Hey kids! It's been a while. I've been busy with classes and all that, but I finally found some time to write this little "chapter." Sorry, but enjoy!
I pulled on my pajama pants and settled into my bed, a stack of magazines beside me. It’s only 5:30, and I never go to bed this early, but after going out with my friends and sleeping on the couch two nights in a row, I need a little quiet and comfort. I’ll probably just lay here a while, go grab some dinner, and then come back to snooze some more. Just as I was about to pick up my second magazine, a knock came on my bedroom door and Evan entered shortly after. Weird, I hadn’t even heard him come in. He glanced at me, a puzzled expression on his face, before bursting into laughter.
“Uh, that’s what you’re going to wear tonight?” I gave him the same expression as I looked back.
“Well yeah… I’m not going to dress up so I can lounge around my house.”
“Mik,” he began. “We’ve got your family dinner tonight. Remember?” Honestly, I forgot. With all of the big news at work, I had let my family meeting slip my mind. I groaned before getting off my bed. “We don’t have to go…” Evan started.
“Nah, we probably should.” I know just the other day I said that I was getting excited to see my family again, but that feeling changes with every passing minute. Last night I was angry about it, then worried, and right now I’m just upset. Hopefully that will change again before we leave. I took a look at Evan and groaned again when I saw his wardrobe.
“What?” he asked, cautiously looking over his ensemble.
“You look niiiice,” I whined. He shot me a questioning glance, and I finished, “I was just gonna wear a t-shirt. But now I have to dress up too.” I could practically hear him roll his eyes.
“Well, you certainly can’t go looking like that,” he teased. I playfully pushed him out of my room and searched for the perfect outfit. I slipped out of my cozy pajama pants and shivered as a pair of cold dark jeans took their place. I pulled on my deep purple sweater, and slid on my shiny black flats before dashing into my bathroom. I ran a curling iron through my hair and swiped on my eyeliner and mascara. I brushed my teeth before applying some sheer lip gloss and walked into my living room to meet Evan. I smirked as he whistled and let out a “Woooooo, I get to have dinner with that?” He lowered his voice and offered his arm as we headed for the door, “Just kidding, Mik. You look gorgeous.” I shyly thanked him and grabbed a small black purse before strolling into the wintery night.
Even though the sweater I’m wearing is thick and warm, I shuddered as Evan and I walked to his SUV. He immediately turned on the heater and we silently listened to Journey softly coming from his speakers waiting for it to kick on. After a few minutes, I was feeling toasty and closed my eyes, resting my head against the seat. Evan cleared his throat, interrupting the silence. I opened one eye, to find him glancing at me every few seconds before turning his eyes back to the road. “What?”
“How do you think your parents are going to take the news?” I sighed as my mood changed once more, turning me into a child.
“I can’t believe you’re making me do that.”
“Fine,” he grumbled. “Don’t tell them. Whatever.”
“Evan,” I began, but he cut me off.
“You know, they’re going to find out eventually. It might be better just to get it over with. Besides, we’ve been talking about starting a family for months. I can’t believe how… ashamed you are about it now.”
I was taken aback by his statement. Ashamed? That’s such an insulting word to use. I’m not ashamed of starting a family with him. Heck, I don’t even care that I’m pregnant before marriage. I know my mother will, however, and that’s what’s killing me. Of course, my mom shouldn’t officially have a say in what goes on in my household, but she’ll say something anyway. I hate disappointing my parents, and I can already see the look that’s going to be on her face when I give her the news. Besides, there’s a possibility that this baby won’t turn out to be my fiancé’s, so yeah. That might take away from the happy attitude I should have. I pushed that last thought aside, and (somehow) calmly responded to his accusation.
“Evan, honestly? I couldn’t be happier about having this baby. Or starting a family with you. That’s all I’ve wanted to do for a long time.” His harsh features softened a little at my words. “I’m just a little stressed about how my family is going to react, but that doesn’t mean that I’m ashamed at what happened. I really couldn’t be more excited about the months to come. But you have to understand where I’m coming from. Sure, I’m worried about what my parents will think of me, even of you. But don’t you dare believe for one second that their opinion will change how I feel about this.” Evan pulled into the driveway of my childhood home, and I got out of the car quickly. He caught up with me on the porch, pulling my hand away from the doorbell.
“Mik, I’m so sorry. You’re right, I should have been more considerate of your feelings. I know that telling your mother this will completely shatter any hope that you still follow all of her beliefs, and that’s got to be hard for you to bear. I wish you would have really let me know what you’re going through earlier, so that I could hold some of the worry for you. If you don’t want to tell them just yet, then I understand. But if you decide to change your mind, then I’ll be right beside you, ready for anything your family might throw at us. I love you so much.” His apology brought tears to my eyes, and I kissed him softly before telling him that, of course, I loved him too. I rung the doorbell, Evan’s hand in mine, and took a deep breath just as the door opened.
Friday, December 11, 2009
Monday, November 23, 2009
The Good Life
I woke up on my couch for the second morning in a row, this time surrounded by an assortment of fast food wrappers and my living room smelling of French fries. The Pirates of the Caribbean title card is softly playing on my television, but I can faintly hear Maroon 5 coming from my bedroom. I force myself to get up and check out where the sound is coming from: my alarm clock. Instantly my mind starts racing, wondering if I woke up late and missed some work time again. However, one glance at the bright red numbers on my alarm calm my fears. It’s only half an hour later than I normally get up, and if I hurry, I won’t be any later than a few minutes. After taking a quick shower and primping myself, I clean off the coffee table and dash to my car just in time. Thank goodness for the hair dryer, otherwise I’d be late for work and guilt myself into staying a few extra hours like the day before.
“Hey kiddo,” the red words stared up at me. A copy of my weight loss story sat on my desk, Angie’s handwriting gracing the top. “Just a few minor changes need to be made. Excellent work! We’ll be printing this in next month’s issue.” I glanced over the rest of my article, noticing a few bright red circles and little notes jotted on the side. Only two or three small things--not too bad! Thank goodness I decided to stay a few hours later the previous night. I quickly typed up Angie’s edits and went to go place my officially completed story on her desk. Of course, she was on the phone, but motioned for me to set it in her inbox and flashed the “okay” sign before shooing me out of the room.
I wandered into the break room and smiled when I noticed Jenna and Corbin huddled together in the back. I’m friends (more like… acquaintances) with a few other people I work with, but Jenna and Corbin are definitely my favorites. I snagged a cup of orange juice before butting in on their conversation. Jenna glared at me while Corbin scoffed in the background.
“You shouldn’t just do that, you know.”
“Mmmm do what?” I asked, batting my eyelashes in the most innocent way possible.
“Interrupt out conversation,” Corbin finished for her. “You wouldn’t even want to hear the things we chat about.”
“Yeah. I mean, we could have been talking about you.”
“Buuuuut,” I cut in. “If you were talking about me, then I would want to know what about.” Jenna opened her mouth to respond, but promptly closed it when she realized there really was no comeback to my statement. “Hah, I win.”
“Huh,” she sighed. Corbin just shrugged in response. “Fine, you may converse with us. Right now, we’re talking about how sexy Leighton Meester was on the Gossip Girl rerun last night. Honestly, she steals the show every time.”
“Agreed. Blake Lively may be hot, but she can’t even begin to compare,” he continued. I sat back in my seat and let them drabble on about meaningless TV shows and celebrity sightings before Jenna stood to announce that we should all be getting back to work.
“Just cause you guys are my best friends doesn’t mean you get to slack off. Come on, you two,” she called before strutting out of the room. Corbin and I quickly followed suit, mimicking her America’s Next Top Model-worthy walk as we headed toward our cubicles. I mindlessly browsed through Facebook before checking my email. Angie had already sent me one about my weight loss story, saying that it’s now perfect and I won’t need to change a thing. See, told you I’m good. As I read on, my mouth dropped.
Also, Kristen Bell is going to be our feature in a few months. I’d like you to take the lead on this one. Good luck!
It took me a while to catch my breath and be able to formulate a reply. I tried to play it cool with my responding email, sending her a “Sounds great. Thanks!” but inside, I was screaming. I opened IM and sent “I GOT THE COVER STORY I GOT THE COVER STORY I GOT THE COVER STORYYYYYYYY!!!!!” to practically everyone on my buddy list. Jenna and Corbin immediately sent me congratulatory replies, and after a few minutes some other coworkers followed suit. Eventually, I got a response from Evan. I didn’t even realize I IM ed him…
evank27: Hmm… Another one of those journalist things I don‘t understand. I’m gonna guess that this is a huge deal for you?
mickey: uhh YEAH! don’t worry. i’ll inform you of every. little. detail tonight.
He laughed (online..) and we chatted for a few minutes before I told him I really needed to work. Now that I have the chance to write the cover story, I’ve got to start writing my questions. I need to be 100% prepared!
After working at Mascara long enough, and showing promise with your articles, Angie will give you the chance to lead up the cover story for an issue. That means contacting wardrobe, photography and makeup, writing up an interview, and finally, typing out the entire article. Not to mention, meeting celebrities. If you do extremely well, she’ll give out a raise or sometimes even a promotion. Needless to say, I’m super excited and slightly nervous. If I do well with this whole story, then I could finally move up the ladder. One step closer to Jenna’s position! Not that I’d ever try to steal it from her, of course. For a long time, I just needed a little sign that my work wasn’t going unappreciated and that I had a shot of moving up. And I finally got that sign! I neglected my other stories and focused solely on my future cover story.
The rest of my workday was spent researching Kristin Bell and looking up her past interviews. I’d like to conduct my question-and-answer session without repeating the generic things she’s asked all the time. More quickly than it ever had before, the clock hit 5 and everyone dashed away. I probably could stay later, but there’s a nagging voice in the back of my head reminding me that I have something to do tonight…
“Oh well,” I thought, walking out to my car. “I’ll remember it sooner or later.”
“Hey kiddo,” the red words stared up at me. A copy of my weight loss story sat on my desk, Angie’s handwriting gracing the top. “Just a few minor changes need to be made. Excellent work! We’ll be printing this in next month’s issue.” I glanced over the rest of my article, noticing a few bright red circles and little notes jotted on the side. Only two or three small things--not too bad! Thank goodness I decided to stay a few hours later the previous night. I quickly typed up Angie’s edits and went to go place my officially completed story on her desk. Of course, she was on the phone, but motioned for me to set it in her inbox and flashed the “okay” sign before shooing me out of the room.
I wandered into the break room and smiled when I noticed Jenna and Corbin huddled together in the back. I’m friends (more like… acquaintances) with a few other people I work with, but Jenna and Corbin are definitely my favorites. I snagged a cup of orange juice before butting in on their conversation. Jenna glared at me while Corbin scoffed in the background.
“You shouldn’t just do that, you know.”
“Mmmm do what?” I asked, batting my eyelashes in the most innocent way possible.
“Interrupt out conversation,” Corbin finished for her. “You wouldn’t even want to hear the things we chat about.”
“Yeah. I mean, we could have been talking about you.”
“Buuuuut,” I cut in. “If you were talking about me, then I would want to know what about.” Jenna opened her mouth to respond, but promptly closed it when she realized there really was no comeback to my statement. “Hah, I win.”
“Huh,” she sighed. Corbin just shrugged in response. “Fine, you may converse with us. Right now, we’re talking about how sexy Leighton Meester was on the Gossip Girl rerun last night. Honestly, she steals the show every time.”
“Agreed. Blake Lively may be hot, but she can’t even begin to compare,” he continued. I sat back in my seat and let them drabble on about meaningless TV shows and celebrity sightings before Jenna stood to announce that we should all be getting back to work.
“Just cause you guys are my best friends doesn’t mean you get to slack off. Come on, you two,” she called before strutting out of the room. Corbin and I quickly followed suit, mimicking her America’s Next Top Model-worthy walk as we headed toward our cubicles. I mindlessly browsed through Facebook before checking my email. Angie had already sent me one about my weight loss story, saying that it’s now perfect and I won’t need to change a thing. See, told you I’m good. As I read on, my mouth dropped.
Also, Kristen Bell is going to be our feature in a few months. I’d like you to take the lead on this one. Good luck!
It took me a while to catch my breath and be able to formulate a reply. I tried to play it cool with my responding email, sending her a “Sounds great. Thanks!” but inside, I was screaming. I opened IM and sent “I GOT THE COVER STORY I GOT THE COVER STORY I GOT THE COVER STORYYYYYYYY!!!!!” to practically everyone on my buddy list. Jenna and Corbin immediately sent me congratulatory replies, and after a few minutes some other coworkers followed suit. Eventually, I got a response from Evan. I didn’t even realize I IM ed him…
evank27: Hmm… Another one of those journalist things I don‘t understand. I’m gonna guess that this is a huge deal for you?
mickey: uhh YEAH! don’t worry. i’ll inform you of every. little. detail tonight.
He laughed (online..) and we chatted for a few minutes before I told him I really needed to work. Now that I have the chance to write the cover story, I’ve got to start writing my questions. I need to be 100% prepared!
After working at Mascara long enough, and showing promise with your articles, Angie will give you the chance to lead up the cover story for an issue. That means contacting wardrobe, photography and makeup, writing up an interview, and finally, typing out the entire article. Not to mention, meeting celebrities. If you do extremely well, she’ll give out a raise or sometimes even a promotion. Needless to say, I’m super excited and slightly nervous. If I do well with this whole story, then I could finally move up the ladder. One step closer to Jenna’s position! Not that I’d ever try to steal it from her, of course. For a long time, I just needed a little sign that my work wasn’t going unappreciated and that I had a shot of moving up. And I finally got that sign! I neglected my other stories and focused solely on my future cover story.
The rest of my workday was spent researching Kristin Bell and looking up her past interviews. I’d like to conduct my question-and-answer session without repeating the generic things she’s asked all the time. More quickly than it ever had before, the clock hit 5 and everyone dashed away. I probably could stay later, but there’s a nagging voice in the back of my head reminding me that I have something to do tonight…
“Oh well,” I thought, walking out to my car. “I’ll remember it sooner or later.”
Friday, November 20, 2009
You've Got a Friend in Me
My hands were trembling as I drove back to the Mascara office. Evan’s parting comment had totally blown my mind. I mean, I always knew I’d need to tell my family about the pregnancy, but I didn’t realize that it would be so soon. And until now, I hadn’t even thought about telling my entire family that I’m pregnant without knowing who the father is. Of course, there’s not a chance in the world that I’d ever tell my parents that the baby isn’t Evan’s before I’m 100% sure, but I don’t think I can keep this from my siblings. Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God. I pulled the car over on the side of the road to hyperventilate a little. After taking twenty or thirty immensely deep breaths, I got back onto the street and continued my shaky drive back to the office.
“Date with the boyfriend, huh?”
“What?” I asked, shaking myself out of my mind. I hadn’t even realized until the question snapped me out of my daydream, but I was already exiting the elevator and numbly walking to my desk. I looked over to see Jenna staring back at me, a small smirk dancing on her lips.
“You’re half an hour late,” she clarified with a wink. I smiled and shrugged back at her, not really wanting to have a conversation. Closing the distance between my cubicle and me, I collapsed into my chair and flipped on the computer monitor. I mindlessly browsed through Google as my brain raced with possible outcomes of the confession I had to make the next day. I don’t know why Evan wants to tell everyone so soon. I mean, he only found out I was pregnant a couple weeks ago. Shouldn’t we wait a while to make sure it wasn’t a false positive or something? I suddenly felt my cell phone vibrating in my pocket, and quickly opened it to find another text from my brother.
“hey u’ll be there tomorrow right?”
I didn’t reply immediately, instead thinking of ways to get out of the family dinner he was referring to. Almost as quickly as I started, I ceased my brain and decided that I need to go. I’m being way too over-dramatic about this whole situation. I tried to think of it from Evan’s point of view. We’re going to have a baby, and we need to spread this joy with everyone we love. Suddenly, I just… calmed down. I don’t know how or why or where it came from, but I’m actually excited to give my family the news. Well, I’m excited about telling my dad and my siblings. In the back of my mind, I still know that my mother is going to kill me when she finds out, but I just pushed that thought aside and replied to Max.
“of course. somewhat looking forward to it.”
I closed my phone and attempted to get back to work, but the vibration began again and I flipped it open to read the next message.
“thank god. mom just called asking if ivy was coming so tomorrow i have to tell them we broke up. i need u there to say what a bad couple we were.” I laughed and sent him a “no problem!” in response. I know just how well Mom’s going to take that blow. Max is kind of… a player. Not so negatively like the word describes, but he’s like Jenna in the way that he’s never without a girlfriend and only stays with them for a few weeks. And then every time he told our mom they were over, she went off about how he “lost another one.” Man, she is going to tear him down about Ivy.
Ivy Parker was my brother’s latest girlfriend. They broke up a couple of weeks ago because, like he said, they were totally awful together. However, we all thought that it was going to end in a completely different way. Max and I hang out with a lot of the same people, and Ivy was brought into our group three or four months ago. She and Max instantly took a platonic liking to each other, forming many inside jokes and going on friendly lunch dates. The rest of us were getting sick of their “will they won’t they” attitude and convinced Max to ask her out on a real date. They went out a couple of times and he told me that he didn’t hate it, which is a huge compliment from him. Ivy got really cute and high-schoolish about the whole thing, constantly giggling whenever he was around and telling the rest of the girls what a great date he was. After a while, Max asked her to be his girlfriend, and everything fell apart. They’re both really great people, but have two completely different ideas about relationships that totally clash. He thought that their relationship status would let them act the same way they had been for months, but include a lot more making out. And she wanted him to buckle down and be serious more often than not. So for weeks they only went out on “dates” if the rest of us tagged along, and fought the entire time. Eventually, I convinced Max to end it, and he took my advice shortly after our conversation. He was a little nervous that the group would kick him out for being the “dumper,“ but I reassured him that our friends love me, and since he’s my brother, he instantly got the in. However, Ivy wasn’t ready to give up her new friends, and just stayed with us. This always made Max uncomfortable when we hung out, but the rest of us, Ivy included, weren’t too concerned. Things weren’t awkward at all, as they should be when two strong members of your circle of friends break up. She constantly referenced inside jokes with Max like she used to, but he just nervously laughed along and changed the subject. I think he believes that she’s depressed and constantly broken up about the end of their relationship, but she probably couldn’t care less. It was just time for their dating phase to end, and she seems to realize that a lot better than my brother does.
With the flashback finished playing in my mind, I turned my full attention to my weight loss story. The article is supposed to be due tomorrow, and even though I know Jenna nor Angie would mind if I was a couple days late, I definitely would. I pride myself on always getting my work done ahead of time, and if I need to take even a few minutes later than the deadline to finish, I feel awful and like I haven’t done my job. For the next four to five hours, I focused on my piece and absolutely nothing else. I even skipped daily gossip with Jenna, which she was not too happy about. I asked her, not taking my eyes off the screen, whether she would like me to chat with her for an hour or so, or get my article completed on schedule. And she, of course, replied, “Uh, daily gossip! Come on, who else is going to talk to me about Corbin’s new lover?” That instantly got my mind racing and my throat dying to ask for the news, but I somehow managed to push it aside and tell her no thanks. She walked away with a huff, but I hardly noticed as my fingers were racing against the keyboard. After writing, and rewriting, and re-rewriting my article, I’m pretty satisfied with it. I printed off a copy and placed it in Angie’s “in” box before running out to my car. I’m dying for some dinner, but I already told Evan I’d be in full work-mode all night long, so I just grabbed some drive-through on the way home.
Tonight’s the night I finally get to witness that oh-so hot sword fighting scene.
“Date with the boyfriend, huh?”
“What?” I asked, shaking myself out of my mind. I hadn’t even realized until the question snapped me out of my daydream, but I was already exiting the elevator and numbly walking to my desk. I looked over to see Jenna staring back at me, a small smirk dancing on her lips.
“You’re half an hour late,” she clarified with a wink. I smiled and shrugged back at her, not really wanting to have a conversation. Closing the distance between my cubicle and me, I collapsed into my chair and flipped on the computer monitor. I mindlessly browsed through Google as my brain raced with possible outcomes of the confession I had to make the next day. I don’t know why Evan wants to tell everyone so soon. I mean, he only found out I was pregnant a couple weeks ago. Shouldn’t we wait a while to make sure it wasn’t a false positive or something? I suddenly felt my cell phone vibrating in my pocket, and quickly opened it to find another text from my brother.
“hey u’ll be there tomorrow right?”
I didn’t reply immediately, instead thinking of ways to get out of the family dinner he was referring to. Almost as quickly as I started, I ceased my brain and decided that I need to go. I’m being way too over-dramatic about this whole situation. I tried to think of it from Evan’s point of view. We’re going to have a baby, and we need to spread this joy with everyone we love. Suddenly, I just… calmed down. I don’t know how or why or where it came from, but I’m actually excited to give my family the news. Well, I’m excited about telling my dad and my siblings. In the back of my mind, I still know that my mother is going to kill me when she finds out, but I just pushed that thought aside and replied to Max.
“of course. somewhat looking forward to it.”
I closed my phone and attempted to get back to work, but the vibration began again and I flipped it open to read the next message.
“thank god. mom just called asking if ivy was coming so tomorrow i have to tell them we broke up. i need u there to say what a bad couple we were.” I laughed and sent him a “no problem!” in response. I know just how well Mom’s going to take that blow. Max is kind of… a player. Not so negatively like the word describes, but he’s like Jenna in the way that he’s never without a girlfriend and only stays with them for a few weeks. And then every time he told our mom they were over, she went off about how he “lost another one.” Man, she is going to tear him down about Ivy.
Ivy Parker was my brother’s latest girlfriend. They broke up a couple of weeks ago because, like he said, they were totally awful together. However, we all thought that it was going to end in a completely different way. Max and I hang out with a lot of the same people, and Ivy was brought into our group three or four months ago. She and Max instantly took a platonic liking to each other, forming many inside jokes and going on friendly lunch dates. The rest of us were getting sick of their “will they won’t they” attitude and convinced Max to ask her out on a real date. They went out a couple of times and he told me that he didn’t hate it, which is a huge compliment from him. Ivy got really cute and high-schoolish about the whole thing, constantly giggling whenever he was around and telling the rest of the girls what a great date he was. After a while, Max asked her to be his girlfriend, and everything fell apart. They’re both really great people, but have two completely different ideas about relationships that totally clash. He thought that their relationship status would let them act the same way they had been for months, but include a lot more making out. And she wanted him to buckle down and be serious more often than not. So for weeks they only went out on “dates” if the rest of us tagged along, and fought the entire time. Eventually, I convinced Max to end it, and he took my advice shortly after our conversation. He was a little nervous that the group would kick him out for being the “dumper,“ but I reassured him that our friends love me, and since he’s my brother, he instantly got the in. However, Ivy wasn’t ready to give up her new friends, and just stayed with us. This always made Max uncomfortable when we hung out, but the rest of us, Ivy included, weren’t too concerned. Things weren’t awkward at all, as they should be when two strong members of your circle of friends break up. She constantly referenced inside jokes with Max like she used to, but he just nervously laughed along and changed the subject. I think he believes that she’s depressed and constantly broken up about the end of their relationship, but she probably couldn’t care less. It was just time for their dating phase to end, and she seems to realize that a lot better than my brother does.
With the flashback finished playing in my mind, I turned my full attention to my weight loss story. The article is supposed to be due tomorrow, and even though I know Jenna nor Angie would mind if I was a couple days late, I definitely would. I pride myself on always getting my work done ahead of time, and if I need to take even a few minutes later than the deadline to finish, I feel awful and like I haven’t done my job. For the next four to five hours, I focused on my piece and absolutely nothing else. I even skipped daily gossip with Jenna, which she was not too happy about. I asked her, not taking my eyes off the screen, whether she would like me to chat with her for an hour or so, or get my article completed on schedule. And she, of course, replied, “Uh, daily gossip! Come on, who else is going to talk to me about Corbin’s new lover?” That instantly got my mind racing and my throat dying to ask for the news, but I somehow managed to push it aside and tell her no thanks. She walked away with a huff, but I hardly noticed as my fingers were racing against the keyboard. After writing, and rewriting, and re-rewriting my article, I’m pretty satisfied with it. I printed off a copy and placed it in Angie’s “in” box before running out to my car. I’m dying for some dinner, but I already told Evan I’d be in full work-mode all night long, so I just grabbed some drive-through on the way home.
Tonight’s the night I finally get to witness that oh-so hot sword fighting scene.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Wake Up Call
A tiny sound is softly playing in the back of my mind. As I slowly woke up more, the jingle got louder. It’s still unrecognizable, but now I know that it’s coming from somewhere outside my mind. Eventually, I recognized it as LoveGame by Lady GaGa. A few more seconds of looking around my living room, I figured out that it’s coming from my cell phone. My brain switched on: my Jenna ringtone. I yawned before flipping it open and answering.
“WHERE ARE YOU!?” I had to move the phone far away from my head to avoid getting my ear drums busted.
“Am I ever going to answer the phone without having you yell at me?”
“Not if you keep screwing up!”
I closed my eyes and sunk back into my couch. It’s too early for me to be bothered by Jen’s ranting. “What did I do this time?”
“Kayla! You’re over 45 minutes late for work! I’ve been calling you nonstop for the last half hour!”
My eyes quickly opened as I searched around for a clock. “…What? That’s impossible. What time is it?”
“Uh, almost 10!” I immediately stood up, sending my blanket and dozens of cookie crumbs to the floor.
“ARE YOU KIDDING ME!? OH MY GOSH, I’M SO SORRY! I’M GONNA GET FIRED!”
Jenna sighed, but I can hardly hear her. I’m absolutely freaking out at this point… “Kayla, calm down. I’m pretty much your boss, and we both know I’m not going to fire you over being late.” I let out a huge breath I didn’t even know I was holding. “But you better get here soon before Angie starts asking more questions.”
“More questions?” I asked as I started my shower.
“Yeah. She had one of those random meetings this morning, and you obviously weren’t there.” My freaking out resumed. “But Corbin and I attempted to cover for you. Just hurry up so I don’t have to lie anymore.”
“Oh my gosh, Jenna. Thank you so much! How the heck can I repay you guys?”
“Kayla, we’re your friends!” she laughed. “You don’t have to buy us off.” There was a pause, and she continued. “Actually, bring us coffee. And bagels.”
“That will definitely not be a problem. Tell Corbin thanks. I’ll see you soon!”
“Hurry!” she managed to get in before I hung up. I quickly hopped in the shower, not bothering to shave my legs. That’s what jeans are for, right? Anyway, I put on my most professional-looking pair and a blouse before running a comb through my hair and started to rush out the door.
“Something’s missing…” I muttered to myself, searching every inch of my living room for my keys. Finally! They were on the coffee table. Where I left them last night. Just as I was about to grab them and head out, I noticed a note sitting on my couch. Hayden.
Hey Kayla--
Unfortunately, you were right. After you fell asleep, I was getting mighty tired myself. So I decided to walk home before I crashed. Before you start freaking out, my place really isn’t that far from yours. I had to cut through a few lawns, but a little law- breaking wasn’t going to stop me from finding my beautifully cozy bed. Anyway, I turned off the TV before I left, and any drool that’s on the couch definitely belongs to you.
--Hayden
I smiled before rushing out the door.
I approached the elevator with both hands completely full of bribes for my co-workers, and struggled trying to decide how to push the “up” button. Thankfully, before anything awful happened, Hank the security guard noticed my distress and ran up to help me. I gave him a bagel as a thank you and headed up to the magazine office. Jenna met me at the elevator, and Corbin wasn’t far behind. “So what did you tell her?”
“Uh-uh-uuhhh,” Jenna shook her head and pointed to the bagels in my hand. “Food first, and then we reveal our lie.” I looked over to Corbin, but he just shrugged and nodded along. I handed over their bagels, and patiently waited as Jenna spread cream cheese on hers and Corbin added sugar to his coffee. And I stood by while they took their first bites and sips. But when they started chatting about perezhilton.com, I about lost it.
“Guys, seriously! Friend in danger of losing her job here!” They looked at each other before rolling their eyes.
“Oh, Kayla. Always so dramatic.” I tapped my foot waiting for their response. “We told her that you had a family emergency.”
I stood in disbelief. “That’s it? That’s what you came up with!? That’s so overplayed! I came up with a better excuse than that!”
Jenna turned toward me, “Oh really? Well, if someone came in to work on time, then there wouldn’t even need to be excuses, would there?”
“You already said you weren’t going to fire me. You can’t take it back now.”
“Fine,” she gave in. “So what would have been your brilliant response?”
“Well,” I said, a smug smile on my lips. “I was going to say that my cat died. But I guess that’s ruined now!” Jenna and Corbin stared at me for a while before he spoke.
“Just… say it was your family’s cat. You know, to go with the whole ‘family’ thing.”
“No,” Jenna interjected. “You loved the cat so much that it was like family!”
“That cat was the mother you’ve never had!” he shouted before the two dissolved into giggles. I couldn’t help but smile. Jenna and Corbin are so perfect for each other, but it would never work. Jenna likes nineteen year olds, and Corbin’s the most gay man on the face of the earth. Just then, Angie walked up and said she was sorry about my family’s situation. And then she just left. No questions, no lie detector test, nothing. So much for the cat-is-mother plan.
I left Jen and Corbin to bask in the glory of their humor, and went to my desk to get back to the ol’ grind. I fired up the computer and sent out a few IMs before resorting to my stupid weight-loss story. There are other things I could be writing about, but those stories aren’t due for a few more issues. Besides, the longer I put this off, the harder it will be for me to come up with diet ideas. How many different ways are there to say, “Lay off the candy, chubby!”? Ahh.
I spent the next couple hours really focused on my work. Which really meant that I opened a Word document and stared at it for a few minutes before turning to Facebook. How do I still have a job? Before I knew it, the time came to meet Evan for lunch. I quickly saved the three words I’d written and dashed off to our local mall for Chinese at the food court. We really live it up here in Chicago.
When I arrived, Evan was already in line. I rushed up to tell him what to order for me, and went to grab a table. Suddenly, Lady GaGa interrupted my silence for the second time this morning. I looked at the number: Unknown. Hmm. I stared at my phone for a while when Evan walked up. “Aren’t you going to answer that?” he asked, and I looked up to find a puzzled expression gracing his features.
“Uh, no,” I said, rejecting the call and switching my phone to silent. “Probably a wrong number or something.”
“Could be a telemarketer. I hear they can get your cell number now,” he offered. I agreed and put the call in the back of my mind. “So, in order to pay you back for working late yesterday, we should go somewhere incredible for dinner tonight,” Evan smiled. “Somewhere super expensive where they’ll throw you out for wearing jeans.”
I laughed. “You know Reese’s is good enough for me. But actually, I’ve kind of been slacking off at work lately, so I think I’ll stay in late tonight.”
“You could have just skipped lunch, you know. Then you wouldn’t have to work late.”
Scoffing, I replied, “Do you know me at all?” He shrugged, so I continued. “If I skipped lunch, then I’d be hungry for the rest of the day. And how am I supposed to write about losing weight when I’m starving?”
“I guess you can’t,” he agreed as I shoveled rice into my mouth. “Gosh, you love food way too much.”
“Was that supposed to be insulting?”
“Maybe,” he replied, a coy smile playing with his lips. I feigned hurt and dove back into my lemon chicken. We spent the rest of the hour chatting about various topics, from my new shoes to his brother’s upcoming baseball game. It feels like it’s been a while since I’ve just talked to Evan about nothing in particular. That was one of the things I loved most about him when we started dating. We seemed to be able to talk about anything and everything, no matter how meaningless it may be. We once spent twenty minutes talking about different soaps. The last few times I’ve chatted with him, it’s been about his crazy workload and my pregnancy. It felt good to kind of revert back to the beginning-of-relationship phase. Before long, our lunch breaks were coming to an end and we ditched our trays to walk out of the building.
As we headed toward our respective cars, I called out to him. “You know, I think I’ll take you up on that fancy dinner offer. Busy tomorrow night?”
“Mik, tomorrow’s Friday. We’ve got dinner with your family, remember?”
“Oh. Yeah,” I muttered. He altered his course and headed toward me. “Another fun-filled night with the parents…”
“We don’t have to go…”
“No, I want to,” I defended. And I did. As much as my family drove me crazy, it’s been a while since I’ve seen them. “It’s been way too long since I’ve talked to my brothers or Mary.”
“It’ll be fun,” he agreed and began to walk away. Just before I got into my car, I heard him shout across the parking lot. “We can tell them about the baby!”
I immediately froze in my spot. Damnit.
“WHERE ARE YOU!?” I had to move the phone far away from my head to avoid getting my ear drums busted.
“Am I ever going to answer the phone without having you yell at me?”
“Not if you keep screwing up!”
I closed my eyes and sunk back into my couch. It’s too early for me to be bothered by Jen’s ranting. “What did I do this time?”
“Kayla! You’re over 45 minutes late for work! I’ve been calling you nonstop for the last half hour!”
My eyes quickly opened as I searched around for a clock. “…What? That’s impossible. What time is it?”
“Uh, almost 10!” I immediately stood up, sending my blanket and dozens of cookie crumbs to the floor.
“ARE YOU KIDDING ME!? OH MY GOSH, I’M SO SORRY! I’M GONNA GET FIRED!”
Jenna sighed, but I can hardly hear her. I’m absolutely freaking out at this point… “Kayla, calm down. I’m pretty much your boss, and we both know I’m not going to fire you over being late.” I let out a huge breath I didn’t even know I was holding. “But you better get here soon before Angie starts asking more questions.”
“More questions?” I asked as I started my shower.
“Yeah. She had one of those random meetings this morning, and you obviously weren’t there.” My freaking out resumed. “But Corbin and I attempted to cover for you. Just hurry up so I don’t have to lie anymore.”
“Oh my gosh, Jenna. Thank you so much! How the heck can I repay you guys?”
“Kayla, we’re your friends!” she laughed. “You don’t have to buy us off.” There was a pause, and she continued. “Actually, bring us coffee. And bagels.”
“That will definitely not be a problem. Tell Corbin thanks. I’ll see you soon!”
“Hurry!” she managed to get in before I hung up. I quickly hopped in the shower, not bothering to shave my legs. That’s what jeans are for, right? Anyway, I put on my most professional-looking pair and a blouse before running a comb through my hair and started to rush out the door.
“Something’s missing…” I muttered to myself, searching every inch of my living room for my keys. Finally! They were on the coffee table. Where I left them last night. Just as I was about to grab them and head out, I noticed a note sitting on my couch. Hayden.
Hey Kayla--
Unfortunately, you were right. After you fell asleep, I was getting mighty tired myself. So I decided to walk home before I crashed. Before you start freaking out, my place really isn’t that far from yours. I had to cut through a few lawns, but a little law- breaking wasn’t going to stop me from finding my beautifully cozy bed. Anyway, I turned off the TV before I left, and any drool that’s on the couch definitely belongs to you.
--Hayden
I smiled before rushing out the door.
I approached the elevator with both hands completely full of bribes for my co-workers, and struggled trying to decide how to push the “up” button. Thankfully, before anything awful happened, Hank the security guard noticed my distress and ran up to help me. I gave him a bagel as a thank you and headed up to the magazine office. Jenna met me at the elevator, and Corbin wasn’t far behind. “So what did you tell her?”
“Uh-uh-uuhhh,” Jenna shook her head and pointed to the bagels in my hand. “Food first, and then we reveal our lie.” I looked over to Corbin, but he just shrugged and nodded along. I handed over their bagels, and patiently waited as Jenna spread cream cheese on hers and Corbin added sugar to his coffee. And I stood by while they took their first bites and sips. But when they started chatting about perezhilton.com, I about lost it.
“Guys, seriously! Friend in danger of losing her job here!” They looked at each other before rolling their eyes.
“Oh, Kayla. Always so dramatic.” I tapped my foot waiting for their response. “We told her that you had a family emergency.”
I stood in disbelief. “That’s it? That’s what you came up with!? That’s so overplayed! I came up with a better excuse than that!”
Jenna turned toward me, “Oh really? Well, if someone came in to work on time, then there wouldn’t even need to be excuses, would there?”
“You already said you weren’t going to fire me. You can’t take it back now.”
“Fine,” she gave in. “So what would have been your brilliant response?”
“Well,” I said, a smug smile on my lips. “I was going to say that my cat died. But I guess that’s ruined now!” Jenna and Corbin stared at me for a while before he spoke.
“Just… say it was your family’s cat. You know, to go with the whole ‘family’ thing.”
“No,” Jenna interjected. “You loved the cat so much that it was like family!”
“That cat was the mother you’ve never had!” he shouted before the two dissolved into giggles. I couldn’t help but smile. Jenna and Corbin are so perfect for each other, but it would never work. Jenna likes nineteen year olds, and Corbin’s the most gay man on the face of the earth. Just then, Angie walked up and said she was sorry about my family’s situation. And then she just left. No questions, no lie detector test, nothing. So much for the cat-is-mother plan.
I left Jen and Corbin to bask in the glory of their humor, and went to my desk to get back to the ol’ grind. I fired up the computer and sent out a few IMs before resorting to my stupid weight-loss story. There are other things I could be writing about, but those stories aren’t due for a few more issues. Besides, the longer I put this off, the harder it will be for me to come up with diet ideas. How many different ways are there to say, “Lay off the candy, chubby!”? Ahh.
I spent the next couple hours really focused on my work. Which really meant that I opened a Word document and stared at it for a few minutes before turning to Facebook. How do I still have a job? Before I knew it, the time came to meet Evan for lunch. I quickly saved the three words I’d written and dashed off to our local mall for Chinese at the food court. We really live it up here in Chicago.
When I arrived, Evan was already in line. I rushed up to tell him what to order for me, and went to grab a table. Suddenly, Lady GaGa interrupted my silence for the second time this morning. I looked at the number: Unknown. Hmm. I stared at my phone for a while when Evan walked up. “Aren’t you going to answer that?” he asked, and I looked up to find a puzzled expression gracing his features.
“Uh, no,” I said, rejecting the call and switching my phone to silent. “Probably a wrong number or something.”
“Could be a telemarketer. I hear they can get your cell number now,” he offered. I agreed and put the call in the back of my mind. “So, in order to pay you back for working late yesterday, we should go somewhere incredible for dinner tonight,” Evan smiled. “Somewhere super expensive where they’ll throw you out for wearing jeans.”
I laughed. “You know Reese’s is good enough for me. But actually, I’ve kind of been slacking off at work lately, so I think I’ll stay in late tonight.”
“You could have just skipped lunch, you know. Then you wouldn’t have to work late.”
Scoffing, I replied, “Do you know me at all?” He shrugged, so I continued. “If I skipped lunch, then I’d be hungry for the rest of the day. And how am I supposed to write about losing weight when I’m starving?”
“I guess you can’t,” he agreed as I shoveled rice into my mouth. “Gosh, you love food way too much.”
“Was that supposed to be insulting?”
“Maybe,” he replied, a coy smile playing with his lips. I feigned hurt and dove back into my lemon chicken. We spent the rest of the hour chatting about various topics, from my new shoes to his brother’s upcoming baseball game. It feels like it’s been a while since I’ve just talked to Evan about nothing in particular. That was one of the things I loved most about him when we started dating. We seemed to be able to talk about anything and everything, no matter how meaningless it may be. We once spent twenty minutes talking about different soaps. The last few times I’ve chatted with him, it’s been about his crazy workload and my pregnancy. It felt good to kind of revert back to the beginning-of-relationship phase. Before long, our lunch breaks were coming to an end and we ditched our trays to walk out of the building.
As we headed toward our respective cars, I called out to him. “You know, I think I’ll take you up on that fancy dinner offer. Busy tomorrow night?”
“Mik, tomorrow’s Friday. We’ve got dinner with your family, remember?”
“Oh. Yeah,” I muttered. He altered his course and headed toward me. “Another fun-filled night with the parents…”
“We don’t have to go…”
“No, I want to,” I defended. And I did. As much as my family drove me crazy, it’s been a while since I’ve seen them. “It’s been way too long since I’ve talked to my brothers or Mary.”
“It’ll be fun,” he agreed and began to walk away. Just before I got into my car, I heard him shout across the parking lot. “We can tell them about the baby!”
I immediately froze in my spot. Damnit.
Monday, November 16, 2009
My Life Would Suck Without You
Hayden and I didn’t stay at The Sip much longer after Jenna left. We abused her car, however, and drove around town wasting her gas. I have always loved everything about driving, except paying for gas. This time, I’m not driving my own car, so I won’t have to refuel. That probably makes me a bad friend, but it feels really good. Just as I was about to turn in, Hayden interrupted the comfortable silence.
“You know, I think I’ll take you up on that offer.”
I racked my brain, trying to think of what I offered him earlier. Eventually, I just gave up. “What offer?”
“I really wanna get turned on with you.” Out of context, his sentence sounded horrible. But I simply laughed, remembering our conversation a couple of hours ago.
“No problemo. I’ve been dying to get home and surround myself with Jack Sparrow.” I drove to Jenna’s house to drop off her car, and Hayden and I walked the few blocks to my apartment. He put himself to work restarting the DVD, and I ran into the kitchen for cookies and cocoa.
“YES, Girl Scout cookies. Nobody came by my place selling this year,” he pouted. With that, kid Elizabeth’s face filled the screen, and we shut up to watch in silence.
I woke up in my living room, resting my head on something hard. I looked up and realized it’s Hayden’s shoulder. He must have felt me moving, because he glanced down at me before whispering, “Well, good morning sleepyhead.” I might have laughed, but I’m still too tired.
“What are you doing here?”
He chuckled before responding, “You forgot? Gosh, Kayla. We’re watching two mega-hotties on your beautiful TV!”
Suddenly remembering, I replied, “Three.” He looked back at me with a puzzled expression. “You’re forgetting about Will.”
“Riiiiiiight,” he muttered before turning back to the television. “Hope you don’t mind, but I put in the second DVD.” He noticed my expression and answered the question running through my mind. “You kind of fell asleep two minutes after the first one started.”
“Awww MAN! So I missed the swordfight AGAIN!?”
Hayden laughed at my outburst. “Apparently. Now, either shut up, or go make me more cocoa.” Not wanting to get up, I chose the first of his two options. I pulled the blanket around me tighter and drifted in and out of sleep. Soon, the movie arrived at the scene where Elizabeth stuck her tongue down Jack’s throat.
“Slut.” Hayden jumped a little, surprised at my comment. He must have thought I was still asleep.
“Little Mormon Mikayla, what did you say!?”
I ignored his Mormon comment and repeated my first word, “She’s such a slut.”
“She wasn’t really kissing him, she just wanted to chain him to the ship.”
“Well, there are other ways of doing that! Seriously, Will deserves better.” Hayden groaned beside me. “Well, come on! He is like… the perfect man. And he loves her so much. I can’t believe she’d even take a chance at giving that all away for stupid Jack.”
“Stupid Jack? Stupid Jack!?” he exclaimed. All I talk about night and day is how incredible Johnny Depp is. And now I’m bashing one of his characters? Even I’m a little surprised.
“Okay, he’s not stupid. But I still say that Will deserves better.”
“Alright,” Hayden said, jumping on the couch so that he was facing me. “Who would you choose? Jack or Will?”
I thought very long and hard about his question before answering. “Well, even though Jack is super fine, Will is just the better person. I guess Will.”
“You would not.”
“Okay… no I wouldn’t. Johnny Depp is just too sexy for anyone to deny.” Hayden rolled his eyes and began pitting Johnny against other celebrities. We played this little high school game for what felt like hours. Of course, Johnny won every time. Even though he’s like twenty years older than me, I just can’t think of anyone more attractive. After a while, our laughs turned into sighs, and those sighs turned into yawns. “Well, I guess I should drive you home.”
“No way,” he whined. “We’ve still got the last movie to watch!”
I pouted. “Hayyyyyydeeeeeeennn.” My lack of sleep is making me act like a child. “But if I put this in now, we’ll just fall asleep to it. And then my TV will run all night, and you’ll drool all over my pretty couch.”
“Okay, ew to the drooling thing. No I wouldn’t,” he countered. “Besides, who says I’ll even fall asleep? Some people have the ability to stay awake for more than a couple minutes.” Staying true to the childish behavior I exhibited earlier, I stuck my tongue out at him before putting At World’s End into my DVD player. I pulled the blanket up higher, and instantly fell asleep on Hayden’s shoulder once more. It feels so good having my best friend back.
“You know, I think I’ll take you up on that offer.”
I racked my brain, trying to think of what I offered him earlier. Eventually, I just gave up. “What offer?”
“I really wanna get turned on with you.” Out of context, his sentence sounded horrible. But I simply laughed, remembering our conversation a couple of hours ago.
“No problemo. I’ve been dying to get home and surround myself with Jack Sparrow.” I drove to Jenna’s house to drop off her car, and Hayden and I walked the few blocks to my apartment. He put himself to work restarting the DVD, and I ran into the kitchen for cookies and cocoa.
“YES, Girl Scout cookies. Nobody came by my place selling this year,” he pouted. With that, kid Elizabeth’s face filled the screen, and we shut up to watch in silence.
I woke up in my living room, resting my head on something hard. I looked up and realized it’s Hayden’s shoulder. He must have felt me moving, because he glanced down at me before whispering, “Well, good morning sleepyhead.” I might have laughed, but I’m still too tired.
“What are you doing here?”
He chuckled before responding, “You forgot? Gosh, Kayla. We’re watching two mega-hotties on your beautiful TV!”
Suddenly remembering, I replied, “Three.” He looked back at me with a puzzled expression. “You’re forgetting about Will.”
“Riiiiiiight,” he muttered before turning back to the television. “Hope you don’t mind, but I put in the second DVD.” He noticed my expression and answered the question running through my mind. “You kind of fell asleep two minutes after the first one started.”
“Awww MAN! So I missed the swordfight AGAIN!?”
Hayden laughed at my outburst. “Apparently. Now, either shut up, or go make me more cocoa.” Not wanting to get up, I chose the first of his two options. I pulled the blanket around me tighter and drifted in and out of sleep. Soon, the movie arrived at the scene where Elizabeth stuck her tongue down Jack’s throat.
“Slut.” Hayden jumped a little, surprised at my comment. He must have thought I was still asleep.
“Little Mormon Mikayla, what did you say!?”
I ignored his Mormon comment and repeated my first word, “She’s such a slut.”
“She wasn’t really kissing him, she just wanted to chain him to the ship.”
“Well, there are other ways of doing that! Seriously, Will deserves better.” Hayden groaned beside me. “Well, come on! He is like… the perfect man. And he loves her so much. I can’t believe she’d even take a chance at giving that all away for stupid Jack.”
“Stupid Jack? Stupid Jack!?” he exclaimed. All I talk about night and day is how incredible Johnny Depp is. And now I’m bashing one of his characters? Even I’m a little surprised.
“Okay, he’s not stupid. But I still say that Will deserves better.”
“Alright,” Hayden said, jumping on the couch so that he was facing me. “Who would you choose? Jack or Will?”
I thought very long and hard about his question before answering. “Well, even though Jack is super fine, Will is just the better person. I guess Will.”
“You would not.”
“Okay… no I wouldn’t. Johnny Depp is just too sexy for anyone to deny.” Hayden rolled his eyes and began pitting Johnny against other celebrities. We played this little high school game for what felt like hours. Of course, Johnny won every time. Even though he’s like twenty years older than me, I just can’t think of anyone more attractive. After a while, our laughs turned into sighs, and those sighs turned into yawns. “Well, I guess I should drive you home.”
“No way,” he whined. “We’ve still got the last movie to watch!”
I pouted. “Hayyyyyydeeeeeeennn.” My lack of sleep is making me act like a child. “But if I put this in now, we’ll just fall asleep to it. And then my TV will run all night, and you’ll drool all over my pretty couch.”
“Okay, ew to the drooling thing. No I wouldn’t,” he countered. “Besides, who says I’ll even fall asleep? Some people have the ability to stay awake for more than a couple minutes.” Staying true to the childish behavior I exhibited earlier, I stuck my tongue out at him before putting At World’s End into my DVD player. I pulled the blanket up higher, and instantly fell asleep on Hayden’s shoulder once more. It feels so good having my best friend back.
Saturday, November 14, 2009
No Woman No Cry
Sorry for the lack of post yesterday, guys. I had classes all day and then went to my brother's high school musical. They performed Seussical, which was pretty good. Of course, after seeing Wicked last week, anything would pale in comparison, but I was pretty impressed with them. But anyway, today's post is super long to make it up to you (:
As much as I love Evan, I think I’m kind of looking forward to my night alone. I’m the type of person who needs a little “me” time every once in a while, and even though Evan and I don’t live together, he comes over every night. Which never was a problem, until just now when I realized that I occasionally need some time to myself. Especially now, with all this drama going on.
I struggled to my front door and somehow managed to put my key in the lock. For some reason, even though I have the most gigantic purse you’ll ever see, I always have a million things to carry inside. I hip-checked my door shut and threw my purse, keys, cell phone, and various odds and ends onto my coffee table. Before settling into my large couch, I stopped in the kitchen for some toasty hot chocolate and grabbed my Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy. I was all set to spend the night watching Johnny Depp’s smoldering body drunkenly stumble across a pirate ship, but my friends had other ideas.
Just before Will and Jack began their intense (and sexy) swordfight, Jenna slammed my front door open and kicked her heels into the living room. “God, I hate wearing heels. Like I even need to be taller, am I right?” she shouted before digging through my fridge. I rolled my eyes, realizing that I‘d never get the time to watch dear Johnny on my beautiful plasma screen. Of course, this was my own fault. I should never have given my friends keys to my place. Rookie mistake.
“What are you doing?” she asked between sips of Diet Coke.
“Um, using up my well-earned Mikayla time. So, you can either shut up and watch this with me, or leave. Whichever.”
She stared at me for a few seconds before rushing off to my bedroom. I ignored her and turned my attention back to the screen. Dang Jenna, the swordfight is over. She made me miss the best part. I was about to rewind when some flying purple blob attacked me. “What the heck!?” I exclaimed, before taking the fabric off my head. My slinky halter top. I was about to turn to find out where it came from just as a pair of dark skinny jeans hit me in the face. “Um, ow? Jenna, what are you--”
“Don’t make me throw the shoes, too,” she threatened. I stood up and walked over to my bedroom to find Jenna hunched into my closet. “Your heel collection is despicable. Don’t tell me we’ll have to stop by my place before we go out. I mean, seriously! Why don’t you have any? You’re the one that needs them the most, shorty.” I let the height joke slide and asked her what was going on. “Obviously we’re going out. Now go change, I told Hayden we’d pick him up.”
“Hayden? Why is he coming?” Usually when Jenna demanded I go clubbing with her, it’s a girls’ night out sort of thing.
She rolled her eyes. “Ugh, he’s been so annoying since Chelsea moved away. It’s driving me crazy.” I stifled a laugh. Jenna had little patience for guy problems. When I needed her help, she was all ears. But men’s problems were always “stupid and didn’t make sense,” so she hardly ever troubled herself with them. The majority of her “relationships” didn’t last longer than a couple of weeks. She says that the first few weeks are just a fun, “I’m so happy we’re dating” phase. After that, the guys get all clingy and their issues just waterfall out of them until she feels like she’s drowning. So she always cleverly ends it before the problem arises.
Suddenly remembering my previous plans of falling asleep on my couch to “I’m Captain Jack Sparrow, mate,” I started complaining. But Jenna quickly shut me up.
“He said he’d only go out if you came, so you have to tag along. Come on, we both know you’re going to do it. Hayden’s your best friend. So just hurry up and chaaaaaaange,” she whined. Jenna has the obnoxious ability to make me do anything. And she’s right about the fact that I’m eventually going to go along anyway. Hayden had been my best friend since college, and he was slowly withering away since his girlfriend left. I sighed and kicked Jenna out of my room.
Shivering in the cold, I quickly made my way to Hayden’s front door. Winter is the most ridiculous time to dive into clubs and bars. Too bad no one’s been able to make the turtleneck sexy. I’d be all over that in a heartbeat. After probably my fiftieth knock, the door opened and I rushed inside. “Finally! It’s freezing out there! You better be happy that I put on these obnoxiously tight clothes to go pick up chicks with you.”
He sort of laughed. Hayden is hardly ever in relationships, but when he is, he falls hard. And he always turns into an absolute wreck when they end. I sighed when I noticed the blanket wrapped tightly around his body. “Ugh, I thought you said you’d be ready. Come on, I’ll get you some clothes,” I mumbled, leading him to his bedroom. “Now, we need to find something at least mildly attractive. Where’s that light blue button-up?”
“You mean.. this button-up?” he asked, ripping off his blanket. Underneath, he wore dark-washed jeans, shiny black shoes, and that sexy blue button-up I was searching for. Then I noticed his shining teeth and perfectly styled hair.
“Wow, Hayden. You’re looking kind of… hot.”
“Obvious, but appreciated,” he smiled, offering his arm to me. We got into Jenna’s car, where she looked him up and down.
“Finally, I won’t be the only attractive one in our group,” she said with a smile before driving off.
We pulled up to this cheesy-looking club called “The Sip,” and flashed our IDs to the bouncer before walking in. Jenna instantly strutted towards the bar, while Hayden and I hung back, letting the atmosphere sink in. There are neon lights everywhere and big, plastic bubbles hanging from the ceiling. Immediately down the stairs stood the bar, and to the right of that sat one of those old disco dance floors. However, the people dancing on it are doing some moves that I only thought were allowed in mass orgies. And then I noticed: the whole club is crawling with… teenagers. I looked over at Hayden, and his wide eyes appeared just as shocked as I felt. We finally gained our composure and pushed our way through the crowds to Jenna. “What the heck?” I asked her, looking over the kids, open-mouthed and angry.
“What?” she asked innocently, taking a sip of her martini.
“Why are we in a kiddie club!?” I almost shouted, but kept my composure. Normally, I wouldn’t have been so angry. Jenna does weird stuff like this all the time. But tonight is different. I had fully intended on spending my night with Johnny Depp, and she interrupted it to bring me here? Hayden stood by my side, silently agreeing. He isn’t really big on confrontation, but he always makes it known whose side he’s on. A couple of possible sixteen year olds rushed past, almost spilling their beers all over me. “I feel like I’m in a McDonald’s Playplace.”
She looked a little sympathetic, but the majority of that emotion was masked by her wandering eyes toward the dance floor. “Sorry, Kayla. But I really need a new boy toy.”
“I thought this night was about Hayden,” I countered, crossing my arms.
“Noooo, this night is about getting Hayden out of the house. We’ve already done that, so now it’s time to find my prey,” she said with a smirk and headed off toward a group of younger guys. I rolled my eyes and dragged Hayden to a secluded booth.
“I can’t believe she did this. I’m so sorry, Hayden.”
He looked at me with a puzzled expression. “You can’t believe this? Come on, Kayla. It’s Jenna.” He had a point. “Besides, she’s right. She did manage to get me out of the house, and this ridiculous place has so far been successful at keeping my mind off of Chels.” I guess I should give Jenna more credit than I did before. Even though she basically used this night to her advantage, she somehow did it with the best intentions. You can’t honestly say that she’s a bad friend. Just then, Hayden sighed. “Well, she’s been off my mind until I said her name.” Chelsea is Hayden’s latest girlfriend. They’re actually still dating, but she moved across the country to continue her degree. The separation is killing him.
“I know she’s been kind of MIA for the past few weeks, but she’s obviously busy. You should be proud. Your girlfriend’s gonna be a STAR.” He chuckled softly. “Have you talked to her lately?”
“Yeah,” he mumbled. “A few hours ago.” I smiled for a moment, until he continued. “She broke up with me.”
My eyes grew wide and my hand immediately shot out to grab his. “Oh my gosh, what!? No! What happened?”
“She says the distance is too hard. Besides, she’s in a new place, and doesn’t want to tie herself down to a guy she never sees anymore. It would be too tempting to cheat. She was only thinking of me,” he recited. Inside, I began fuming. That’s the most ridiculous excuse I’ve ever heard. She’s probably already cheating on him, and doesn’t want the guilt that comes with it hanging over her head any longer.
“Hayden, I’m so sorry. You should have called me…”
“Please,” he scoffed. “I knew Evan had to work. I figured you’d be holed up in your room, watching movies featuring some hot actor.” I couldn‘t hold back my giggles. He knew me so well.
“Well, you still should have called me. Kiera Knightly’s in the movies, too. We could have been turned on together!”
“Ahh, so it was Pirates night,” he laughed. Yay, my best friend is coming back. It’s been way too long.
We continued to talk about supremely attractive movie stars when a set of keys landed on the table between us. I looked up to find Jenna with some probably-underage male. “Drive yourselves home. I’m going out with Trey,” she explained, gesturing to the teenager beside her.
He nodded to Hayden and uttered a “’Sup homie?” Hayden and I turned to each other and began laughing. Jenna groaned and told Trey to get his car.
“Could you guys be civilized for one second, please?”
“Us?” I choked out between giggles. “You’re the one dating a kid. Jenna, I thought I warned you about the illegality of going out with minors.”
“He’s nineteen, thank you,” she smirked. Hayden began a new round of laughter. Jenna rolled her eyes and got up from the booth, shouting “I know you’d kill me if I went any younger than that!”
When we managed to catch our breath, Hayden muttered, “When is that girl going to get someone her own age?”
Jenna is, in all essence, a cougar. Except for the age factor. She’s only 25, but always goes after men much younger than that. She says that guys our age are looking for something real and meaningful, but she just wants to have fun. And the older she got, the younger she’d go after. “I can’t WAIT until I’m forty and dating eighteen-year-olds. Seriously, I’m going to be the most disturbing woman in my neighborhood.” The funny thing is, I don’t see a problem with it. Normally, I’d be disgusted by a woman going after someone so much younger, but it just fits Jenna’s personality. It’s just… like her.
“Jenna?” I replied. “Never.”
As much as I love Evan, I think I’m kind of looking forward to my night alone. I’m the type of person who needs a little “me” time every once in a while, and even though Evan and I don’t live together, he comes over every night. Which never was a problem, until just now when I realized that I occasionally need some time to myself. Especially now, with all this drama going on.
I struggled to my front door and somehow managed to put my key in the lock. For some reason, even though I have the most gigantic purse you’ll ever see, I always have a million things to carry inside. I hip-checked my door shut and threw my purse, keys, cell phone, and various odds and ends onto my coffee table. Before settling into my large couch, I stopped in the kitchen for some toasty hot chocolate and grabbed my Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy. I was all set to spend the night watching Johnny Depp’s smoldering body drunkenly stumble across a pirate ship, but my friends had other ideas.
Just before Will and Jack began their intense (and sexy) swordfight, Jenna slammed my front door open and kicked her heels into the living room. “God, I hate wearing heels. Like I even need to be taller, am I right?” she shouted before digging through my fridge. I rolled my eyes, realizing that I‘d never get the time to watch dear Johnny on my beautiful plasma screen. Of course, this was my own fault. I should never have given my friends keys to my place. Rookie mistake.
“What are you doing?” she asked between sips of Diet Coke.
“Um, using up my well-earned Mikayla time. So, you can either shut up and watch this with me, or leave. Whichever.”
She stared at me for a few seconds before rushing off to my bedroom. I ignored her and turned my attention back to the screen. Dang Jenna, the swordfight is over. She made me miss the best part. I was about to rewind when some flying purple blob attacked me. “What the heck!?” I exclaimed, before taking the fabric off my head. My slinky halter top. I was about to turn to find out where it came from just as a pair of dark skinny jeans hit me in the face. “Um, ow? Jenna, what are you--”
“Don’t make me throw the shoes, too,” she threatened. I stood up and walked over to my bedroom to find Jenna hunched into my closet. “Your heel collection is despicable. Don’t tell me we’ll have to stop by my place before we go out. I mean, seriously! Why don’t you have any? You’re the one that needs them the most, shorty.” I let the height joke slide and asked her what was going on. “Obviously we’re going out. Now go change, I told Hayden we’d pick him up.”
“Hayden? Why is he coming?” Usually when Jenna demanded I go clubbing with her, it’s a girls’ night out sort of thing.
She rolled her eyes. “Ugh, he’s been so annoying since Chelsea moved away. It’s driving me crazy.” I stifled a laugh. Jenna had little patience for guy problems. When I needed her help, she was all ears. But men’s problems were always “stupid and didn’t make sense,” so she hardly ever troubled herself with them. The majority of her “relationships” didn’t last longer than a couple of weeks. She says that the first few weeks are just a fun, “I’m so happy we’re dating” phase. After that, the guys get all clingy and their issues just waterfall out of them until she feels like she’s drowning. So she always cleverly ends it before the problem arises.
Suddenly remembering my previous plans of falling asleep on my couch to “I’m Captain Jack Sparrow, mate,” I started complaining. But Jenna quickly shut me up.
“He said he’d only go out if you came, so you have to tag along. Come on, we both know you’re going to do it. Hayden’s your best friend. So just hurry up and chaaaaaaange,” she whined. Jenna has the obnoxious ability to make me do anything. And she’s right about the fact that I’m eventually going to go along anyway. Hayden had been my best friend since college, and he was slowly withering away since his girlfriend left. I sighed and kicked Jenna out of my room.
Shivering in the cold, I quickly made my way to Hayden’s front door. Winter is the most ridiculous time to dive into clubs and bars. Too bad no one’s been able to make the turtleneck sexy. I’d be all over that in a heartbeat. After probably my fiftieth knock, the door opened and I rushed inside. “Finally! It’s freezing out there! You better be happy that I put on these obnoxiously tight clothes to go pick up chicks with you.”
He sort of laughed. Hayden is hardly ever in relationships, but when he is, he falls hard. And he always turns into an absolute wreck when they end. I sighed when I noticed the blanket wrapped tightly around his body. “Ugh, I thought you said you’d be ready. Come on, I’ll get you some clothes,” I mumbled, leading him to his bedroom. “Now, we need to find something at least mildly attractive. Where’s that light blue button-up?”
“You mean.. this button-up?” he asked, ripping off his blanket. Underneath, he wore dark-washed jeans, shiny black shoes, and that sexy blue button-up I was searching for. Then I noticed his shining teeth and perfectly styled hair.
“Wow, Hayden. You’re looking kind of… hot.”
“Obvious, but appreciated,” he smiled, offering his arm to me. We got into Jenna’s car, where she looked him up and down.
“Finally, I won’t be the only attractive one in our group,” she said with a smile before driving off.
We pulled up to this cheesy-looking club called “The Sip,” and flashed our IDs to the bouncer before walking in. Jenna instantly strutted towards the bar, while Hayden and I hung back, letting the atmosphere sink in. There are neon lights everywhere and big, plastic bubbles hanging from the ceiling. Immediately down the stairs stood the bar, and to the right of that sat one of those old disco dance floors. However, the people dancing on it are doing some moves that I only thought were allowed in mass orgies. And then I noticed: the whole club is crawling with… teenagers. I looked over at Hayden, and his wide eyes appeared just as shocked as I felt. We finally gained our composure and pushed our way through the crowds to Jenna. “What the heck?” I asked her, looking over the kids, open-mouthed and angry.
“What?” she asked innocently, taking a sip of her martini.
“Why are we in a kiddie club!?” I almost shouted, but kept my composure. Normally, I wouldn’t have been so angry. Jenna does weird stuff like this all the time. But tonight is different. I had fully intended on spending my night with Johnny Depp, and she interrupted it to bring me here? Hayden stood by my side, silently agreeing. He isn’t really big on confrontation, but he always makes it known whose side he’s on. A couple of possible sixteen year olds rushed past, almost spilling their beers all over me. “I feel like I’m in a McDonald’s Playplace.”
She looked a little sympathetic, but the majority of that emotion was masked by her wandering eyes toward the dance floor. “Sorry, Kayla. But I really need a new boy toy.”
“I thought this night was about Hayden,” I countered, crossing my arms.
“Noooo, this night is about getting Hayden out of the house. We’ve already done that, so now it’s time to find my prey,” she said with a smirk and headed off toward a group of younger guys. I rolled my eyes and dragged Hayden to a secluded booth.
“I can’t believe she did this. I’m so sorry, Hayden.”
He looked at me with a puzzled expression. “You can’t believe this? Come on, Kayla. It’s Jenna.” He had a point. “Besides, she’s right. She did manage to get me out of the house, and this ridiculous place has so far been successful at keeping my mind off of Chels.” I guess I should give Jenna more credit than I did before. Even though she basically used this night to her advantage, she somehow did it with the best intentions. You can’t honestly say that she’s a bad friend. Just then, Hayden sighed. “Well, she’s been off my mind until I said her name.” Chelsea is Hayden’s latest girlfriend. They’re actually still dating, but she moved across the country to continue her degree. The separation is killing him.
“I know she’s been kind of MIA for the past few weeks, but she’s obviously busy. You should be proud. Your girlfriend’s gonna be a STAR.” He chuckled softly. “Have you talked to her lately?”
“Yeah,” he mumbled. “A few hours ago.” I smiled for a moment, until he continued. “She broke up with me.”
My eyes grew wide and my hand immediately shot out to grab his. “Oh my gosh, what!? No! What happened?”
“She says the distance is too hard. Besides, she’s in a new place, and doesn’t want to tie herself down to a guy she never sees anymore. It would be too tempting to cheat. She was only thinking of me,” he recited. Inside, I began fuming. That’s the most ridiculous excuse I’ve ever heard. She’s probably already cheating on him, and doesn’t want the guilt that comes with it hanging over her head any longer.
“Hayden, I’m so sorry. You should have called me…”
“Please,” he scoffed. “I knew Evan had to work. I figured you’d be holed up in your room, watching movies featuring some hot actor.” I couldn‘t hold back my giggles. He knew me so well.
“Well, you still should have called me. Kiera Knightly’s in the movies, too. We could have been turned on together!”
“Ahh, so it was Pirates night,” he laughed. Yay, my best friend is coming back. It’s been way too long.
We continued to talk about supremely attractive movie stars when a set of keys landed on the table between us. I looked up to find Jenna with some probably-underage male. “Drive yourselves home. I’m going out with Trey,” she explained, gesturing to the teenager beside her.
He nodded to Hayden and uttered a “’Sup homie?” Hayden and I turned to each other and began laughing. Jenna groaned and told Trey to get his car.
“Could you guys be civilized for one second, please?”
“Us?” I choked out between giggles. “You’re the one dating a kid. Jenna, I thought I warned you about the illegality of going out with minors.”
“He’s nineteen, thank you,” she smirked. Hayden began a new round of laughter. Jenna rolled her eyes and got up from the booth, shouting “I know you’d kill me if I went any younger than that!”
When we managed to catch our breath, Hayden muttered, “When is that girl going to get someone her own age?”
Jenna is, in all essence, a cougar. Except for the age factor. She’s only 25, but always goes after men much younger than that. She says that guys our age are looking for something real and meaningful, but she just wants to have fun. And the older she got, the younger she’d go after. “I can’t WAIT until I’m forty and dating eighteen-year-olds. Seriously, I’m going to be the most disturbing woman in my neighborhood.” The funny thing is, I don’t see a problem with it. Normally, I’d be disgusted by a woman going after someone so much younger, but it just fits Jenna’s personality. It’s just… like her.
“Jenna?” I replied. “Never.”
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Come Home Soon
Enjoy the post today, guys! I just wanted to say a happy birthday to my widdle brother Maxi. I based one of Mikayla's brother off of him (also named Max..), and he'll be coming up shortly! Actually, he's kind of in today's post, but he'll really become a part of the story later on.
“Call me,” Jenna mouthed as she got onto the elevator. I smiled in response and turned back to my computer screen. It was almost 6:00, and I was supposed to have left work an hour ago. But between lunch with Jenna, and talking to my coworkers on IM the rest of the day, I didn’t feel right leaving without getting a little writing done. I’m currently working on a story about keeping the weight off during this upcoming holiday season. I begged Angie to take me off of this story, because I can never manage to gain absolutely zero pounds between October and January. Much less actually lose weight. But she wouldn’t hear of it.
“Look, Kayla. The mark of a truly great journalist is writing about something you don’t believe in!”
Her argument didn’t make sense to me, but I let it go. I could tell I wasn’t going to win this one. What Angie says goes, no matter what. Not even Jenna could attempt to change her mind. I mindlessly browsed through my “weight loss tips” Google search, hoping to find something that could at least start my brain. But nothing was helping. I resisted the urge to visit other magazine’s websites for their dieting stories. It would be too tempting to steal.
I glanced at the clock. Almost 6:30. Ugh. I quickly typed something about wearing high heels to your many Christmas parties to appear longer and leaner, and switched off the computer. No way is the story ready for print, but it’s as good as I’m going to do tonight.
I waved goodbye to our security guard Hank and walked into the crisp air. It's beginning to feel more and more like winter everyday. I love winter, as long as there is snow on the ground. If there’s no snow, then there is no reason for the weather to be so cold. I pulled my coat tighter around my body as a gust of wind blew through the street. Just as I was getting into my car, Kris Allen’s “She Works Hard for the Money” rang from my purse. A text.
“hey k. mom n dad r throwing their annual “impromptu” dinner party. such a surprise. anyway just come 2 da house sometime friday.”
I smiled at my brother’s sarcasm dripping from my cell phone. Our parents always threw “surprise” parties at their house. Problem is, they aren’t such a surprise when they practically fall on the same day every year. May brought the brunch date, July is Girls’ and Boys’ respective nights out, and November held the dinner party. I'm always confused with why our parents insisted on having a large dinner at the start of November, when Thanksgiving was only a few weeks away, but I never question it. That’s just my parents. I texted a quick “I’ll be there,” to Max, and immediately called Evan.
“Hello?”
“Three dinner ideas. Go.”
“Okay, um,” I could hear the wheels turning in his head. “We could hit up Reese’s Place.” Reese iss an old friend of Evan’s family who stated his own restaurant. He's easily the most talented chef I’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing, and his place is a huge hit. We went there for dinner frequently for a delicious blend of all types of food you can imagine. I’m an incredibly picky eater, and the fact that Reese cooks from all genres was a huge plus for me. It didn’t hurt that Reese made a big deal out of our arrival every time, either. For some people, having someone shout “Ahhh, my two favorite people! Come, have a seat at the special Evan and Kayla table! Joshua (the head waiter), two chocolate mousses! On the house!” would be embarrassing, but Reese is such a sweet guy that it didn’t matter. He grew up across the street from the Koerner’s, and always thought of Evan as a younger brother. And I quickly became his younger sister. He isn’t as old as my parents, but quite a bit older than Evan and I.
“Or pasta night at your place.”
“Nah, we just had Italian.”
“Mik,” he laughed. “We had pizza last night. That hardly counts.”
“Okay, but still. No. Come on, you’ve gotta come up with one more idea.”
“Orrrrr, we could take a rain check because Tyler and I just got slammed with a project due at the end of the week,” he muttered sheepishly.
“Um, I think I’ll go with option number one.”
“Sorry Mik, but I’m gonna have to take options one and two off the table.” I didn’t even try to hide my sigh. “I’m so sorry, babe. But doing well on this could land us a huge client. And you know Tyler and I need our stats up. We’ve got a ridiculous amount of competition, and with all the layoffs going around the company…”
“It’s okay,” I interrupted. When Evan was apologizing, he tended to ramble. Plus, I didn’t want to make a big deal of skipping dinner. I know his late nights with me are part of the reason his so-called “stats” are down. “Don’t worry about it. We can hit up Reese’s some other time. But it better be soon, because it’s been way too long since I’ve had a deliciously free dessert.”
“No problem,” he laughed. “But really, I am sorry. I should have told you I wouldn’t have time for dinner the second I found out I’d have to be staying late.” I heard a strange sound in the background, and then Evan saying, “Dude, shut up. I am not whipped.”
“Tell Tyler I said hi,” I replied between giggles. Tyler Myles is Evan’s best friend and business partner. They work at a highly recognized PR firm, and are constantly trying to move up the ladder. Their boss Vic noticed how well they work together, and made them a team. Evan told me that his partnership with Tyler is bittersweet, because Vic made sure that if one of them got promoted, the other instantly would as well. However, if one of them were to get fired, then so would the other. Evan is always worried about getting fired, but I constantly reassured him that he and Tyler are great at what they do. And they honestly are. Evan is usually the more professional of the two, and lines up clients and business meetings with ease. Tyler uses his eccentric persona and charm to land those clients immediately. They are two of the most different people in the world, which makes then an excellent team. They balance each other out, kind of like Jim and Dwight from of The Office. Not that Evan is as much of a slacker as Jim is, and Tyler’s definitely not as insane as Dwight, but you know what I mean. When you put their personalities together, they can probably do anything. And they both take their jobs very seriously, especially Tyler. He absolutely loves his job, and doesn’t let anything interfere with his work.
In fact, when Evan and I first started dating, he began using his free time to hang out with me instead of working overtime on their latest project. And for that, Tyler immediately hated me. Eventually, I got an in when Evan spun some crap about how our relationship would inspire him to work harder and better than he ever had before. Which might have been true, but I could tell that he was overdoing the story for Tyler’s benefit. And then I bought him a beer, which sealed my fate.
“He says to get off the phone so that we can get back to work, but I think he means ‘hi.’” I laughed and told Evan that he should be focusing on his job instead of his hot girlfriend, which earned an “Amen!” from Tyler. Before hanging up, I ran the family dinner by Evan, who said he’d love to attend. We made plans for lunch the next day just as I pulled into my driveway.
“Call me,” Jenna mouthed as she got onto the elevator. I smiled in response and turned back to my computer screen. It was almost 6:00, and I was supposed to have left work an hour ago. But between lunch with Jenna, and talking to my coworkers on IM the rest of the day, I didn’t feel right leaving without getting a little writing done. I’m currently working on a story about keeping the weight off during this upcoming holiday season. I begged Angie to take me off of this story, because I can never manage to gain absolutely zero pounds between October and January. Much less actually lose weight. But she wouldn’t hear of it.
“Look, Kayla. The mark of a truly great journalist is writing about something you don’t believe in!”
Her argument didn’t make sense to me, but I let it go. I could tell I wasn’t going to win this one. What Angie says goes, no matter what. Not even Jenna could attempt to change her mind. I mindlessly browsed through my “weight loss tips” Google search, hoping to find something that could at least start my brain. But nothing was helping. I resisted the urge to visit other magazine’s websites for their dieting stories. It would be too tempting to steal.
I glanced at the clock. Almost 6:30. Ugh. I quickly typed something about wearing high heels to your many Christmas parties to appear longer and leaner, and switched off the computer. No way is the story ready for print, but it’s as good as I’m going to do tonight.
I waved goodbye to our security guard Hank and walked into the crisp air. It's beginning to feel more and more like winter everyday. I love winter, as long as there is snow on the ground. If there’s no snow, then there is no reason for the weather to be so cold. I pulled my coat tighter around my body as a gust of wind blew through the street. Just as I was getting into my car, Kris Allen’s “She Works Hard for the Money” rang from my purse. A text.
“hey k. mom n dad r throwing their annual “impromptu” dinner party. such a surprise. anyway just come 2 da house sometime friday.”
I smiled at my brother’s sarcasm dripping from my cell phone. Our parents always threw “surprise” parties at their house. Problem is, they aren’t such a surprise when they practically fall on the same day every year. May brought the brunch date, July is Girls’ and Boys’ respective nights out, and November held the dinner party. I'm always confused with why our parents insisted on having a large dinner at the start of November, when Thanksgiving was only a few weeks away, but I never question it. That’s just my parents. I texted a quick “I’ll be there,” to Max, and immediately called Evan.
“Hello?”
“Three dinner ideas. Go.”
“Okay, um,” I could hear the wheels turning in his head. “We could hit up Reese’s Place.” Reese iss an old friend of Evan’s family who stated his own restaurant. He's easily the most talented chef I’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing, and his place is a huge hit. We went there for dinner frequently for a delicious blend of all types of food you can imagine. I’m an incredibly picky eater, and the fact that Reese cooks from all genres was a huge plus for me. It didn’t hurt that Reese made a big deal out of our arrival every time, either. For some people, having someone shout “Ahhh, my two favorite people! Come, have a seat at the special Evan and Kayla table! Joshua (the head waiter), two chocolate mousses! On the house!” would be embarrassing, but Reese is such a sweet guy that it didn’t matter. He grew up across the street from the Koerner’s, and always thought of Evan as a younger brother. And I quickly became his younger sister. He isn’t as old as my parents, but quite a bit older than Evan and I.
“Or pasta night at your place.”
“Nah, we just had Italian.”
“Mik,” he laughed. “We had pizza last night. That hardly counts.”
“Okay, but still. No. Come on, you’ve gotta come up with one more idea.”
“Orrrrr, we could take a rain check because Tyler and I just got slammed with a project due at the end of the week,” he muttered sheepishly.
“Um, I think I’ll go with option number one.”
“Sorry Mik, but I’m gonna have to take options one and two off the table.” I didn’t even try to hide my sigh. “I’m so sorry, babe. But doing well on this could land us a huge client. And you know Tyler and I need our stats up. We’ve got a ridiculous amount of competition, and with all the layoffs going around the company…”
“It’s okay,” I interrupted. When Evan was apologizing, he tended to ramble. Plus, I didn’t want to make a big deal of skipping dinner. I know his late nights with me are part of the reason his so-called “stats” are down. “Don’t worry about it. We can hit up Reese’s some other time. But it better be soon, because it’s been way too long since I’ve had a deliciously free dessert.”
“No problem,” he laughed. “But really, I am sorry. I should have told you I wouldn’t have time for dinner the second I found out I’d have to be staying late.” I heard a strange sound in the background, and then Evan saying, “Dude, shut up. I am not whipped.”
“Tell Tyler I said hi,” I replied between giggles. Tyler Myles is Evan’s best friend and business partner. They work at a highly recognized PR firm, and are constantly trying to move up the ladder. Their boss Vic noticed how well they work together, and made them a team. Evan told me that his partnership with Tyler is bittersweet, because Vic made sure that if one of them got promoted, the other instantly would as well. However, if one of them were to get fired, then so would the other. Evan is always worried about getting fired, but I constantly reassured him that he and Tyler are great at what they do. And they honestly are. Evan is usually the more professional of the two, and lines up clients and business meetings with ease. Tyler uses his eccentric persona and charm to land those clients immediately. They are two of the most different people in the world, which makes then an excellent team. They balance each other out, kind of like Jim and Dwight from of The Office. Not that Evan is as much of a slacker as Jim is, and Tyler’s definitely not as insane as Dwight, but you know what I mean. When you put their personalities together, they can probably do anything. And they both take their jobs very seriously, especially Tyler. He absolutely loves his job, and doesn’t let anything interfere with his work.
In fact, when Evan and I first started dating, he began using his free time to hang out with me instead of working overtime on their latest project. And for that, Tyler immediately hated me. Eventually, I got an in when Evan spun some crap about how our relationship would inspire him to work harder and better than he ever had before. Which might have been true, but I could tell that he was overdoing the story for Tyler’s benefit. And then I bought him a beer, which sealed my fate.
“He says to get off the phone so that we can get back to work, but I think he means ‘hi.’” I laughed and told Evan that he should be focusing on his job instead of his hot girlfriend, which earned an “Amen!” from Tyler. Before hanging up, I ran the family dinner by Evan, who said he’d love to attend. We made plans for lunch the next day just as I pulled into my driveway.
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