dropping to my knees like I was on a roller coaster.
My thoughts were broken when a wave of water splashed up from the road, soaking my pants from the knees down. "Terrific," I grumbled, looking down at the ruined pair of strappy sandals I had just bought. This is what I got for abandoning my typical attire of jeans and Converse shoes.
Stepping away from the offending curb before another rogue wave of nasty puddle water could finish the job, I focused on making it into the building without busting my ass, or worse yet, breaking my neck. The fake leather that had seemed so smooth and comfortable when I bought the sandals was now doing a great impersonation of a roller skate. My toes were also threatening mutiny from the cold, only adding insult to injury. This was the gagillionth reason why I had vowed never to return to Seattle. The city and I had bad blood between us.
The only reason I was standing here now was for Melissa and Rob, my two best friends from college who demanded that I be here for their engagement party. I tried every feasible excuse I could come up with—"I'm sick," "I'm out of the country," "I can't get off work." No excuse seemed to stand up to Melissa's bullshit meter.
"You're one of our best friends. You have to be here," Melissa insisted.
"No. I hate you. I'm not your friend. I never was your friend," I said.
"I wish you could see the world's smallest violin I'm playing for you right now. Come on. Pull on your big girl panties and stop hiding."
An uncomfortable silence interrupted the conversation before Melissa finally spoke up again. "I'm sorry, Brittni. I'm a bitch for even saying that. I just mean you can't let what happened dictate your life forever," Melissa had reasoned. "Besides, you're my maid of honor. I need you. Just think of this trip as a test, like dipping your toes in water. Chances are you'll hardly see him, and if you do, it's not like you guys even have to talk."
"Maybe," I said. "I'll talk to you later."
"You mean you'll see me lat—" Her words were cut off as I ended the call.
"Maybe" was the best answer I could give at the moment. The only hope I had left was my boss.
"It's a good time to go since I'll need you more next month," Ms. Miller, my principal at Woodfalls Elementary, had stated. "Mary Smith has her wrist surgery scheduled for October, and won't be able to return to work until February. I swear, I've never seen someone so damn gleeful over a surgery. I'm sure it has something to do with that godawful book-reader thingy she got for Christmas. She's always crowing about some new author she's discovered," Ms. Miller added, looking perplexed. "Me, I need an actual book in my hand, not some electronic doodad that will most likely come alive and kill me in my sleep."
"I'm thinking now might be a good time to lay off the science fiction flicks," I had countered dryly as I tried to squish the unease that had settled in the pit of my stomach. That was that. Ms. Miller was the only obstacle left. It seemed fate wanted me in Seattle.
Now, two weeks later, here I was with my shoes squishing across the tile floor of Columbia Center. It was glaringly obvious that nothing good could come from me returning to Seattle. I skirted around a security guard and headed for the women's bathroom so I could survey the damage.
"Holy shit," I muttered when I took in my appearance in the long expansion of mirrors that lined the wall. I looked like a drowned rat. My long hair that I had painstakingly straightened earlier had been replaced with my typical corkscrew curls that were the bane of my existence. "Damn," I sighed as I pulled my compact from my purse so I could repair my makeup-streaked face. This was just another sign I shouldn't be here. If my friend Rob wasn't expecting me for lunch, I would have chalked it up as a lost cause and headed back to my hotel. At the moment, I'd gladly trade my soaked clothing and frozen toes for solitude in my hotel room.
"Get a grip, wimp-ass," I
My thoughts were broken when a wave of water splashed up from the road, soaking my pants from the knees down. "Terrific," I grumbled, looking down at the ruined pair of strappy sandals I had just bought. This is what I got for abandoning my typical attire of jeans and Converse shoes.
Stepping away from the offending curb before another rogue wave of nasty puddle water could finish the job, I focused on making it into the building without busting my ass, or worse yet, breaking my neck. The fake leather that had seemed so smooth and comfortable when I bought the sandals was now doing a great impersonation of a roller skate. My toes were also threatening mutiny from the cold, only adding insult to injury. This was the gagillionth reason why I had vowed never to return to Seattle. The city and I had bad blood between us.
The only reason I was standing here now was for Melissa and Rob, my two best friends from college who demanded that I be here for their engagement party. I tried every feasible excuse I could come up with—"I'm sick," "I'm out of the country," "I can't get off work." No excuse seemed to stand up to Melissa's bullshit meter.
"You're one of our best friends. You have to be here," Melissa insisted.
"No. I hate you. I'm not your friend. I never was your friend," I said.
"I wish you could see the world's smallest violin I'm playing for you right now. Come on. Pull on your big girl panties and stop hiding."
An uncomfortable silence interrupted the conversation before Melissa finally spoke up again. "I'm sorry, Brittni. I'm a bitch for even saying that. I just mean you can't let what happened dictate your life forever," Melissa had reasoned. "Besides, you're my maid of honor. I need you. Just think of this trip as a test, like dipping your toes in water. Chances are you'll hardly see him, and if you do, it's not like you guys even have to talk."
"Maybe," I said. "I'll talk to you later."
"You mean you'll see me lat—" Her words were cut off as I ended the call.
"Maybe" was the best answer I could give at the moment. The only hope I had left was my boss.
"It's a good time to go since I'll need you more next month," Ms. Miller, my principal at Woodfalls Elementary, had stated. "Mary Smith has her wrist surgery scheduled for October, and won't be able to return to work until February. I swear, I've never seen someone so damn gleeful over a surgery. I'm sure it has something to do with that godawful book-reader thingy she got for Christmas. She's always crowing about some new author she's discovered," Ms. Miller added, looking perplexed. "Me, I need an actual book in my hand, not some electronic doodad that will most likely come alive and kill me in my sleep."
"I'm thinking now might be a good time to lay off the science fiction flicks," I had countered dryly as I tried to squish the unease that had settled in the pit of my stomach. That was that. Ms. Miller was the only obstacle left. It seemed fate wanted me in Seattle.
Now, two weeks later, here I was with my shoes squishing across the tile floor of Columbia Center. It was glaringly obvious that nothing good could come from me returning to Seattle. I skirted around a security guard and headed for the women's bathroom so I could survey the damage.
"Holy shit," I muttered when I took in my appearance in the long expansion of mirrors that lined the wall. I looked like a drowned rat. My long hair that I had painstakingly straightened earlier had been replaced with my typical corkscrew curls that were the bane of my existence. "Damn," I sighed as I pulled my compact from my purse so I could repair my makeup-streaked face. This was just another sign I shouldn't be here. If my friend Rob wasn't expecting me for lunch, I would have chalked it up as a lost cause and headed back to my hotel. At the moment, I'd gladly trade my soaked clothing and frozen toes for solitude in my hotel room.
"Get a grip, wimp-ass," I
Similar Books
