Page 3 of Fight

“What happened there?” Lena asked. “I know we texted a bit about it, but you were pretty vague.”

“Yeah…I wanted to talk to you about that in person.” Annie shifted in the driver’s seat and gave Lena a quick nervous look. “I know that when you were here last summer, we spent a lot of time with Morgan, so you know how wonderful she is.”

It was true—Morganwasa wonderful person. Kind, generous, and always looking out for the people she cared about. She also had a delightfully uncouth sense of humor, bringing the girls to tears laughing at some of her jokes, and her willingness to talk about just about anything with frank and open joy.

Lena had stayed with Annie and Morgan in the cute little A-frame house that Morgan’s family owned. They’d gotten along famously, spending days at the beach, taking mostly easy Lena-style hikes, and grabbing lakeside al fresco meals. Most of their nights were spent out at clubs and bars, having drinks and dancing.

Neither Lena nor Annie were huge drinkers, but they’d both have a couple of drinks on a night out, a glass of wine with dinner, or a mimosa with brunch. It was part of the reason they’d been such great European travel buddies—they kept a similar slow pace. However, Morgan tended to outdrink them both—three drinks to their one.

Lena had been hesitant to judge Morgan too harshly. Who was she to say Morgan drank too much? Wasn’t she, herself, a lightweight? And Morgan was such a fun, easy-going person. It was comfortable to sit back and laugh at her antics and jokes, even if she was a little more far gone than the other girls.

But, there was one night in particular that stuck out, that the three girls had gone out dancing. While they all got dressed up, and the other girls had laughed deliriously at Lena’s outfit (a gorgeous royal purple and black lace, form-fitting, cap-sleeved dress, and black velvet heels—“you look like you have a hot date with a doctor in nineteen sixty four,” Annie had sputtered while keeling over in mirth), Morgan had already been wobbling on her feet with a blank, glazed look in her eyes, while she sipped a vodka tonic.

The evening had ended a few hours later when Morgan had passed out in a booth, off to the side of the club’s dance floor. Lena and Annie had dragged her through the club and pulled her into an Uber with them, losing one of Morgan’s strappy sandals in the process. When the girls woke up the next morning, Morgan had chirpily suggested breakfast, and gleefully accepted the loss of her left shoe as if the previous night never happened.

“How’s she doing? Any other incidents like that one night?” Lena asked.

“She’s doing much better. I think with Alicia deciding she couldn’t handle some of the decisions Morgan was making and moving out, it made her reevaluate some things. I know she’s excited to have you move in. She really loved hanging out with you.”

“Aww, I think we’ll all get on great together. We’ll keep an eye on her.”

“Yes,” Annie said firmly, smiling brightly. “I’m so happy you’re here, Leeny. Thank you so much for choosing Conrad as the place to embark upon your quarter life crisis.”

They broke out in laughter. Lena was constantly updating Annie on her inability to find her true path in life, and how what was expected of her in DC just felt so wrong. Her mother had previously, gently, suggested Lena was having a quarter life crisis, and should “swiftly get over it”, “find a real job”, and let go of her dream of being a “starving artist”. Lena responded by buying herself a one-way plane ticket to Reno.

She was under no delusions about how lucky she was, though. Although her parents gave her a hard time in regard to some of her choices, they were always there to welcome her home during the in-between times. She knew they loved her despite her eccentricities, and she was well aware she could never have said eccentricities without accepting parents like them. Besides, Lena’s theory was that they had long ago given up on her professional development, and put all their eggs in Cori’s basket.

“So, speaking of enduring a crisis, any plans for this evening?” Lena inquired with a slight tilt of her lips.

“Oh yes!” Annie proclaimed. “There's a plan. So, once we get up the mountain, we can stop by my place—ourplace—and drop your things and get freshened up. Then we’re going to meet Morgan, Ian, and Jake at Crunchie's for dinner. It’s like what, five o’clock now?” Annie glanced at the dashboard. “We’re meeting them at seven. Plenty of time.”

“That all sounds great—with the exception ofJake, of course.” Just saying his name and picturing his stupid, cocky face got her blood boiling.

Annie moaned dramatically. “Girl, don’t get me started. You two are ridiculous. And unfortunately for both of you, you’re about to be forced to spend a lot more time together, whether you like it or not.”

Lena decidedly didnotlike it. “Have you forgotten ‘Hell Hike?’ We were all miserable, and it was allhisfault.”

Annie looked at her doubtfully from the driver’s seat.“I think you were both pretty insufferable on that trip, babe. Never have I met two people that shouldn’t be stuck on a deserted island together.”

Lena scowled, and stared out the window as the scenery blurred past.Satan. Morgan and Annie’s house was next door to Morgan’s cousin Ian's house, which he shared with his roommate, Jake.

From the second they’d met, she and Jake had argued constantly—mostly about Jake's commentary on Lena’s inappropriate-for-the-outdoors wardrobe. Lena could never tell if he was joking, or really trying to be mean. She was sensitive about her clothes and interests after growing up and feeling like the odd sister out in a family that valued numbers, routine, and predictability. She knew he thought she was ridiculous, just like so many people who’d come before him.

And then there wasHell Hike. Lena had not been interested in hiking into the mountains on that trip—she was not a hike-deep-into-the-mountains-and-randomly-camp-in-a-place-that-looks-good kind of girl.

However, Annie had begged and bribed her with the possibility of some great views to sketch. Whenever she’d tried to actually stop, enjoy nature, and sketch those views though, Jake had shot her down like he was in an Amazing Race to finish the hike the fastest.God, he was such a jerk.

Jake worked with Ian at Lake Conrad Resort, where she hoped to get a job. She realized that in taking a job at the same place that Jake worked, she would be more likely to bump into him, but that was a price she was willing to pay for a steady income.

But when it came down to it, Lena didn’t want Annie to regret inviting her to move to Conrad. She needed to put her annoyance with him behind her. Maybe he wasn’t so bad? He had pretty eyes at least. They reminded her of a mossy river bank with different flecks of green, brown, and gray. Lena wasn’t sure if the eyes of such a jerk deserved such an artful analogy, but she was feeling solicitous.

“I’ll be on my best behavior tonight,” Lena promised, crossing her heart with her right forefinger and smiling at Annie.

“I know you will, Leeny, you’re the epitome of class and delightful dresses. I just hope you’re happy here despite Jake annoying you, and Morgan being, well, Morgan-y.”

Lena chuckled and averted her gaze out the window. While she and Annie were talking, they had begun the ascent up the mountain, toward the peaks and the lake. They’d left the flat, brown desert landscape and small town Clayton City behind; the steep terrain was now covered with rocky cliffs, and swooping pine trees.

Suddenly, it was as if the heavens opened up and the rocky wall lining the road gave way to a steep drop off, lined with jutting rocks that plummeted to the lake below. Lena’s heart skipped a beat at the drop, but with the gleaming waters of Lake Conrad glittering in the sun in front of the snowy peaked mountains in the distance, her fears disappeared and she remembered her love of this view, and the inspiration she would draw from such a place.

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