Page 84 of Plight
Danielle: Like what? Like me?
Bloody hell! She possessed more defence than a porcupine. I should put her on my legal team.
Elliot: You know what I mean. You’re dismissing me. I want to talk to you. Will you answer the phone if I call again?
Danielle: Fine.
Dialling her number yet again, relief flooded me when she answered … until I heard her tone of voice.
“Make it quick. I only have a minute. A customer just came into the store.”
“Should I call back then?”
“No. You didn’t really need to call in the first place.”
“What are you talking about? Of course I needed to call. You’re upset. I want to fix this.”
“Elliot, let’s just say it like it is.”
I shook my head, confused. “Like what is?”
“Look. I can’t talk. I have to go.”
“Danielle, like what is?”
She didn’t answer before disconnecting the call, which left me sat there, dumbfounded, staring at my phone, the screen lighting up when her incoming message flashed across the screen.
Danielle: Friends should never fuck.
WHAT?
Shit! My plan had backfired.
Fuck!
Fuck!
Fuck!
As soon as I wasable to leave the office, I did, and drove like a perfectly legal madman to the Essendon Football Club merchandise store, catching Danielle as she was locking up.
“Danielle!” I called out, slamming my car door shut in my hurry to stop her from leaving without seeing me.
She spun around, startled, a gust of wind blowing her hair around her like a fan at an 80s hairband concert. “Elliot, what are—”
“You’re right,” I said, interrupting her, a little puffed from my jog. “Friends shouldn’t fuck.”
Her chin trembled for the slightest of seconds, distracting me from finishing what I had to say, which was at the exact moment my stupid phone rang, displaying Rebecca’s name.
“Sorry.” I cringed, knowing I had to answer it so held up my finger, apologising. “I have to get this. I’ll just be a minute.”
Turning around, I answered the call. “Hello, Rebecca.”
“Hi, Mr Parker. I just wanted to let you know that—”
“Look, I’m just in the middle of something right now. Can I call you back?”
“Sure. It’s not urgent. I can emai—”
“Excellent. Thanks.” I hung up, abruptly, and turned back to Danielle, only to find she was no longer standing there. “Shit!” I cursed, my stomach figuratively plummeting to my feet.
Frantically scanning the space surrounding me, my searching eyes bouncing from traffic to storefronts and dodging pedestrians as they passed by, I spotted her shutting her car door, tears streaming down her face.
“Danielle, wait! I didn’t finish what I was saying,” I called out.
Her tyres screeched as she reversed out of her car space, and the look of utter heartbreak she met me with before she sped off nearly brought me to my knees.
“Wait!” I called out, my voice lacking its prior volume. Friends shouldn’t fuck … unless they’re in love, and in that case, they should definitely make love.
