“Driver? You better watch your mouth, or I’ll drop you off at the bus station.” She cocked an eyebrow at me and smiled. “...Let you hang out with all the creeps who like to stay up late on a school night.”
I narrowed my eyes and smiled back. “You wouldn’t do that to your bestest friend in the whole wide world.”
Kaitlyn turned the key and the engine made a soft purring noise. It was nice to sit in her plush and reliable BMW. It was nothing like the temperamental beast I drove around town. There was a special kind of comfort that went along with not worrying over whether the car would start.
“You should quit that job, anyway.” she said. “It’s not like they’re paying you enough for all the work they give you.”
She was right. I had been with the firm for almost three years, and I hadn’t seen a single raise. My responsibilities, my workload, and even my workspace had expanded, but my pay stayed the same.
Too bad it wasn’t that simple. And for as sweet and good-hearted as she was, Kaitlyn seemed to struggle with the concepts of hard work and responsibility. She was a “trust fund baby” through and through and when you paired that with her angelic face and perfect little body, it was easy to see how she found the world at her feet.
“So, I guess that means I can move in with you?” I quipped, “Because, without that job there’s no way I’m making my rent. Let alone the electricity, the gas, my phone…”
“Okay, okay…” she said.
“The credit cards, my student loans…” I continued.
“I get it!” she yelled. Her face was apologetic, but her eyes still made the point.
“I know what you’re saying,” I said. “But, it’s just too crazy right now. When things calm down a little bit, I’ll ask for a raise.”
“You could always come work for my dad,” she said. “He would hire you in a second.”
“I really appreciate it; it’s just…”
“I know,” she said. “You like to do your own thing. I respect that, but the offer still stands.”
As the car rolled down the rain-soaked street, I let my mind wander to less stressful times. Things would have been easier if everything hadn’t fallen apart. Kevin wasn’t the best guy on the planet but he had always been there for me… Until the day he wasn’t.
It had been six months since things ended. I caught him browsing Tinder on his phone… And a quick swipe through his recent text messages told me everything I needed to know about his extra-curricular activities…
Kevin tried to tell me he could change. Unabashedly, he begged me to stay. He talked about our future together and what I would be throwing away as if he was presenting a case in the courtroom. There was talk of the time we had already invested, of how he was going to be getting a huge promotion soon, and how hard it was going to be to split up now that we had put all of the bills in both of our names. Like the fact that the fucking gym membership was a joint account would be enough to convince me to stay.
I wondered how long he’d been cheating on me, and how much that contributed to the way I’d been feeling about our relationship. It was a betrayal I could never forgive.
Kaitlyn was prattling on about some reality tv thing she was into, but I couldn’t focus on it. It didn’t matter though, because the girl barely stopped talking long enough to take a breath. She never noticed when I wasn’t listening.
I let my hips sink back into the heated seat and propped my forehead against the cold window.
“Remember Kevin?” I asked, cutting her off mid-sentence.
“Uh, yeah… you mean the Kevin who had the personality of a wet paper bag?”
“The Kevin that spent more time messing with his fantasy football stuff than he did paying attention to you?”
“I…”
“The same Kevin that you said fucked like he was on horse tranquilizers? The Kevin who had booty calls in every city he visited on business?” She rolled her eyes as she spat my own words back at me.
“Well, I mean, he’s been calling me again… He wants to be with me, and he’s finally about to make partner at the firm,” I replied quietly.
“Bria! C’mon, are you serious? That guy was… just… sad. I mean, really, he-,”
She must have noticed the frustration on my face because she cut herself off.
“Listen, Kevin might have the looks and the money, but he was a capital A Asshole. You should put yourself out there before you even think about going back to him. You owe it to yourself to try because you can do WAY better.”
I wanted to defend myself but she was right. I hadn’t given the single life a fair chance, and truthfully, I needed much more than the promise of a warm body lying next to me every night.