Chapter 2
Any time we found success we liked to mix things up. Being stuck in a timeloop, monotony was always our biggest enemy, and throwing in an occasional wrench to celebrate kept us all sane.
We normally didn't get as crazy as you might imagine. Sure, our money would reset the following day, so we could do damn near whatever we wanted. In the past we'd pooled out money, took a charter jet to a private island, but at the end of the day we only had until we fell asleep, and a third of the day was logistics, another third was travelling. The sunset on a private beach where the only footsteps were our own was nice, but in the end it's just not worth it.
We've tried just about everything we could think of. We've bought lamborghinis, we've gone skydiving and tried our hand at recreational drugs. That day, however, we were in the mood for quiet.
Ginger was without a car, which always meant it was up to me to pick her up. The four of us had settled on starting our day with a nice brunch at Bouliet, then we'd figure out the day from there.
I could smell the weed from Ginger's apartment before I stepped out of my car. She shared the small space with five other girls, each of them as big a fan of pot as she was.
When I saw her, she was in a more familiar sweatshirt, and she ran a hand angrily through her hair which had returned to its usual tangled mess. She gave a nervous little wave and I helped her into the same car we rode in the night before.
"I go through all that work," she said groggily as she fumbled with the seatbelt, "And poof. All gone. They tugged and yanked at my hair for three hours, and for absolutely nothing."
"Thank you," I said. I was staring at her, but until that point all I saw was her knotted red hair. She turned to face me and I said it again.
"Of course," she said. She gave a quick little fist bump, then looked away just as quickly, "We always have fun together, don't we?"
"We do," I agreed, and started off.
Ginger was still wrestling with the hair she seemed to hate when we reached the end of the street.
"You know what I wish?" I asked just to fill the silence, "I wish I filled up on gas on June 15th. Every single morning I'm at a quarter tank."
Ginger gave a small chuckle, but kept looking straight ahead. "You know the worst part for me?" she asked, "I wake up with the same high every single day, and I'm never fully sober until like three."
The awkward silence returned to the quiet car. I wanted to answer, but anything I could think of just made the knot of guilt in my stomach grow larger.
Ginger saved the moment. "Of all the things in the world to do, why on Earth are we going to brunch?"
I shook my head and allowed a smile, "It's quiet and relaxing, the foods good.There's no stress."
"I'd rather stay home," Ginger laughed, and once more the car went quiet.
Fortunately the drive was quick. We parked the car and as we started towards the cafe we saw Chrissy and Alley, already sat by the window. We joined the two at the table. Chrissy was nursing her coffee, while Alley twirled a sugar packet between her fingers.
"Good morning," Chrissy sighed. She took another sip, and Alley gave a nod to acknowledge us.
"Another one down," Alley finally said, "Good work team."
I lifted the menu and started scanning, "You two order already?"
Chrissy nodded from behind her mug. I kept reading the menu, but I felt myself start to speak. "Ginger wanted to know," I muttered, "What's the plan after this? Any ideas?"
Four eyes turned to look at Ginger, and she shrunk into her chair like a salted snail.
Alley pointed with that same sugar packet, "Is there anything even left to do in Custer City?"
Chrissy gave a half little laugh as she drank.
"We don't have to stay," Ginger said timidly, "We could maybe go to Aspen Falls or do something different."
Chrissy shrugged, "It might keep Amber off our tail for a little while."
I shook my head, "She'll find us when she finds us."
In truth Amber didn't walk in right that moment. We probably ordered food, had a boring little conversation, and chuckled occasionally for half an hour, but for the sake of the story, I'm gonna skip ahead. I was halfway between bites when I looked up and saw Amber in that same jean jacket staring at our table.
I stood slowly. I bumped the table, and kept my eyes on her. I'd seen hellfire in so many women's eyes, been badgered, beaten, called every name in the book, and shot more times than I could count. With Amber though, all I saw was a light curiousity, and it intrigued me.
"I got this," I said, and left the table behind me. I pulled Amber into a small corner of the cafe so only we could hear each other. "I thought," she said slowly, "That I'd be more hungover."
Great
, I thought,
Maybe we can avoid dancing this same tired dance, if only for a little while.
"I also thought," she said, "That it would be tomorrow."
I gave the table a nod of confirmation, and turned so it was just Amber and I.
"Amber," I said, "Let's go for a walk."
The best part of June 16th was the weather. The sky wasn't quite cloudless, but the weather was warm, and a mild breeze kept us from overheating. It was nice enough for Amber to be completely comfortable in a short skirt and a jean jacket, and me in shorts.
We were quiet for the first few blocks. I kept glancing at her, watching the wheels turn in her head. We turned to follow some quiet train tracks that ran off into the woods. I kept waiting for her to say something, but she seemed determine to let me speak.
"I take it," I tried, "You've started to piece together some of what's going on."
For a long moment there was nothing but the crunch of gravel under our feet. I could tell she was pursing her lips, trying to find the words.
"I know today is the exact same day that yesterday was," she finally said, "I knew it instantly, because I didn't wake up at home, and I didn't wake up at your place."
I resisted the urge to correct her.
