Free My Paper Heart by Magan Vernon

clap every time he would kiss me goodbye or even answer one of my texts. It was a little annoying.
    Random people would come up to me and say things like: good for you, about time somebody locked down that Crabtree boy. And I don't even know how many random texts and facebook comments I got from my sorority sisters back home.
    But there was one person that definitely was not happy with our new relationship, and that was Britt. For a long time she was the only person for me to talk to in the whole town, and I guess she felt like she had been replaced by Blaine. I think if it were any other boy than her crush to end all crushes, it would have been fine, but since it wasn't, she acted as if I committed some sort of a crime.
    I thought that I would need to get a new outfit to meet Blaine's family, since unfortunately my wardrobe at Aunt Dee's was limited to work clothes and lying around the house clothes. Aunt Dee had the idea that I take Thursday off of work and take Britt with me into New Orleans. She thought I could maybe get a new bedspread and some clothes, and just spend some time with Britt. I thought it would definitely be a good chance to talk to Britt, or at least just have some fun.
    "Are you sure you don't want me to go with you?  I can take the afternoon off." Blaine breathed on the other line. I could tell he was trying to speak quietly so that the rest of the road crew couldn't hear him.
    "Blaine, I'm a big girl, and I have Britt with me. I'm sure we will be fine in New Orleans on a Thursday afternoon." I had him on speaker phone as I slipped a t-shirt over my head. I was almost shouting into the phone.
    "But what if Brittany doesn't know her way somewhere?  How are you going to get around?"
    I giggled. "Blaine, we're fine! We have our internet directions and if we get lost we'll just stop and ask for directions."
    Blaine groaned.
    "And besides, I need some girl time and shopping time. If you were allowed in my bedroom you would see that I have a bubblegum pink bedspread that badly needs to be replaced." I checked myself out in the mirror and put the phone back up to my ear, taking it off of speaker. "Besides, if you take off of work you will lose valuable money that could be used to get us more root beer floats."
    I could hear him smiling on the other end. He did this cute little thing where he would blow air out of his nose when he smiled. "Alright Libby, well text me when you get home alright?"
    "Alright, now get back to work."
    I heard my bedroom door creak open just as I hung up the phone.
    "You know if you'd rather go with Blaine than me, I understand." Britt was standing in the doorway swaying back and forth.
    "Of course I want to go with you. I think Blaine and I spend enough time together, and I could definitely use some girl time." I plopped my phone in my purse and cracked a big toothy grin at Britt.
    "Well I'm not much for shopping." Britt shifted back and forth on her flip flop clad feet.
    "Well I think we can change that. Now come on." I stomped on over to her and looped my arm through hers. "I don't think the Grand Am goes over fifty, and I'd really like to get there before I'm thirty." It was the first time in a long time Britt actually cracked a smile.
     
    ∞
     
    The whole car ride was almost silent except for the country songs that blared on the radio. Britt still seemed to be mad at me, but I was going to have a good shopping day no matter what. It was my first time in New Orleans and I just really wanted to see everything.
    The French Quarter was every bit as beautiful as I imagined. I loved looking up at every single iron terrace and even getting my heels caught in the cobblestone street. I thought maybe I should have let Blaine take me there on our first date, but maybe he would have been as bored with me as Britt was. She seemed to yawn about every five seconds and would just roll her eyes every time I would squeal at a building I had seen in a movie.
    "I think we've seen enough places