Alice looked outside her window to see Dana pulling up the driveway. *****, she cursed. Quickly, she walked away from the window so she wouldnt be seen. She pretended to be busy with something in the kitchen, fiddling with a vase full of flowers as she waited for the doorbell to ring. When it did, she casually called out, Come on in, its open.

Dana peeked her head inside the door, scoping things out, and when she saw Alice, she took a sharp intake of breath.

Hey Al, how are you? Dana put her luggage out of the way by the door.

Fine. You? Alice hid half of her face behind the flowers, a mixture of nervousness and anger on the verge of blowing through the petals.

Good. Am I the first to arrive? Dana looked around the empty house.

Of course. You were always so punctual, huh? Thats one good quality about you.

Are you being sarcastic? Dana took it upon herself to take the flowers from Alice and put them on the coffee table before sitting on the couch. Alice rolled her eyes.

Werent always the quickest, though.

Danas head spun around and the glare she shot Alice burned through the back of her head. Alice knew not to turn around for a few minutes. If there was one thing she had learned during their off again on again relationship over the last few years, it was the looks Dana could shoot, sometimes better than her tennis serve.

Is that how you want this to be? Dana asked.

How I want what to be? Alice rummaged through the cupboards.

When everyone gets here? Are we going to hate each other?

Alice finally turned around, dreading Danas stare. It was those eyes that first attracted Alice to Dana, and later, it was those eyes that caused Alice so much pain. She remembered the last time she allowed Dana to once again bombard her life, just two months ago. It ended a month and a half later. They didnt usually last long, beginning as a collected storm that unleashed tamed passion but took a turn for the worse, a tidal wave flattening everything in sight.