ELEVEN - Sam-I-Am - Pt. 1

Lana invited me to brunch on Sunday morning.

I was exhausted, and my bed felt a lot more comfortable than a stuffy overpriced brunch place, but she wouldn't take no for an answer. "I'll pay!" she offered on the phone. "Just come!"

So I dragged myself out of bed, put my hair up in a bun, and made the trek into town.

We met up at the nicest restaurant in Arlington. It was on an offshoot of Main Street and absolutely full of old ladies. This was a place that served tiny finger sandwiches and mimosas in gold-tipped champagne flutes—not that I ordered one. I had had enough alcohol for one day.

Lana was waiting for me at a seat in the front of the restaurant next to a beautiful bay window framed in white wood. She was bathed in the morning light; it dappled her skin with golden streaks, playing up the contrast of her long black hair.

"How's your hangover?" she asked with a grin as I took a seat.

"I'm not hung over," I said, holding up a hand defensively. "I only had two drinks last night. Promise. I'm just tired from being out so late."

"I'm sorry for assuming," Lana said, peering at the menu. "You just seemed a lot spunkier last night. I thought it was the alcohol."

I know, I thought, remembering some of my bolder moves with dread. I couldn't believe I had dragged Alex away from Billy to dance with me. I could feel the heat rising to my cheeks.

Lana must have seen me flush, and added quickly, "You didn't do anything embarrassing! You just were more assertive. I liked it." She grinned. "And it all worked out. I got to dance with Billy and it was all thanks to you."

"I'm glad something worked out last night," I mumbled, sipping a glass of ice water.

Lana frowned. "Are you all right? I was hoping this was going to be a celebratory brunch."

I rubbed my face with my hands. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to be a Debbie Downer. But I think you were right. I'm lonely. And last night just made me acutely aware of that fact." I drummed my fingers on the menu. "I danced with Peter."

Lana's jaw dropped. "Thatcher? Wait—are you into him?"

"No," I said quickly. "I ended up dancing with him because I couldn't put up with anyone else. You and Billy were paired up. Taylor and Clarissa were off somewhere. I just needed an escape."

Lana wrinkled her nose. "Really? I thought you and Alex were hitting it off."

I let out a short laugh. "As soon as I stepped away, Valerie was all over him. And he didn't seem to mind."

Lana shook her head. "Valerie was so drunk last night. Like, incredibly drunk. I'm not sure Alex was into it."

"I don't believe you," I mumbled. "He seemed pleased enough when she dragged him away." I pressed my hand on my face. "Why do girls do that? Act like they're your friend and then just... fuck things up for you."

"Karma's a bitch. She'll get what's coming to her."

I sighed. "I shouldn't even be that mad at her. I'm not sure Alex and I are right together. I think it was just a tipsy fantasy."

"Are you sure?" Lana asked. "Don't forget: you get a reward at the end of all of this. Is Alex not tempting?"

"No offence, but I'd rather not have to use magic to make a guy like me."

"It wouldn't take much, though! I promise." Lana's eyes had changed now; there was a sparkle, a new focus in their dark depths. It was as if she were talking about a makeover instead of mind control. "I'd do a few simple nudges here and there and he'd be all over you. It'd be so subtle that it'd stay within the boundaries of free will too, so it'd totally count."

"Sometimes I forget you're the Devil," I said. "And then, it's moments like these that it all comes rushing back." I shook my head. "Don't worry about me. Just focus on Billy. I'll figure my love life out eventually."

"Fine, I'll drop it." Lana laced her fingers together. "But speaking of Billy..."

What followed was an in depth play-by-play of the party: How Billy had looked, what he had done, how Lana had responded, and what she had been thinking in the moment. It was quite endearing to see her eyes light up as she went over every little detail.

Although I listened, half of my mind was elsewhere. I had forgotten about my reward at the end of all of this. What did I want? Was it a boyfriend? Or maybe it was some other form of companionship, so I could stop feeling like a third wheel all the time? Or maybe all I really needed at the end of this was a puppy...

I found myself getting worked up the more I thought about it. So eventually I let those thoughts fade away and just watched Lana gush. But I couldn't help be just a bit jealous at the way her eyes glazed over and the way her words rushed out of her mouth and the way her skin flushed pink, wishing that I also had someone to pine after.

On Monday, everyone seemed to be talking about Alex's party. I expected Lana to join in on the conversation in homeroom, but she seemed lost in her own world. She was scribbling in that little black notebook of hers—something I hadn't seen since she before we had agreed on our deal.

"What are you writing?" I asked her.

She looked up. "I need to get all my thoughts in order for this afternoon."

The plan for this afternoon was to hang out with Sam and—hopefully—Billy by proxy. "Why do you need notes for that?"

Lana put down her pen, glanced over to make sure Billy was deep in conversation with someone else, and then said, "I need to have conversation topics ready. I can't do music again—too repetitive. And we'll be at his house this time. So it has to be just right." She appraised the list. "Is asking him about the weather too cliché?"

"Dear God, please don't do that."

"Dear God isn't concerned with this matter," Lana said, returning to her notes with a smile.

I rolled my eyes and scanned the room. I had picked up a coffee for Taylor this morning, but she wasn't in yet. Neither was Valerie, now that I was getting a good look around.

"Taylor and Valerie are both running late," I mumbled to Lana.

"I'm sure Taylor's fine," Lana said, still scribbling in her notebook. "But Valerie..." She paused and made a faux sad face. "Valerie got a really bad case of food poisoning. She's been puking all night, poor thing."

I paused, staring at Lana's expression. "Where did you hear this from?"

"Everyone knows about it," Lana said, as if it was common knowledge. Then, lowering her voice added, "and I also might have been involved."

My jaw dropped. "Into the hall," I hissed. "With me. Now!"

Lana stared at me, confused, but put down her notebook and joined me outside the classroom.

Once we were away from the prying eyes of our classmates, I hissed, "Lana, have you gone crazy! You can't poison someone!"

"It's a 24-hour stomach bug," Lana said, trying to calm me down. "She'll be right as rain tomorrow. It's just a bit of karma—I told you it was going to catch up with her, and I just hastened it along." She grinned. "Come on, you have to admit that the thought of her puking all day is hilarious."

There definitely was a part of me that felt a little justified that Valerie had gotten what was coming to her, but I still didn't feel better. "Lana, you can't do things like this—"

"She made you feel like shit, so she deserves to feel like shit. Fair is fair."

"Still, it's... it's not right."

"But I did it for you!" Lana said. "So you don't have to worry. It's all legal in the eyes of the Lord."

"I didn't ask you to, though," I said, running my hand through my hair. "Maybe your intentions were good, but please don't use your magic on my behalf again."

Lana puffed out her cheeks, looking mildly annoyed. "Ugh fine. I won't use my powers for you again. I'll be 'good.'" Then, deeming the conversation over, she turned to go back into the classroom.

I was about to follow her back inside, but I paused when I saw Taylor approaching from down the hall.

"Hey!" I said, waving at her. "I got you a coff..." But I trailed off because Taylor was already carrying a clear plastic iced coffee cup.

"Sorry I'm late," Taylor said once she was closer. "I had such a crazy morning."

"You stopped by the café?" I asked, pointing at her cup. "I'm surprised I didn't see you waiting in line. We must have just missed each other."

"Actually, I woke up really early and got there almost two hours ago," Taylor admitted. "I wanted to grab Clarissa a muffin, but I had to leave enough time to get it to her place, and she lives all the way in Willis so..."

"You drove all the way out to Willis at 6am to give her a muffin?" I asked in disbelief.

She nodded. "Yeah, it was a trek. But I caught her just before she boarded the bus and it was so worth it." She grinned.

I suddenly felt weird that I had gotten Taylor a coffee—now that she had a girlfriend, maybe I wasn't supposed to be doing that anymore?

"I actually got this for you," I said, showing her the cup.

Taylor frowned. "Oh shit. I'm sorry Jessa. I should have told you I was going this morning."

"It's fine. Do you want it? I know you just had a mocha so—"

"Actually," Taylor said, holding up her half-completed drink. "I changed it up today and got an iced chai. Clarissa got one on Saturday, and it was so good. She actually doesn't drink coffee—she prefers tea—so I figured I'd give it a try."

"Wow," I said. In all the time I'd known Taylor, mocha iced coffees had been her thing. She had never strayed from her order, evenduring the winter months when iced coffee didn't make much sense. "Clarissa really seems to have made an impression on you."

"She did! She's amazing." She sipped her drink. "By the way, I didn't get a chance to ask you—what do you think of her?"

A lump materialized in my throat. "Well," I said, trying to find something truthful to say that also wouldn't jeopardize our friendship. "She is really pretty."

"I know!" Taylor said, her voice half a gush. "I don't know how I got her."

The words You deserve so much better were on the tip of my tongue, but I pressed my lips together, keeping them to myself. Instead, I asked, "Did you guys have fun at the party?"

"Yeah. I mean, she didn't know anyone there, so I think it was a bit awkward for her... but she'll get to know my friends over time."

Over time. The words echoed through my head. "So you're planning on seeing her again."

"Oh yeah. We have tentative plans for tomorrow afternoon."

"Nice," I said, giving her a smile. But I knew it didn't reach my eyes. I was hoping that Clarissa would screw up enough on their next date that Taylor would see they were a bad fit and end things.

"But anyway," Taylor said, starting to head inside the classroom, "that's jumping ahead to tomorrow. I'm excited to be hanging out with you, Lana, and Sam this afternoon. I think the last time all four of us hung out was my birthday."

"Yeah," I said, mustering a smile as I took a sip of Taylor's rejected iced mocha. "I'm looking forward to that too."

- - -

Okay, I know this is bad... but I kind of love that Lana decided to poison Valerie. Is that bad of me? Also, what do you think about Taylor and her new girlfriend? Let me know your thoughts :) ~Bdicocco