Ellie is Cool Now

Chapter 2

I call a meeting with my LA family, Vic and Tina, at our favorite post-work bar, The Salty Dog. It's dog friendly, hence the name, and Tina has this tiny Chihuahua named Greta — after the glamorous and gorgeous star — who she wraps in silk scarves and carries in a purse and doesn't like to leave home alone at night after being gone all day.

Vic and I don't wait for Tina before ordering. Beer for him, rum and Coke for me. I don't like the taste of beer — never have. While everyone assures me that I could acquire a taste for it, I've never felt the desire to dedicate any time to that process. My lack of enthusiasm for beer made college almost as fun as high school, at least until I could legally purchase alcohol.

Vic sets our drinks on the high top table I've selected just as Tina runs up waving.

"I'm late, sorry." She cringes apologetically. Tina is always late and always super sorry about it. She hands Vic her purse, her credit card already in hand, and runs up to the bar to order.

"You still owe me a drink, you whore," he calls after her. "She never pays me back."

Greta pops her tiny tan and white head out of Tina's Louis Vuitton, her big brown eyes wide with angst. You and me both, girl.

No, I will not wander into introspective, self-pity territory. High school is behind me. Even though I'm going back, it remains behind me. This reunion is just a stupid party, like all the stupid parties in high school, and I have much cuter clothes now.

I only ever attended one party in high school, easily one of my worst memories and something I try really hard not to think about. My skin warms, my throat tightening, and I just can't. I take a long drink, blinking like the alcohol burn made me tear up and not my thoughts. Vic is involved in a mutual love fest with Greta anyway, so he doesn't even notice my almost tears.

Tina plops down on her seat, gesturing for Vic to return the pooch.

"Okay, I'm here — dish." She strokes Greta's head.

"There's nothing to dish. Andy's making me go to my reunion, and he's dangling a promotion as bait." I slump forward. Vic's eyes widen.

"And we're not celebrating because...?" he asks, incredulous and a little annoyed.

"I hated my high school. And everyone in it."

"You're so beyond high school," Tina says. The waitress walks over with her martini, and Tina does a little eyebrow cheer at me, clinking our glasses.

"Isn't it a well-known fact that high school reunions reset everyone to eighteen?" I almost whine. A little whining never hurt anyone.

"Seriously, Ellie, you write for one of the most popular shows on television," Vic says, pressing his hand to mine and squeezing. "You're fucking cool now."

"Right," I say. "I'll steal one of the Kids' Choice Awards from the office and bring it. Everyone will be so impressed by my tiny orange blimp."

"You're from like, Ohio, right?" Tina asks. She could teach a class at a community college called Valley Girl 101. It's endearing. "You're a head writer on a show that people actually watch. Actor's say the words that you write. Out loud. They're gonna think it's like, the coolest thing ever."

"I don't know, you guys," I say. "My school was mostly concerned with sports. A guy in my class has a Super Bowl ring. You really think they're going to be impressed that I write for Cooler Than You?"

"Damn, a Super Bowl ring?" Vic's eyebrows shoot up.

I groan. "See?"

"Well, whatever, the point is: You write for a show in Hollywood. Your popularity quotient has gone way up," Tina says.