I dressed quickly, leaving Travis and Shepley to go downtown with America. She giggled about her morning sexcapade with Shepley, and I listened with dutiful nods in all the right places. It was hard to focus on the topic at hand with the diamonds of my bracelet creating tiny dots of light on the ceiling of the car, reminding me of the choice I was suddenly faced with. Travis wanted an answer, and I didn’t have one.
“Okay, Abby. What’s going on? You’ve been quiet.”
“This thing with Travis … it’s just a mess.”
“Why?” she said, her sunglasses pushing up when she wrinkled her nose.
“He asked me what we were doing.”
“What are you doing? Are you with Parker or what?”
“I like him, but it’s been a week. We’re not serious or anything.”
“You have feelings for Travis, don’t you?”
I shook my head. “I don’t know how I feel about him. I just don’t see it happening, Mare. He’s too much of a bad thing.”
“Neither one of you will just come out and say it, that’s the problem. You’re both so scared of what might happen that you’re fighting it tooth and nail. I know for a fact that if you looked Travis in the eye and told him you wanted him, he would never look at another woman again.”
“You know that for a fact?”
“Yes. I have the inside track, remember?”
I paused in thought for a moment. Travis had been talking to Shepley about me, but Shepley wouldn’t encourage a relationship by telling America. He knew she would tell me. This led me to the only conclusion: America had overheard them. I wanted to ask her what was said, but thought better of it.
“That situation is a broken heart just waiting to happen,” I said, shaking my head. “I don’t think he’s capable of being faithful.”
“He wasn’t capable of carrying on a friendship with a female, either, but you two sure shocked the whole of Eastern.”
I fingered my bracelet and sighed. “I don’t know. I don’t mind how things are. We can just be friends.”
America shook her head. “Except that you’re not just friends,” she sighed. “You know what? I’m over this conversation. Let’s go get our hair and makeup done. I’ll buy you a new outfit for your birthday.”
“I think that’s exactly what I need,” I said.
After hours of manicures, pedicures, being brushed, waxed, and powdered, I stepped into my shiny yellow high heels and tugged on my new, grey dress.
“Now that’s the Abby I know and love!” she laughed, shaking her head at my ensemble. “You have to wear that to your party tomorrow.”
“Wasn’t that the plan all along?” I said, smirking. My cell phone buzzed in my purse, and I held it to my ear. “Hello?”
“It’s dinner time! Where the hell did you two run off to?” Travis said.
“We indulged in a little pampering. You and Shep knew how to eat before we came along. I’m sure you can manage.”
“Well, no shit. We worry about you, ya know.”
I looked at America and smiled. “We’re fine.”
“Tell him I’ll have you back in no time. I have to stop by Brazil’s to pick up some notes for Shep, and then we’ll be home.”
“Did you get that?” I asked.
“Yeah. See you then, Pidge.”
We drove to Brazil’s in silence. America turned off the ignition, staring at the apartment building ahead. Shepley asking America to drive over surprised me; we were just a block from Shepley and Travis’s apartment.
“What’s wrong, Mare?”