Falling From Life

3

            We walk out of Starbucks sipping our drinks. We decided to match today so we're both wearing sweaters, hers pink, mine black, with skinny jeans, hers almost white, mine dark grey, knee high boots, hers brown, mine black, and we're both wearing white coats that went down to our knees. We both have on oversized sunglasses that we just bought. I had my hair in a ponytail and she had hers half up half down. We're headed to get our nails done.

           "Winter is my favorite season." I say randomly. I kick some of the snow that had accumulated, just over a foot overnight, but it's already been cleared from the roads and sidewalks.
         
            "I know, remember when we were like 7 and we'd play in the snow even though I hate the cold?" We laugh remembering how she'd cry when I put snow anywhere near her.

             "Those were good times, we were like Silver and Shaylee before they existed." She giggles and we walk into the nail salon.

              Viviann looks at the colors while I ask the clerk if they do acrylics. She tells me they do and gives me a list of all the kinds they do. She leads me over to the ladies who were going to do our nails. I ask for matte black coffin shaped nails while Viviann just gets her regular French tips done.

              "So where to next Viv?" I ask.

              "Probably out from the mall, we've been here for hours, I'm hungry." She pats her stomach with her free hand and I laugh.

               "Knowing you probably Cracker Barrel, right?" I giggle as she nods taking another sip of her drink. Her phone buzzes and she pulls it out of her pocket. She smiles at it as she taps furiously on the screen, "who's that? Jacob?" I wiggle my eyebrows at her.

               "Shut up!" She laughs, blushing.

               "It is him!" I laugh, "what's he saying to make you smile like an idiot?"

               "He called me pretty..." I smile wider.

               "He's not wrong, babe" I wink at her and take a sip of my drink. We had picked up calling each other "babe" or "sis" because of Trinitee. She would always call us her babes and we've always felt like sisters. I sit there smiling while Viviann types on her phone. I start thinking about my chosen family, they've always been so good to me and my sisters.

                After they finish our nails and we pay, we get in Viv's car and head to Cracker Barrel. On the way there we blast the only song we can agree on which is Better Now by Post Malone. We repeat it the whole way there singing every word. When we go inside and head toward our table, I see Sarah with another boy toy, so I keep my head down. Luckily we got seated a ways away from her.

                "That bitch is here and she doesn't even have my fucking sisters." I say quietly but loud enough for Viviann to hear.

                 "She is? Where? What the heck? Do we need to leave?" She looks concerned at me as we sit down. When I shake my head, we order our drinks we discuss my mother.

                 "Normally she brings Silver and Shaylee everywhere. We need to stop by my house on the way back to make sure they're ok, is that ok? I'm not asking you to stay, I know it makes you uncomfortable being there." Our houses are completely different, hers was large and white outside and colorful, bright, and inviting inside. Mine is worn down and grey outside, painted dark grey inside, and reeked of alcohol.

               "You know I can't babe, I'm sorry."

I look at her knowingly and nod, "I promise it's ok, I know. I'll be back tonight. School tomorrow, remember?" She nods, "Do you mind if I bring the girls over too?"

               She nodded, "Of course, you know they're always welcome at home. We want them out of there remember?" The waitress decides to come back right at that moment to take our orders.

               As we eat we change the topic to lighter things. "Look at him! Hes delicious!" Viviann says as she shows me a shirtless picture of Jacob on the beach. I laugh at her.

              "Not my type, now Gerard Way... HE is delicious." She laughs at me and keeps looking at him.

              "I think hes gonna ask me out." She says quietly and I grin.

              "He better, I'll whoop his ass!" We both laugh as we get up to go pay.