Smirt

I listened to your tape.
It was pretty fucking cool; I didn’t know you were a singer / songwriter.
Anyway, I’d be glad to meet your friend.
Just tell me a time and place.

“Who text messaged you?” Ellie tried to peek over my shoulder but I shoved my phone into my pocket and tweaked her nose. She was such a sneaky girl.

“Just a friend,” I replied. “As you can see, Joplin hasn’t changed much since you left.”

“Do you still work at that supermarket?” Her fingers laced with mine, the other holding onto a waffle cone of cookie dough ice cream.

I leaned closer, taking a small bite of the ice cream and nodded. “Yep. I still work there.”

“You really haven’t changed much,” she said wistfully. “It’s nice. New York City is all about innovation. Change happens every millisecond. I was so convinced that was what I wanted.” We passed the thrift stores and restaurants, our hands swinging back and forth. “But now that I came back, I’m not sure that I made the right choice.”

“What do you mean by that?” I traced circles onto her hand with my thumb, eyes transfixed on our hands. She was the type of person to over think every miniscule detail. It was one of the things that solidified our friendship; her honesty and similar thought process were admirable attributes. People were quick to dismiss her but I was one of the few who didn’t. Whether it was because she was a girl or young, I’m not too sure.

“When I graduated high school, I left a week after graduation. I left a half-assed goodbye note for you that I entrusted to Carter, set my goals for a fashion internship in New York, and never once looked back.” She laughed. “Sometimes I wonder what would’ve happened if I stayed.”

“Joplin wasn’t big enough for you,” I murmured as we stopped walking.

Ellie squeezed my hand. “Joplin wasn’t big enough for us.”

“Christofer Drew?” A familiar voice called out loudly, causing me to search for the source of the aforementioned voice.

It was Gavin, Dahlia’s friend and roommate, and a very embarrassed Dahlia. I immediately let go of Ellie’s hand, fingers hooking onto the back pockets of my jeans. It just felt like the right thing to do.

“Hey, Gavin. Dahlia.” As I said her full name, I winced a little. It was weird to not call her by the nickname I’d gotten accustomed to using. I turned to Ellie and rubbed the back of my neck. “Ellie, this is Gavin. He’s a friend of mine. You know Dahlia.”

Ellie smiled, nodding at both of them. She also finished her ice cream cone in a few more small bites. “Of course. Hey, I’m Ellie Turner. Chris never mentioned me, I’m guessing?”

“Not really,” Gavin said flatly. He seemed to be glaring at me. “Chris didn’t mention any Ellie Turner. Are you his friend?”

“I was his childhood best friend. I moved out of Joplin after high school to pursue fashion design and modeling in New York City.” She was proud; Ellie had really become bolder after living in the city for a short amount of time.

“That’s really cool,” Dahlia said with a small smile. I couldn’t gauge her reaction which was unnerving. What is she thinking? I really want to know. This fucking sucks.

“We’ll see you around then, Chris?” Gavin said after a few seconds of awkward silence.

I bit my lip and tried to smile but it didn’t reach my eyes. It was the most forced smile I’ve ever had to do. “Yep. I’m just going to show Ellie around town for a while longer, maybe then we can hang out.”

“Mhm. Maybe,” he replied in a tone that implied no way in hell would that happen. Dahlia was still silent, and I noticed she was fidgeting with the sleeves of her jacket. It was getting more awkward by the second and I was uncomfortable. “Let’s go, hon, we have to watch that movie now.”

Dahlia glanced at me before leaving with Gavin.

“They seem nice,” Ellie said cheerfully. “So, are we going to your apartment?”

“If you want to.” You really fucked up this time.

“We’re off to your place then.”