Ellie stops following me. I look down at my watch. I have two minutes. But I don’t want to leave Ellie by herself.

So I stop. I cover my watch with my hand so I can’t look at it. And I wait for Ellie while she picks the yellow flowers with the black dots in the middle.

I am going to be late. I have two minutes.

But I won’t leave Ellie by herself.

She comes back and starts walking with me. She holds the flowers and twists the stems together into a knot. She isn’t smiling anymore. Her mouth is turned down again.

Then she throws the flowers into the stream by the road. Why did she pick them and then throw them away?

“Why did you do that?” I ask, pointing to the flowers in the water.

“They’re too pretty,” she said.

“Like you,” I tell her. And that makes her smile. I am glad I said it.

She looks at me and I drop my eyes. I can’t look at her. It makes me feel strange.

“I’m too pretty?” she asks, her voice rising but she is still smiling.

I nod. “You’re beautiful.”

It is true. She is the most beautiful girl I have ever seen. Much prettier than the lady on television that reads the news. She makes me feel funny inside too. But Ellie is prettier. She makes my stomach turn. I like her.

I don’t look at her though. I have to get home. I should have been home one minute ago.

But then Ellie takes my hand. I try to pull away but she won’t let me. I don’t want her to touch me. But she won’t let go.

Her fingers go between mine and it feels really strange. I don’t like people touching me. But I think I like Ellie touching me. My stomach turns again and I feel a tingling lower in my body. I have never felt that before. I don’t know what it is. It makes me nervous.

“I like you, Flynn. A lot,” she said and I look up at her. She isn’t looking at me but she is still smiling.

“I like you too, Ellie,” I said and she squeezes my hand and then drops it. My fingers curl up and I hate that she wasn’t touching me anymore.

I like it.

I like her.

A lot.

And she likes me.

I am happy.

-Ellie-

“So my lease is up at the end of November and my landlord said he’s renting it out to someone else,” Dania was saying as I counted the money in the cash register at the beginning of my shift.

I hoped my friend would leave soon. I had three chapters of reading for my English class that I had hoped to finish this evening. I then had to write a five-page essay. I was strangely excited to get started. I was finding that I loved my college class.

After I had gotten over my initial feelings of inadequacy I was able to get into the experience. And even though Casey and the others kept their distance I was too engrossed in the lessons to care about the looks I still received.

I had even done something crazy. I had spoken with the financial aid lady about whether I could afford to take more classes next semester. She had looked into it and said that the state would pay for me to take four classes. That would make me a full time student at Black River Community College.

I never thought I would be full-time anything other than possible jail inmate or JAC’s employee.

We had talked too about the possibility of my transferring to a four-year school after next semester. I had immediately shut that conversation down. While I was making the step to even consider continuing my education at the community college, talking about going on to an actual university had me close to a panic attack.

I just wasn’t emotionally ready for that kind of preparation and commitment. I was only now getting used to the idea that perhaps there was more for me than minimum wage and the prestigious honor of being Jeb’s employee of the month.

My bag toppled over, my textbook falling out onto the floor. I hastily kicked it under the counter before Dania could see it and start asking questions. I wasn’t ready to hear her unsupportive opinion.

I tried to give Dania my full attention. I couldn’t help but notice that she wasn’t looking very good. Her skin was chalky and she had dark circles under her eyes as though she hadn’t been sleeping well. Her long, dark hair, normally glossy and full of body, was lank and dull.

“So what are you going to do?” I asked her, knowing that problem solving wasn’t Dania’s strong suit. I knew I would be called on to help fix her situation. It’s what I had always done.

So why was I now feeling slightly resentful at her inability or unwillingness to figure this stuff out on her on?

Dania shrugged, grabbing a beef stick from the glass jar and peeling the plastic back. She took a bite and gagged, dropping it on the counter. “That tastes awful!” she blanched.

I picked up her discarded snack and put it in the trash. “Try one of these. You’ll like it,” I said, handing her a raspberry flavored sucker.

She popped it into her mouth and smiled around the candy. “Thanks, Ells,” she said, smiling genuinely.

She hopped up onto the counter, letting her legs dangle. “I don’t know what I’m going to do. I’ve got nowhere else to go. I don’t know why Mr. Lewis is being such an asshole! How can he go to sleep at night knowing he’s kicking a pregnant woman out on the streets?” she fumed.

I could hazard a guess as to why Mr. Lewis was more than eager to see my friend find somewhere else to live. Dania’s penchant for not paying rent probably made it pretty easy for him to toss her on her backside.

But I’d never tell her that. “I can help you look for a place if you want,” I suggested less than eagerly, closing the register and switching on the security monitor.

“Or…” Dania began, giving me a look I knew all too well.

It was a look that meant only trouble.

For me.

“Or what?” I prompted.

“We could look for a place together. It would be like old times, Ells! Come on!” Dania urged, her face lighting up.

I suppressed the urge to groan. The last thing I wanted was to share a space with my best friend. Aside from her inability to pay her bills, her penchant for bringing home random men and excessive amounts of recreational drug and alcohol use didn’t make her an ideal roommate.

Even though she had been the only person to help me out after I had come out of juvie, it wasn’t a time in my life I cared to repeat. I had hated living with her. Aside from the reasons already mentioned, she was also a bitch to deal with on a regular basis. I could handle her dramatics and mood swings when I had my own space to disappear to at the end of the day. Being around her 24/7 could very well push me over the edge.

When I didn’t answer with equal enthusiasm, Dania’s face clouded darkly. “I get it. I help you out when you need it but I shouldn’t expect it in return. That’s fine. At least I know where our friendship stands.”

She was angry. And angry Dania was an irrational and scary Dania.

“Don’t be like that. I’ve just worked really hard to get my own place. You know that. I don’t do well living with other people. Having to share a room for my entire life makes me possessive of my own space,” I tried to reason. But Dania wasn’t listening.

She hopped off the counter. “I’m in a fucking bind here, Ellie. You think I want to have to grovel at your feet for help? But I have nowhere to fucking go! I’m almost five months pregnant!” She poked her belly hard. “What the hell am I supposed to do if my own best friend won’t help me out?” Her voice had become shrill and borderline hysterical.

“Of course I’ll help you, Dania. Don’t be stupid,” I said, feeling the familiar exhaustion of having to deal with her temper tantrums setting in.

“Don’t make me your charity case, Ellie!” she spat, knocking a canister of gum off the counter, sending it crashing to the floor.