Girl Talk | An Excerpt From Somewhere In Between

Image Posted on August 28, 2015

“Hey.”

“Hey chick.” I pressed pause on the DVD remote, then put my phone on speaker. ”I didn’t expect to hear from ‘til tomorrow. You home?”

“Yeah. What are you doing?” Bree asked, her voice filling my family room.

“Having a Fright Night.”

“Selection?”

“Pet Sematary.”

“Since when did you become capable of watching scary movies alone?” She paused. “You must be drunk.”

“Nope. Perfectly sober.”

“Trying to win a bet?”

“Wrong again.”

Another pause. “Cry for help?”

“Whatever, Bree. Why don’t you leave me alone and go torture that bald-headed better half of yours?”

“Kinda hard to do when he’s not here.”

“Where he at?”

“Out.”

“Hmph.” I looked down at the phone to check the time. “That a new lounge downtown or something?”

“Very funny.”

“Is that all he said when you asked where he was going? Out? I bet you couldn’t get away with telling him that.”

“I didn’t ask,” Bree said. “He left. To be honest, I’m glad. Having me time is wonderful.”

“I’m sure. Just seems like you’ve been having an abundance of that shit lately. But if you’re good, I’m good. You are good…right?”

“I’m great.”

“Yeah,” I replied, my voice dripping with sarcasm. “And I’m celibate.”

I gave her a minute to say more. She didn’t.

We settled into a comfortable silence as I actively avoided watching the images on my television. Thinking I heard a noise in the kitchen, I sprang up from the sofa as if someone…or something…would appear. Seconds later, my eyes shifted to the security alarm. The red light was on.

What the hell was I really thinking trying to watch Pet Sematary for the first time? By myself?

Craziness.

“Dez is still not home yet,” Bree finally said. “Not that I expected him to be after the fight we had. I should probably be angry that he’s not back, but sometimes I wonder if I even care.”

“Sure, you care,” I said, settling back against the sofa cushions, my eyes still on the red light. “You’re just tired. Fed up. It happens. And it’s okay.”

“Yeah. I guess you’re right.”

“But you know if that tired suddenly shifts to rage, I’m all in. Seriously…just say the word, and we can roll up on his ass.”

“Nah. I’ll pass.”

“Your choice.”

“I like Quincy,” she said abruptly, changing the subject in true Bree fashion.

I frowned. “Who asked you?”

“You like him too.”

“A momentary setback.” Closing my eyes, I curled up tighter in the corner of my couch. “I’ll rise again.”

“I didn’t know you’d sunk.”

“Lower than you can imagine.”

I felt her smile through the phone. “Your turn.”

“Uch. This time, I’ll pass.”