"Give him a punch in the arm from me. I guess I'll let it slide this time." Casey and Levi are so in love that it's gross sometimes. "I'm almost home. You'll have to help me pick out something to wear. I mean, it's Grimaldi's, not the Sonic Drive-In." I stay talking to her until she gets home and starts to raid her closet for something to wear. "You have plenty of black dresses, why not one of those?" I ask her. She taps her chin. "I think one of them would work. I just don't remember where I put it." She starts to tear apart her closet and she pulls a black piece of fabric out. "Found it!" It's a silky, black dress with chains as the straps. It's classy and sexy all in one. "I still feel bad about tonight," she says. "I can tell Levi it's okay if we don't go to Grimaldi's." Then I'd feel guilty. "No, don't worry about me. I should probably clean up around here," I say glancing around. If anything it's just dusty. "Why don't you go out? Go have fun, go hang out with your work friends. Get laid, do something." I doubt it, but I don't want her to worry about me. "Maybe I will." Soon we hang up so she can finish getting ready. I throw myself on my bed and stare at the ceiling like something interesting will come out of it. Maybe I should call Bee or Cora. Bee should be getting off work and Cora has the day off like me. Working at a second-hand store, uniquely named Donate Plus, wasn't all that fun, but the people there made it fun. Cora, the more serious one, is in her last year of college. She takes school way too seriously, but I love how level-headed she is. Bee stands in the middle ground. She loves school and is planning on going for her Master's in the Fall, but she also never turns down a party. At the Donate Plus Christmas party last year she made quite the impression on everyone with her lovely karaoke session. I group text them and ask them what they're doing tonight. Both are free and we agree to go to the new bar downtown later tonight. I kill time by cleaning around the apartment. When it gets closer to seven o'clock I start to shift around in my closet, just as Casey was doing earlier. I pull out my silky, olive green top that has a loose scoop neck. After digging out my black skinny jeans, I slip on the clothes and I pair it all with some black heels. My hair is fine enough. During high school I always wore it long and curled. When I got to college I chopped it off to where it sits on my shoulders and I usually wear it straight. I touch up my makeup, making sure nothing is out of place. I take a deep breath before grabbing my purse and keys before heading out the door to catch the bus. ~ Cora, Bee, and I are sitting at a tall table near the middle of the bar where it's dimly lit. The bar decor is very classy, everything being black with gold accents. It's on the smaller side and the crowd isn't loud or crazy. Bee takes a sip of her drink and glances around. "This place is a little too posh for me." This makes Cora laugh. "I like it. It feels sophisticated and very grown up." Bee has gone for her usual smoky eye look and her black hair is pulled back into a chic ponytail. Cora's brunette-to-honey brown hair is slightly curled and is a little longer than mine. I always wish I could pull off the light hair the way she does. "Maybe if I get fucked up enough I can forget about opening tomorrow," Bee says, holding up her now empty glass. "You open tomorrow?" I ask her. Opening requires being there at seven in the morning. I usually work Sunday through Thursday, and I close more often than open. Bee nods and Cora looks at her. "Did Lacey tell you this guy came in yesterday wanting to donate -" My mind drowns them out for a minute as I scan the place. A group of business looking guys sits at a table near ours, while another group of women on the other side of us watches them. This place is slightly underwhelming. I'm going to need another drink to make it through tonight. "The next round is on me," I tell Cora and Bee. They tell me what drinks they want and I walk over to the bar to order. It's busy, but I easily find a seat along the bar to sit at while I wait on the drinks. "Oh, and can I get one more Crown Apple shot?" I ask after telling one of the bartenders our order. He nods and gets to work on the drinks. I wait patiently and a guy appears next to me. He asks the other bartender for a Jack and Coke before sitting down. He doesn't look like the usual business type. He's got a gray button up shirt with the sleeves folded up to his elbows and he's got a slight beard, unlike the clean shaven guys around. Definitely a rugged look, but it works for him. My bartender places the drinks in front of me and I hand him my card. He quickly hands it back to me and I sign the receipt. I should probably down the shot before I go back to the girls. I take the glass, toss it back, and place it back down on the counter. The liquid burns slightly going down, but it makes me feel warm. "Long week?" the gray-shirt guy asks me. "Long life," I give him a nod. With ease I take the drinks over to our table and hand them to the girls. Bee greedily takes hers and they thank me. They continue their conversation and I stir my straw around in my drink. I love Bee and Cora, but sometimes I just really miss being home with Anthony and Casey.. "What's up, Miss Lacey? What made you want to come out tonight?" Bee asks me, bringing me out of my thoughts. I've told them about my home life, minus the things I'd rather forget. They know enough about Casey, my Aunt Jade and her family, and Anthony. "Casey had plans with her boyfriend so we couldn't do our movie night," I tell them. It sounds silly, but it's what keeps us close. Bee lets out a disgusted noise. "To be young and in love, how goddamn awful does that sound?" Bee never wants to be tied down. She's strictly career driven, and not that there's anything wrong with that, but she mentions every now and then how lonely it can get at her apartment with just her cat waiting for her. Cora nudges her. "I love it. The whole idea of falling in love, marrying the one you love, and growing old with them. I just love it all." I used to have the same mindset in high school and college, but I haven't had any luck. In college I had one relationship that lasted a whole month, and it wasn't really a relationship. Every now and then I find a one night stand, but that's only when I'm really feeling down. These are becoming depressing thoughts. I finish my drink and the girls laugh at me. "What?" I ask them. "I've never seen you drink so quickly," Cora says. "Now that's what I love," Bee says, holding her drink up. "Let's toast to a good night." We clink our glasses together and I set mine down just as one of the servers stands next to me. She flashes me a bright smile behind her red lipstick.