog, making shadows visible in the air. A distinct chill made me wish I had a grabbed a sweater or a jacket, but if I walked quickly, I could stay warm anyway.
I heard the party before I saw it, but that wasn’t really unusual even when there wasn’t fog. Jane stood out in front of the house, smoking a cigarette with her cell phone pressed up to her ear. She babbled something about being the hottest thing sliced bread, so I assumed she was talking to Milo.
“Jane,” I said, walking across the lawn towards her. She shook her head and waved me away, but I kept going. “Jane, what are you doing?”
“Answer the damn phone!” Jane shrieked into her phone. “I know that you’re there!”
“Jane, its voicemail. He can’t hear you.”
“They sent you.” She flicked her phone shut. Mascara and eye-liner made streaks down her cheeks, and her bright red lip gloss had smeared across her face. “Just like I said.”
“Nobody sent me. You sounded horrible on the phone. I’m just worried about you.” I reached out to touch her, but she shied away from me and shook her head.
“I don’t need your damn pity.” Her cigarette had burned down to the filter, so she tossed it on the grass and pulled another one out of her bra.
“I’m not giving you any.” I crossed my arms on my chest, trying to look defiant in some way.