Page 21 of Running from Drac

She flips me off as she gets into her Volvo, then speeds off, kicking rocks at me with her tires.

“Why are girls so fucking crazy?” I shout, at no one in particular.

God, I hope Amber is fucking home.

Chapter Seven

Amber

I really thought about calling into work. After all the shit that happened with Eddie, the last thing I want to do is work a full eight-hour shift selling bath products to rich women with a scent hoarding complex, but if I have any hopes of buying my dream wedding dress, I have to work as much as possible.

My job is super easy, but all I can think about is Eddie, and my mind seems cluttered and unable to focus. I work in the mall at the local Bath Salts and Perfumes store. With Christmas, just on the horizon, the shop is usually flooded with desperate shoppers looking to find that perfect present for a loved one.

One of my closest friends, Mallory, also works there. She’s my study buddy at school, and my workplace confidant. Besides the twins, Mallory is one of the few people I actually trust. We both want to be nurses, and hopefully whenever we are done with our clinicals, we’ll be stationed at the same hospital, and hopefully on the same ward. We have at leastanother year of school before that happens. So, for now, we’re just cashiers, making a few extra bucks for Christmas.

“Alright, spill. How was your trip? Did you get to relax like you wanted to?” she asks as we stock the shelves with our new Christmas collection of Snow Apple, and Snowflake Sprinkles scents.

I give her a look that says, “don’t ask,” but she doesn’t listen.

“What happened?”

I hold up my hand, showing her the missing ring, and frown. “I think Eddie broke up with me last night.”

She grins, her dimpled cheeks dotting all cutely. I wish I had deep dimples like her.

“It’s not supposed to be a good thing.”

“Eddie is a jerk. He constantly treats you like crap. If he broke up with you, then it’s really a good thing.”

I sigh and continue stocking the shelf.

“I know you two have been together forever, but sometimes a break, or a break-up, is exactly what a relationship needs in order for it to be healthy. Your relationship with Eddie was one-sided. All he cared about was his needs and wants, he didn’t care about yours.”

Nodding, I open another box of lotion, handing her a few bottles.

“That’s what Poppy told me, but it’s my fault we broke up in the first place. If I hadn’t cheated on him in Vegas, we would still be together.”

Mallory drops the bottle of lotion in her hand and looks over at me with her mouth hanging open.

“You cheated?” There’s no disguising the shock in her voice. Everyone knows I’m not a cheater. I’m just not the cheating type, and the fact I let a night of fun in Vegas get the best of me is totally out of character.

“With who?”

I shrug my shoulders.

“I never caught his name. I woke up in a strange hotel room next to a man that who can only be described as Adonis himself. Well, Adonis with an Australian accent.”

“You slept with an Australian man?”

“Yup.” My head rests against one of the walls and I let out another sigh, this time it’s longer and more exasperated. “The sad part is, he was so damn sexy, and nice. God, he was nice and sexy.”

“Describe him. I want details. Don’t leave anything out. I’m living vicariously through you here. We both know guys don’t date me.”

Mallory never dates. She says it’s because she’s always so busy, but I think it has to do with the fact she’s self-conscious about her weight. She’s not exactly fat, but she’s not quite skinny either. I think she’s cute as hell, but I know she doesn’t see herself that way because she’s always putting herself down. Her hair’s too short, her makeup isn’t right, her clothes are too tight, and she needs to lose weight. The girl’s five two with heels on. It’s hard to maintain a healthy weight when your practically pint-sized. I don’t think she sees how many heads she actually turns, because she wouldn’t be single if she did.

She’s got that cute girl next door look, with her curly brown hair, and that sort of nerdy gamer girl look. If she put herself out there more, she’d reel in a guy real quick. Hell, if she wasn’t constantly hiding behind her glasses, and showing off them dimples, we’d have a line of male customers waiting to make their move. I tell her all the time that she should invest in some contacts to show off those killer slate gray eyes of hers, but she says the idea of touching her eyeballs gives her the heebee- geebees.

“I don’t really want to get into it, Mallory. It’s best not to remember that night.”