“So? What would be so wrong with that?”
“The fact that I don’t want to meet anyone new.”
“You say that now,” Missy said. “You’ll change your mind when you see all the cute guys at Oasis tonight.”
I stuffed my face with more ice cream and avoided eye contact. Suddenly the tub in my hands was snatched away, and I was clawing at empty air. “What the—”
“That’s enough,” she said, and her tone was fierce. “You are not going to be this girl.”
“What girl?” I demanded.
“The girl who sits in her room moping because some guy was too stupid to realize how awesome she is,” Missy said. “You are going to live your life because this is his loss. You hear me? It’s his loss, and it’s time you realize that.”
“Missy—”
“Don’t Missy me. We’re going out tonight and if you resist… I’ll bring the party to you.”
I frowned. “You wouldn’t.”
“Try me,” she said, and her expression was steel.
“Jesus…fine, fine,” I said, conceding defeat. “I’ll go out tonight.”
“Excellent,” Missy said, and the smile reappeared on her face instantly.
“Just one condition.”
“What?” she asked suspiciously.
“Not Oasis,” I said. “I… That’s where we met.”
“Fair enough,” she nodded. “I’m a reasonable woman, and there are plenty of other bars with cute guys. Now put on something sexy and let’s go.”
I groaned. “Can’t a just wear something comfortable?”
I had stopped wearing my contacts and gone back to my glasses, much to Missy’s chagrin. Even my style had reverted back to how it used to be. I knew that she wasn’t going to allow that tonight, however. Just as I suspected, she grabbed my glasses.
“Put on your contacts please,” she said. “And wear the strappy blue dress in my closet.”
“It’s too tight,” I complained. “And too short.”
“Then it’s perfect,” she said. “Wear it.”
Unwilling to have a long drawn out argument, I decided to simply give in to her. I put on the dress, let my hair down, and ditched my glasses for contacts. Missy looked me up and down and then nodded. “A smile would complete the look, but I’ll take what I get. Let’s go.”
I dragged my feet the whole way to the bar. It was not as big as Oasis, but it was loud and crowded, and the vibes were good. Except that I could only find it in myself to tolerate the atmosphere. If I had my way, I would have found a quiet corner to hide in until the night was over. Unfortunately for me, Missy was watching me like a hawk, and she wasn’t going to just let me slink off into some corner.
“Let’s dance.”
“No,” I said. “Let’s get drinks first.”
She nodded, and we headed to the bar. The bartender was tall, large, and heavily tattooed. I saw Missy’s eyes light up with interest, and I hoped she would get distracted and ignore me.
“Hey there,” she said. “What’s your name?”
“Mike.” He smiled. “And yours?”
“Missy.” She smiled back flirtatiously. “Can we have two beers, Mike?”