"Wow, tell me how you really feel," I laughed. My instincts about Farrah from day one were dead on. She and I weren't that different after all.
"Sorry. I guess after everything that went down last weekend, I finally realized I've been trying to fit in somewhere I didn't belong," she said.
"Me too," I agreed as we shared a smile.
After that, we talked about anything but Evan and his friends. I was especially interested in her parents and their writing. As we sat cross-legged on her bed, I confided that all the journals she had helped me unpack were filled with stories. She was impressed and said she wished she had gotten a lick of her parents' creativity when it came to writing. From there, our conversation shifted to books we liked and disliked. She confessed that she was considering starting a book review blog. I had no idea what that entailed, so I peppered her with questions. Her knowledge of the subject was impressive. It floored me to learn that book blogging was quite popular. We talked about it for several hours and she showed me the template she planned to use on her computer. She even volunteered to let me guest blog, which was both intimidating and exciting at the same time.
The evening slipped away as we settled in to watch scary movies and gorge on brownie sundaes. To say I had fun would be the biggest understatement ever.
Farrah and I wound up sleeping in late since we were up half the night talking and watching creepy movies. I staggered home groggy and decided to veg so I could be ready for my community service duty the following day. The distraction of hanging with Farrah had allowed me to not excessively obsess about Josh, but now that I was alone, it was all I could think about. I stood a good chance of seeing him during the week and if I was assigned with him again, I didn't know if I'd be able to handle the endless silence.
I tossed and turned that night with Josh invading my dreams as thoroughly as he had my thoughts. As I got ready Monday morning, I put more care into my appearance, refusing to acknowledge if it was more for him or me. I would have preferred to wear my hair down, but by the end of the day it would be sweltering. Rather than the scruffy T-shirt and cutoff shorts I'd worn the previous week, I pulled on a newer pair of lightweight shorts that felt uber-comfortable with a simple tank top in fluorescent pink to complete the ensemble. I had to admit
, with the tan I had recently acquired and the natural highlights running through my hair, I didn't think I looked half bad.
I was too anxious to eat a real breakfast, so I grabbed a muffin instead. My feet bounced restlessly against the floor as I counted down the minutes. I couldn't decide what I wanted more—for time to drag to delay seeing Josh or for the minutes to fly by so I could get the unknown over with. Either way, until I found out who I was going to be paired with, I was going to be a mess.
"Your friend Farrah came by this morning when you were in the shower," Buttercup said as I poured myself a steaming cup of coffee.
"She did?"
"Yeah. She said she wanted to drop off some books she found that were extras. I left them stacked on the table in the living room."
I carried my coffee and gluten-free muffin to the living room so I could check out the books Farrah had left. I gasped with pleasure when I spotted several by authors I recognized. Touched by Farrah's thoughtfulness, I knew I would have to think of a way to repay her.
"I didn't know her parents were writers," Buttercup said, sitting crossed-legged on the floor so she could browse through the books.
"Yeah, they write adult books," I said, taking a sip of my coffee.
"Adult books, huh? Maybe I'll have to check them out," she mused. "Maybe spice things up a little."
"TMI," I stated, downing the rest of my coffee.
"TMI?"
"Yeah, you know, too much information. My tender ears don't want to hear about yours and Butch's sex life."
"Sex is as natural as breathing."
I stuck my fingers in my ears. "La, la, la. I can't hear you," I sang.
She was still laughing when Butch joined us a few minutes later. After filling him in, much to my disgust, Butch and I left with fifteen minutes to spare. I was relieved that Butch was in a chatty mood. Talking filled the van with noise so my thoughts of Josh wouldn't take over. All too soon though, we were pulling into the parking lot and I was mumbling a goodbye as I headed into the office.
"Hey, Rain, how was your weekend?" Vanessa asked, handing me a new time sheet for the week.
"Really good," I answered. For the most part it had been, especially hanging out with Farrah. With the exception of the intrusive thoughts that involved Josh, and the weirdness I felt over the way things had ended between Evan and me, the weekend had been pretty amazing. "How about yours?" I asked, remembering some of my manners.
"It was very quiet, which is exactly what I needed. My ex took the boys on a camping trip, so I had the whole house to myself," she said, grinning at me.
I returned her smile. I liked Vanessa. Her easy acceptance of me was refreshing. I was kind of surprised how nice everyone was, with the exception of Mr. Closed Mouth. I guess I'd been expecting them to treat me like a criminal.
Truthfully, I was beginning to enjoy working at the patrol office until her next words ruined the moment. "You'll be teamed up with Josh today. We have another lifeguard manning his station, so he'll be all yours the whole day," she said, smiling like she had handed me a winning lottery ticket.
My face must have given away my lack of enthusiasm since her smile slipped slightly.
"Is that okay, dear?"
Not wanting to cause problems, I nodded. "That's fine," I answered, pasting a smile on my face. As fine as rolling around in ants with honey all over me, but fine.