“Hello?”

“Rise and sunshine, sweetheart!”

“What?”

“Its time to go to work.”

“Huh?”

“Serena, are you awake?”

I sat up looking at the clock. 7:30.

“Nooo,” I moaned.

“Whats wrong?”

“It was a dream. A damn dream!”

“Must have been a good one.”

“You have no idea.”

Laughter from my best friend, Veronica Session, filled my ears.

*****

As I dragged myself inside the house, closing the door, my phone rang. I was to lazy to pick it so I let the machine take a message. I kicked my shoes off and threw my briefcase on the table as I sat down on the couch. I sighed as my body relaxed for the first time all day. There was a knock on the door.

“Come in,” I yelled from my seat.

It was her.

“Hi,”she said shyly.

She stood by the door.

“Im not the one who bites, Evan. You can come further in,” I smiled.

Folding her leg underneath her, Evan sat next to me on the couch sideways.

“Tired?”

“Yeah, first day at work.”

“How was it?”

“You dont want to know. A lot of boring stuff.”

“I want to know everything about you,” she said looking me in the eye.

I stared at her not believing she was real. No one had ever asked how my day was before. None of my girlfriends.

“Okay,” I smiled.

I recounted everything I did that day to a more than eager to listen teenage girl, who was quickly becoming a friend.

*****

If I got to tell it, then Im gonna tell it all. I was falling for Evan-Marie Porter-Kennard. It had gotten so bad that I was reduced to writing our names on my legal pad to see how they looked together. I knew it was idiotic. I was a grown woman falling for a girl. And I couldnt hide it.

“Hello.”

“Are you gonna yell at me again? If so Ill hang up now.”

It was my ex again.

“No, Reyna. Im not gonna scream at you.”

“Wow, that sure is a dramatic attitude change. So I take it life is going good for you in Cali.”

“Yeah…its gonna good.”

“Youre smiling right now, arent you?”

“What?”

“Dont deny it. I can hear it in your voice.”