Intertwined

“Ugh.” Pe

Mary A

Mary A

She knew why she was the way she was, but that just made her determination to be the “good girl” worse. She and her dad only had each other, and she hated to disappoint him. Which made her friendship with Pe

Pe

“Could you please, please, please call in sick?” Pe

When she flashed that smile this time, Mary A

Pe

“But that wouldn’t teach me responsibility or the value of a hard-earned dollar.”

“God, you’re quoting him now.” A shudder rocked Pe

A laugh escaped Mary A

“Oh, yeah. The fifteen-year plan I can’t get you to rethink no matter what temptation I throw your way.” Pe

“I can guess what you’ll be doing tonight. Or rather, who. Grant Harrison.” The pair had been on and off for six months. Currently they were off, but that didn’t stop them from hooking up. “Besides, there’s nothing wrong with a little preparation.”

“Little. Ha! I suspect you have your life mapped out to the second. You probably even know what underwear you’ll be wearing in three years, five hours, two minutes and eight seconds.”

“A black lace thong,” Mary A

That gave Pe

And all that coverage was a bad thing? “Honestly, I don’t have everything pla

“You said anal.” Pe

Slowly Mary A

Upon her release, the Gray household had fallen into a spiral of sadness, Mary A

When she’d told him she thought she might like to be a clinical psychologist like him, he’d smiled as if he’d just won the lottery. He’d hugged her. Spun her around, and laughed for the first time in months. No way she could’ve chosen a different path after that. No matter how much she hated studying. Still. Now she couldn’t imagine herself being anything other than a doctor of the mind. And for Pe

“Let’s talk about something else,” she said stiffly.

“Great. I’ve pissed you off, haven’t I?”

“No.” Yes. Maybe. Usually, they stayed away from the topic of her mother. Though several years had passed, the memories were sometimes too fresh, too raw. “I’d just prefer it if you looked out for your future, not mine.”

Pe

“Okay, okay.” She laughed, the silly images her friend’s words evoked soothing her. “You’re forgiven.”

“Thank God. But seriously, girl. You really made me work for that one, and you know how I hate to work for anything.” Gri

Mary A

“No need. I’m indestructible.”

“You wish,” she said with a grin. But her amusement faded as a short but forceful gust of wind nailed her in the chest. She rubbed the spot just above her heart and gazed around.

That stray wind hadn’t seemed to affect anyone else.

Only one other time had she ever felt such a strong kick. Her stomach began to churn.

“If you won’t put the cigarette out for you, then put it out for me,” she said. “I don’t want to return to work smelling like an ashtray.”

“I have a feeling your roses will love you, anyway,” her friend said dryly and took another drag. “Take pity on me. I’ve been stressed and I need this.” As she spoke, she flicked the ashes on the pavement, attention wandering.

“What have you been stres—”

“Oh, oh, oh. Boy. Three o’clock. He just sat down at the table across from ours. Dark hair, movie-star face and muscles. Dear God, the muscles. Best part, he’s totally scoping you. Best part for you, that is. Why isn’t he scoping me, too?”

Mary A