I shrugged and washed my hands. My legs were still shaking with relief as I exited the store and crawled into my beat-up old junker of a tin can car. But when I started the engine, I just sat there, realizing I had nowhere to go. As of half an hour ago, I was officially homeless.
Well, that sucked.
All the joy and elation I’d felt in the bathroom began to ebb. Then the fresh memory of catching my boyfriend—oh right, ex-boyfriend—screwing one of his coworkers doggie style on my kitchen table half an hour ago obliterated all my happy thoughts completely.
My shoulders slumped, depression crept in, and my chest went tight as my throat dried up like I was about to—
Crap! I was going to cry.
No, I absolutely, unequivocally refused to cry over this.
Oh God, I needed reinforcements before I turned into a freaking watering pot.
I had friends. I should call one of them. But when I dug my phone out of my purse, I realized the battery had died...and my phone charger was still at my former residence where I had lived up until half an hour ago with my ex-boyfriend, and I was only returning there after hell froze over. Twice.
I blew out a long breath, forcing my body to relax.
I could do this. I could handle whatever happened next. My life had been at worse places than this, and I’d survived then. I could surely survive this little hiccup.
Somewhat revitalized by my mini-pep-thought, I put the car into gear and drove to the first house that sprang to mind.
It was located in a nice, peaceful, modest neighborhood. The branches of the trees lining the street swayed lightly in the autumn breeze, making me miss my childhood woods.
But I hadn’t entered them in six years, and I knew if I ever did, the memories would no doubt slay me. So I tore my attention from the flaming red maples, pushed from my car, and made my way up the front walk until I was on a covered porch and ringing a doorbell.
The ten-year old who answered immediately yelled, “Zombie attack,” when he saw me. Then he ran off, screaming.
On any other day, I would’ve chased after him, croaking “Brains,” with my arms outstretched and my head canted to the side, but today, I just couldn’t get with the program.
So I stood there, by myself, in the opened front door, pathetic and a little mangled, if not completely broken.
“Colton, who’s at the—” A brunette popped her head into the living room to see me still hanging out in the entrance. “Oh! Felicity. Hi, come on in. What’s up?”
I took a deep breath and stepped into the house. “Hey, Aspen.” I gave her a friendly wave and then a forced smile as I closed the door behind me. “You have any time for some girl talk?”
“For you? Of course. Follow me back to the kitchen. I’m trying to make homemade noodles for chicken noodle soup. The guys always go gaga whenever I make anything homemade, and I get a kick out of their exaggerated reactions, so it’s become kind of an addiction of mine to cook up new surprises for them. Can I get you anything to drink?” she asked as we entered the brightly lit room.
“Oh my God, yes.” Nothing sounded as good as alcohol right now.
“Iced tea?” she asked, making me frown.
“You mean, Long Island Iced Tea, right?” I corrected—pleaded, really—as I slumped into a chair at the table and rested my face in my hands.
She glanced back at me and lifted an eyebrow. “Ah, so this is going to be one those talks, huh?”
I sighed and closed my weary eyes. “Unfortunately yes.”
The sounds of cabinet doors opening and ice in a glass were like music to my ears. When Aspen sat across from me and slid a cup my way, I sat up and took a fortifying breath. After a long, deep drink that made my eyes water, I let out a refreshed sigh and sent Aspen my most sincere look of gratitude.
“Thank you. You’re amazing. I love you.”
She blushed and waved away my gushing praise. “Just talk. I’m dying of curiosity over here. What happened?”
“Right.” I cleared my throat and stiffened my back. “So, I walked into my apartment about an hour ago, only to interrupt Cam screwing some other girl.”
Aspen gasped and slapped her hands over her mouth. “No.”
I nodded. “Oh, yes.” Gifting her with one of my overly forced smiles, I added, “And when I confronted them, I discovered he was actually ready to dump me and have her move in...without discussing it with me first. In fact, her clothes were already hanging in my closet.” After a bitter laugh, I asked, “What a way to break it to a girl easy, huh?”
“I can’t...this is just... He seriously cheated on you?” Aspen blinked before asking, “Is he stupid or something?”
