Free Take Me Now by Faith Sullivan Page B

is not the least bit convincing. Her irritation turns to sympathy the closer I get to her. She must be able to sense the impending doom literally rolling off my shoulders.
    “Girl, what happened to you?” Her eyes sweep over me in concern but it just makes me want to break down and cry. Sophie is usually unstable and I’m the one propping her up. I’m not liking this role reversal. I just want everything to go back to normal. I don’t understand anything about this mixed-up universe I somehow wandered into. Why can’t any aspect of my life make sense?
    “My boss caught me making out with the guy she likes on his front porch and I’m not sure if I’m fired or not.” The shock value of my statement alone is enough to make Sophie jump to her feet.
    “What? You haven’t had, like, any action for the three years I’ve known you, and you had to pick the guy your boss likes to hook up with? Are you nuts?” Her running commentary isn’t making me feel any better. It’s only accentuating the mess I find myself in. A little pep talk would be nice instead of being slammed for my transgressions.
    “So if she pulls the plug on my internship, I might as well say goodbye to transferring to the main campus in the fall. I’ve taken all of the credits I can here. I’ll be stuck in some kind of college limbo for the rest of my academic life.” I slump against the wall as thunder rumbles through the building. At least the rain held off until I made it inside. There’s nothing worse than being miserable and soaking wet.
    “It’s like a double jeopardy situation, right? If you don’t complete the internship, you can’t stay here because you’ve taken all of the available classes in your major and the ones you have left are only held on the main campus?” Her convoluted speech actually makes sense so I simply nod my head in agreement. I’m stuck in no man’s land if Lauren decides to seek her revenge on me for locking lips with Eric.
    “But how was the kiss? Was it worth it?” Sophie bestows on me a wicked grin, and I can’t help but blush as I remember what it was like having Eric’s hands on me. I’ve never experienced anything like it. There was so much unhindered feeling behind every caress, every touch. It’s like he wanted to commit every inch of body to memory, as if I were something precious he wanted to treasure. He wasn’t indulging in me for his own enjoyment. It was more like he wanted me to know how tenderly he cared about me. No one has ever made me feel that way before. It was life altering.
    But he stayed by Lauren’s side. He didn’t follow me. And in my mind, that makes him no better than Will. Neither of them will go the extra mile to prove that their feelings for me are genuine. I’m not important enough to them. Will always puts himself first and Eric apparently chose Lauren over me. It doesn’t exactly feel good to come to the realization that you’re not number one in anyone’s life.
    “It appears it meant nothing to him because he’s with my boss right now and not me. That about says it all, right?” Raindrops slowly make their descent down the windowpane and I observe their fall. They’re mimicking the tears my body yearns to shed but can’t release.
    “Not necessarily. Did you check your phone?” Sophie stretches and I catch sight of a bellybutton ring as her shirt rides up, baring her midriff.
    “He doesn’t have my number and I checked my extension at work. There were no messages.” I shake my head, trying to clear any thoughts about what he might be doing with Lauren that would leave him too busy to even leave me a thirty-second voice mail to see if I made it home okay. I was so emotional when I left but he doesn’t seem to be that worried about me.
    “I’m sorry, Ivy. I really am.” Sophie extends her hand and gives my arm a gentle squeeze. “Not to change the subject, but what do you think of my new body piercing?” She looks at me expectantly, like she hopes