Page 20 of One More Weekend

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One of myfavorite parts of working for her was how much like a colleague she treated me. She never made me feel like a baby who didn’t understand what I was doing. Instead, I felt like she could see me in her position in just a few years.

There was still no response. After all, Tommy was a busy woman.

With a groan and peek over my shoulder, I moved my cursor over to the search bar. My location was set to anything within50 miles of New York City. Clicking in, I scrolled down the list. Denver, Colorado; Washington, D.C.; Austin, Texas.

But then I froze as the cursor stopped on Los Angeles, California.Home.

Biting my lip, I lifted my finger to press down on the option.

I could just look.

“Alright, let’s blow this popsicle stand.” Sy groaned from behind me.

I slammed my laptop shut and popped up from my chair. “Awesome.” Of course, Sy knew I was considering leaving, it wasn’t a secret. But I didn’t want to make it real for her until I was sure.

Even my goodbye tour was really just an excuse to spend my free time with my best friend. Fuck, Ellis Island hadn’t felt like a goodbye at all. Not until I got home to the unpaid electricity bill. Then it felt like time to kick the can.

Shaking it off, I packed up my backpack and we started the long walk home. It was hot outside, forcing me to strip off the thrifted flannel I’d thrown on and tie it around my waist.

We talked about Sy’s regulars at the shop, and all of their strange neurosis, until we got to our block, hurtled up the insane walk-up, and tossed our bags inside.

I tossed some leftovers in the microwave while Sy showered and got dressed before doing my own makeup and shoveling food into my mouth.

We were ready to go, like a well-oiled machine, within a couple hours.

Sy wore a button-down with the top-most buttons undone, exposing her sternum and soft chest.

I settled on a skirt that showed off my legs and an old band tee from college.

Hoping to avoid a boring bus trip to the west village, Sy pulled out two shot glasses that we bought from a thrift store when we first moved in. “

Vodka or tequila?” She asked as she reached under the bar cabinet, grabbing the tequila for herself. This was always the question: was I ready for chill and sultry or a little wild?

“Tequila, please.” Nodding, I knew it would make the night more fun regardless of how it ended up.

Sy smiled and chuckled, as she poured our shots. “Oh, it's that kind of night?” Used to my antics, Sy knew exactly what tequila meant: me on the dance floor making an absolute fool of myself while begging her to join me.

“Well if I'm gonna leave the Big Apple, I don't have to worry about burning any sapphic bridges.” I reached out and took my shot from her hand.

On the count of three, we clinked our glasses and threw our heads back, swallowing the bitter liquid before heading out the door.

We didn't bother cleaning up our glasses, knowing there was a chance that our night would turn into a disaster and we’d want another drink when we got home.

I started to feel the shot in my chest twenty minutes after we left the house. Within seconds my confidence shot through the roof of the MTA bus. Suddenly my breakup didn’t feel all that bad. Clay had no idea what she was missing out on. But frankly, she was the last person I could think about.

Instead, I looked over at Sy, bopping her head along to the music some dude was blasting out of a speaker. It was hard to imagine this could be my last summer partying across town with my best friend.

But the longer my search for a job became, the possibility that I could find a position before my savings ran out or the lease renewal was shrinking. And I wasn't sure that New York wasworth going into insane credit card debt just to keep myself here a little while longer.

I wasn't even sure Iwantedto stay here past my twenties.

Before I could find an end to my spiral, the bus ground to a halt and Sy nudged me. “This is us.”

Following along, we hopped off the bus and down the street.

We took the walk quickly, only a few blocks from the bar's entrance. Plus we’d decided on some more practical footwear: me in my Docs and Sy opting for a fresh pair of sneakers.

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