“Jerri! Jerri Conner, is that really you!?”

Jaycee walks into the Planet and is immediately taken off guard by someone yelling her name from across the room.

            “Jesus Christ, Carmen? No ones called me by that in years.”

            “Oh, I’m sorry, “Jaycee,” Carmen says sarcastically. “How have you been? I haven’t seen you in here before. What are you doing here?”

            “I’m great. I’m supposed to be meeting up with a friend here in a bit. How have you been…wait a minute! What happened?” Jaycee asks pointing out Carmen’s cut on her lip and the black eye she was trying to conceal behind oversized sunglasses.

            “Oh, um… I fell…” Carmen lied, remembering her old friend had a very bad temper.

Jaycee looked at her skeptically and said, “Must have been a big fall.”

Not wanting to talk about it anymore, Carmen changes the subject, “Since you’re waiting for your friend, why don’t you join me and my friends until she gets here?

            “Okay,” Jaycee responds as she’s led to a table of women.

            “Jaycee, this is Bette Porter, Alice Piezeki, and Jenny Sheckter,” Carmen introduced as she pointed each of her friends out. “You guys, this is Jaycee. We went to high school together.”

            “Hey good lookin’,” Alice says winking with a big smile and raised eyebrows.

            “Hey yourself,” Jaycee responds with a wink and a smile.

            “Hi, Jaycee. It’s nice to meet you” Bette says extending her hand.

Jaycee shakes Bette’s hand saying, “ Nice to meet you too.”

            “Hi, Jennifer Sheckter”

            “Are you Jennifer Sheckter as in the writer, Jennifer Shecter?” Jaycee exclaims with a surprised look on her face.

            “Yes.” Jenny states proudly.

“Wow, I’ve read all of your books!”

“Really?”

“Pffft… No.”

Everyone laughs except for Jenny.

            “So, Jaycee, are you still doing the same job that got into during senior year?”

            “Yeah,” Jaycee responds with an uneasy laugh and then looks up towards the door and sees Shane come in. The tattooed woman gets up and waves her over to the table.