“It’s great. I like being an apprentice. You know, learning new things every day. I constantly feel challenged.”
Emma put a plate of bacon and eggs in front of me. I tucked into the meal, feverishly hungry from the previous night with Jen.
“I asked Jen to stay for breakfast, but she always leaves in a hurry,” Emma said.
I coughed nervously. “Yeah, she has to be at the salon by ten, and I think she wants to take a shower,” I lied.
“I think it’s good she already has a career,” Emma said. “She’s great with nails and hair. Hers always look so perfect. I wish she could help Amy. She’s so stressed over her hair and nails. There’s a dance coming up at school, and she’s going with some guy.”
I nearly dropped my fork on the floor. “What? Who?”
Emma eyed me in a strange way, taking a sip of her coffee. “Someone she met through Sarah. He’s on the soccer team or something.”
“Good for her! It’s nice to see her dating. Usually, she’s way too focused on school,” my dad said.
I stood up. “I’m leaving early today. Want to keep making a good impression, you know?”
“Okay! Have a good day,” Emma said.
I stormed out of the house into the light. The leaves on the driveway crunched under my feet. I opened my car door and slammed it, pulled up my social media app, and checked Amy’s profile, something I tried hard not to do. She was tagged in a photo with some douche. He wore a jersey, and his hair was spiked up. Sarah stood next to them, and they looked like they were having a good time.
“Friends, fun, frolicking,” I said, reading the post out loud.
I felt a bit relieved that Amy called the guy a ‘friend,’ but there was no way the guy wasn’t trying to fuck her. She was far too hot and amazing a girl. I slammed my fist on the steering wheel. I wished I didn’t care. Fuck. I didn’t even have the right to. I was banging Jen; we were basically dating. I’d posted a few pictures of Jen and me, and I wondered if she saw them. Well, if she was hurt, that was her problem.
She wanted this. I moved on. I haven’t been doing anything wrong. And she seems to be into someone else, so that’s that.
I tried to convince myself of this as I pulled out of the driveway, but I wasn’t so sure of the truth anymore. At least I would have my full-time job to distract me, which was actually part of the reason I got the job. When I was at work, my mind was also at work. There was nothing that tinkering couldn’t fix.
I passed by the coffee shop Amy and I used to go to, and my heart sank. I hadn’t gone in there since, even if they had the best coffee. Maybe I could take Jen there so we could make new memories, and the rest would fade away.
My mind lingered on Amy and that soccer player. I would try to work overtime today.
AMY
I loved getting my nails done. Going to the spa could make you feel like a queen, even when you felt like dirt. I did what I told myself I wouldn’t do: I checked Ash’s profile. Plastered on it were pictures of him and that girl, Jen. A part of me knew this would happen. Jen was a competitive girl, and I couldn’t really blame her for trying to win Ash over. Besides, it’s not like Ash and I were together or anything, even if I still wanted to be with him.
Still, though, I couldn’t believe they were dating. I didn’t want to believe they were. Even if I didn’t have the slightest right to care, I did care. Relentlessly.
“I hate her,” I said to Sarah, who was also getting her nails done.
“Who?” she asked.
“Jen. The girl I told you about. Ash is hanging out with her.”
Sarah sighed. “I told you not to look at his profile. It’s like self-mutilation. Besides, you’re going to the dance tonight with Tim. He really likes you, and you guys have a lot of fun together.”
This raised my spirits a little. I loved going to dances and formals. Tim was pretty cute, and I did have a good time when we were together. It wasn’t the same, though. The spark I felt with Ash was like nothing else on this planet, and nothing could ever come close.
“It’s just not the same,” I explained.
“You haven’t given it a chance yet. Just have fun tonight, and try to get it out of your head. Besides, you’re turning twenty-one in a couple of days, so we are going to hit up a bar!” Her excitement was cute.
“True.” The woman doing my nails began applying a top coat of clear polish. “My nails look great,” I said, giving her a warm smile. She flashed me a smile and continued to work. I felt embarrassed that she heard my conversation with Sarah, so I tried to change the subject. “I’m surprised your coach actually lets you guys drink. He’s so strict.”
“He doesn’t. We just don’t tell him,” she said with a wink.