Never one to beat around the bush for too long, Alice got right to it. “You went to Bette last night, didn’t you?”

Defeated, Tina put the juice down, sat at the kitchen table and sighed. “What if I did?”

“Ah-ha!” Alice exclaimed, victorious. She quickly sat next to Tina. “So dish! Why did you go there so late? What happened? What did she say?”

Should I tell her about the baby? NahI can’tnot yet. Tina began to pick at the bottom of her shirt, watching her fingers pull at the material. “I-I just went there to talk. I don’t know why I did, but I did.”

“And?”

Tina looked at Alice with misty tears in her eyes. “She wasn’t home.”

Alice’s jaw dangled somewhere between her knees. “What? Where the fuck could she have” Alice trailed off. “Oh.” For a second, Alice’s heart bled for Tina, but then her common sense kicked in. “Wait. Wait a minute before we all jump to conclusions here. Wh-what if she was at Kit’s o-or working really late at the C.A.C.? There’s more than one possibility T.”

Tina shook her head. “No. I know where she went. In my heart I know.”

“Has she called?” Alice asked, taking one of Tina’s hands in her own.

Tina shook her head. “No.” Before she had a chance to fall to pieces, her glance caught the clock on Alice’s microwave. 9:49. “Shit.” Tina hissed, standing up. “I’m gonna be late.”

Confused by the sudden change, Alice just stared at Tina while she quickly grabbed a glace and poured juice, downing the whole thing in one gulp before running out of the kitchen. After gathering her bearings, Alice got up and went to the living room, where Tina was picking out (hopefully) clean clothes from the mess that lay around the apartment. “Uh, T? What’s going on here? What are you gonna be late for?”

“Not important.” Tina answered as she ran to the bathroom to change.

Alice stood in front of the door, shaking her head in sheer confoundedness. “It must be important if it’s making you move faster than you have in months T.K. What is it?”

In what seemed like seconds, the bathroom door opened and a dressed and groomed Tina came out, scanning the room for her purse. “I have to go, but I’ll see you later at the Planet, okay?”