Free A Flawed Heart by April Emerson Page A

inclination
toward the arts. She moved here three years ago, a transplant, like me. I try
hard to pay attention, but my thoughts are elsewhere. I’m in suspense over what
Jason and Lydia’s conversation must have been like. I check my phone again. No missed calls. No texts.
    After some spaghetti and meatballs, I lie on the couch and
stare at the ceiling, cellphone in hand. It vibrates and I nearly jump out of
my skin. It’s Lydia.
    “Hello?”
    “Hey, what’s up? I’ll be home in ten. I’m bringing my friend
Amber.”
    “That’s cool. I invited this guy Tony from downstairs. You
know him?”
    “Yeah, he’s a sweetie. See you soon.”
    “Okay, later.”
    Nothing about Jason. I purge my
nervous energy by checking my email, and read three from my mom. Then Lydia and
Amber burst through the door. Lydia floats into the room with a huge grin on
her tiny face. She hugs me and I force a smile, but I feel as if the floor has
dropped out from under me. She couldn’t
be this happy if Jason told her he wants me. He must have just given up. I
hug her back, but it’s bittersweet.
    Lydia introduces everyone. Amber seems like a bit of a
tomboy, and she explains that she’s into photography.
    “Hey, why aren’t you dressed yet?” Lydia asks. She flings
open my closet and digs in. She throws out jeans that I never wear, brown
riding boots, a leather belt, and a short-sleeved top that’s too low cut. She
thrusts the clothes at me. “Here, this will look great on you.” She flashes me
a smile and grabs a silk scarf out of my dresser and then walks out and drapes
it over the living room lampshade. The room is instantly cast in a low,
romantic light. She puts on music and sits with Kat on the couch.
    “Claire, get dressed!” she shouts, and waves her hand at me.
    I shut my door to dress in privacy. The jeans and top fit me
like a second skin, even though there’s more of my cleavage on display than I’d
like, but whatever makes Lydia happy. When I get back to the living room, I
find that Tony and Kai have arrived. Kai’s much shorter than Tony—he’s Asian
with dark hair and eyes. Tony introduces me, and Kai slaps Tony on the back as
if he’s congratulating him.
    The boys brought beer with them. Lydia pops them open with a
lighter and passes them out. She changes the music and begins to dance around
the room with her beer. Her energy is infectious and we all join her. Even
though it feels silly, it’s fun at the same time. Tony is next to me, and I can’t
help but notice he’s a good dancer.
    We finish the beer, and Lydia tells me to bring a blanket as
we leave for the party. I want to talk to her about what went on between her
and Jason, but there are too many people around. I check my phone again, but there
are no messages and I’m disappointed.
    Lydia leads us down past the residential area to the
warehouses on Kent. There aren’t many streetlights and I trip on the cracked
sidewalk.
    Tony catches me. “Careful.”
    “Yeah, I’m a klutz in broad daylight, so this is a little
dangerous for me.”
    He responds with a little chuckle. After winding through the
streets for a few minutes we emerge at an old, graffiti-ridden building. It’s
obvious that it’s not maintained. Lydia leads us through a back alley to a fire
escape ladder
    “Hope you’re not afraid of heights,” she says. “We climb
from here.”
    We wind up ladders and platforms until I question whether or
not this is a good idea, but once we emerge above the rooftops and I see the
view, I don’t feel nervous anymore. On the rooftop there are several cliques,
creating little islands throughout the space. Lydia walks over to a group and
returns with several red cups. She passes them out, and we make our way over to
the line for the keg. Tony and I stand side-by-side behind Lydia, Kat, Amber,
and Kai.
    “Is Jason coming tonight?” Amber asks Lydia.
    “I dunno .” Her curt tone ends that
conversation.
    I distract myself from my disappointment