As Dana was trying unsuccessfully to understand what had just happened, the realization of what Alice had just done was finally sinking in to her own head. She tried her best to explain to her friends that the Methylphenidate she just started was mostly responsible for her Tourettes-like performance, but she knew they were all disappointed in her for the little outburst nonetheless. Hell, she was disappointed in herself. All she wanted to do was walk into The Planet, say hello to Dana, and force herself to sit there and get used to being around the athlete again. But instead, she lost all self-restraint when she saw Lara’s hand on Dana’s knee and reverted back into “Crazy Old Outburst Alice.” It was a giant step backwards into a place she had struggled to leave behind her. While she admitted that she was still relying on the pills to get her through the day, she had curbed her drinking considerably and hadn’t had a mishap like that in months. Of course, she was sure that seeing Dana again had something to do with it. But Alice knew she had to give herself more credit than that. It wasn’t Dana that she couldn’t be around, it was all the mixed up, convoluted, erratic feelings she had that were overwhelming her to the point of exploding. She wanted desperately to be okay with Dana, and even with Dana’s dating Lara. After all, the athlete was supposed to be her best friend. And under any other circumstances, Alice would be thrilled that Dana seemed happy. But this wasn’t like all those times before, and Alice was having trouble finding it in her heart to accept the way things had turned out. Something inside of her just wouldn’t let it be.

“Listen guys, I gotta go,” Alice interrupted Tina’s explanation of the new Mommy & Me group she and Bette had enrolled Angelica in.

“Wait, Al, you just got here,” Shane lamented. She had noticed how spaced out Alice looked since Dana ran off with Lara in tow and was honestly afraid of what her friend was planning to do next.

“I know, I’m sorry guys. Maybe I’ll have better luck at this tomorrow.”

“Alice,” Tina began, “you don’t have to leave because of what just happened. It’s okay, we understand you’re going through a lot right now and we still love you.” Tina reached across the table and placed her hand over Alice’s. It was a simple gesture, but perhaps all the writer needed to reassure her that her friends weren’t going to abandon her like she had feared.