Page 77 of Space Oddities

“He was so concerned that you threw your friend under the bus? The friend who gave you a place to crash when you were running from your own secrets just weeks ago?”

Jules’ shoulders hunch. “Fuck.”

I’ve never actually kicked someone’s puppy, but I imagine they’d look somewhat like how Jules does right about now.

“You’re right.” She nods. “I broke girl code. Hoes before bros.” Her solemn expression is at odds with her slang. “I’m a total girlfriend failure.”

I sigh, my anger quick to drain in the face of such a pitiful Jules. “No. You could never be a friend failure.”

“No. I am. I—”

“Hey, Trish!” I turn to see Holt walking over to us from the direction of the barn. The typical gentleman cowboy, Holt tips his hat at me before moving in to slide his arm around Jules.

Except she deflects him.

“None of that.” Jules slaps his hand away.

“What?” Holt frowns, glancing down at his hand and back to Jules. “Why?”

“Because you’ve made me weak. I’ve gone soft since I met you. Total Hallmark!” She says the last with her hands in the air, looking as angry as Holt is confused.

“What do greeting cards have to do with this? And why are you—”

“No sex for you tonight!” Jules pokes his chest with her index finger. Hard.

Holt rubs the spot, mouth opening and closing like a beached fish.

I choke on a laugh, giving up on my anger. “Jules, really, you don’t have—”

“Girl friendships are so hard.” She rubs a palm down her face. “I really thought I was helping you and Ian get together, but I fucked up. I should’ve stuck to offering hot beverages and keeping quiet.”

“You think you’re quiet?” Holt and I both ask at the same time.

Jules’ eyes narrow, and once again Holt and I play twins and take a step back.

“I’m going to ignore that since”—she nods at me—“you’re rightfully angry with me”—she nods to Holt—“and you’re about to be sexually frustrated.”

I swear Holt whimpers.

Jules grabs my arm and leads me around the main house. “Come on, I’ll start making it up to you by lending you Cookie.”

“Cookie?” I glance back at Holt, who’s kicking the dirt. “You’re going to lend me your cow?”

“Yep.” Jules strides past the porch, taking a turn at the corner of the house.

“What do you mean ‘lend me your cow’?” Following Jules, I take two steps for every one of hers. “I don’t have space for a cow.”

“No, not like that.” We turn another corner where I see a miniature barn has been built. A tiny, one-stall barn. Painted… pink?

I stumble. “What’s that?”

Jules rights me and keeps walking. “Cookie’s house.”

Her cow has a house. Of course it does.

Jules stops and lets go of my hand to open the side gate. She motions me inside the pen and waves happily at Cookie. “Hey sweet girl! I brought you a friend.”

Cookie, oblivious or uncaring, continues to stand in the far corner by her house, munching on something from a large metal bucket.

---