Broen Hearts & Busted Stereos

Janey sighed as she dialed the first 6 digits of Ted's cell phone before hanging up. Why she had even asked 'Los for it was beyond her. She just thought that maybe by now he'd be himself again. Head hung as she hung up the phone. It was over. There was no more hope. A tear stung her eye before she shook it off. It had been over two years ago, she was just entertaining some stupid high school fantasy. If she wasn't so close with his brothers she probably wouldn't bother leaving her house at all on these trips.

This would probably be the last of those for a long while though. Eyes rolled towards the clock. 5:45 it was time to shower and get ready for dinner and then Jake's. It'd been far too long since she had spent the night drinking with her high school crew. It was a 40 minute process from start to finish, if only because she spent a full 20 minutes just standing under the warm spray of the shower. Make up was applied quickly and sparingly before she moved back to her room, pulling on a pair of wide leg blue jeans, tattered and paling from wear, followed by a vintage t-shirt from some town in New York's recreational soccer league. She was number 12, sponsored by Donny's Pizza. Denim jacket completed the outfit, she checked herself in the mirror. Hand moved to scrunch curls, making sure they bounced before heading down the stairs, only to be tackled by one squealing 8-year-old and then another.

"JANEY!" She giggled as the dog rushed over to lick her face as she squirmed on the entryway tile. Fingers moved to tickle both boys' sides, squeezing rhythmically as they began to squirm and laugh hysterically. She finally managed to incapacitate them, sitting up with a grunt as her mom peeked out from the kitchen.

"Boys, get off of her, I need her help in the kitchen." Janey grinned, springing to her feet and making her way into the kitchen. She sat unceremoniously at the island in the center, lifting raw snap peas from a bowl and nibbling. "What are you doing tonight?"

"Heading over to Jake's."

"Oh good, just around the corner, so if you drink you don't have to drive." Janey nodded and rolled her eyes, as though she needed to be told. She set the table as her mother rambled off random gossip about everyone she and her sister had grown up with, which teachers were retiring from the elementary, middle, and high school, who needed her for a job this summer if she would only stay home for the summer. It was always the same. "Oh, and I heard a rumor that Ted has a graphic novel coming out soon." Janey stopped, looking up at her mom. Her silence encouraged her mother to continue. "Okay, so not a rumor, there's an article on him in the paper." Janey's parents had never really made an effort to get to know her friends after she had abandoned the crowd in her own town, the fact that her mother knew Ted's name was somewhat surprising in and of itself.

"Well, that's, um, great to hear." She smiled. "I'm glad to hear he's doing well." It was true, she was. But just the mention of him made her chest feel heavy. His two years of silence had been a slow arrival at the truth for Janey. First she was angry, and then she was sad, and then angry once more, and now finally, she was simply vacant when it came to him. She helped her mom set out the food before gathering all three boys, her sister, and her stepfather.

Dinner was rather uneventful and delicious and soon Janey was headed out the door to her car. She had promised Jake to pick up booze before coming over, the large and diverse order demanded a trip to the liquor store two towns over, and it seemed like everytime she went she caught every red light, it was almost ten before she got to Jake's, all the regulars from years before were there and already half way drunk. She made her way to the kitchen, it would appear that she had arrived in the nick of time, with the bottle of vodka almost drained and a single beer left.

"Hey there, hunni!" Arms wrapped around her waist as a chin fell to her shoulder. She giggled, head falling backwards.

"Jakey my love! How are you?"

"Much better now that you're here, or so I thought. Where's the booze?" She laughed, elbowing him in the rib.

"Sorry, I only have so many hands, I brought in the case of Molson and the sour mix, everything else is in the trunk." She pulled her keys from her pocket, jingling them in his face. It was only after he had walked away, when she was bent over pulling a beer from the fridge, that she heard that laugh, throaty, soft, coming from the landing. Oh G-d, why hadn't anyone warned her? She cracked her first beer, throwing her head back and chugging half of it. At least if she were drunk enough and stupid antics were explicable if not entirely excused by everyone.