Page 4 of Ten Rules for Faking It
She didn’t want to say anything more, so she headed for the stairs, let herself through the front entrance, and took the next set of stairs up to the top-right unit.
When she made it inside, she pushed the door closed with her foot and hung her keys on the hook. Leaning against the door, she thumped her head against it and didn’t even care that it hurt. She stood, staring at what she could see of her apartment, and realized she didn’t want to be in it right now. Shealso didn’t want to go out. Normally, she loved coming home, but not once, not even when she’d broken the ice cream machineat the ice cream shopwhere she worked, had she been sent home.
Her house was clean—not obsessive clean, just comfortable and organized. She liked living alone and had always preferred to. But right now, coming home to an empty place in the middle of the day added to its dismalness.
“Rule three,” she said out loud just to fill the silence. “Stay home on birthdays. Come on, Ev. You like following the rules.”
She slipped off her Converse and headed for the kitchen. She could use the day to catch up on something. Maybe make a bunch of meals that she could put in the freezer and pull out each evening. That sounded like something someone in their thirties might do.
Opening the fridge, she grabbed a can of diet soda and cracked the top. Pulling a glass from the cupboard, she poured it in, watching the bubbles with more intensity than needed. After all, they’d pop whether she watched or not.
God. Sometimes, she annoyed herself. Being inside of her own brain reminded her of a hamster on a wheel, after he’d been given too much caffeine with a side of uppers. Round and round. One thought after another like a chain-smoker who lit the next cigarette with the one they were putting out. The thoughts collided into one another in passing until she physically felt the exhaustion creep into her head and her body. She took a sip of her soda. Maybe she should do something to turn the day around.
“Ha. How about unseeing Captain Jackass and his sidekick, Flexy Girl?” Being able to do that would be a definite mood changer.
Everly pulled her phone out of her back pocket, entertaining the idea of calling her mom or dad to see if they wanted to grab lunch. She decided against it, not sure if she was up to the whirlwind that was her parents’ relationship. Theirs was aback-and-forth that rivaled the Swift–Kardashian drama. Even on her best days, and theirs, Everly’s visits with them made her feel like she leaning too far over an edge with nothing to hang on to.
No lunch. Not with her parents, anyway. Her chaos limit was maxed out for the day. Instead, she grabbed a bag of pretzels from the pantry and took them and her soda to the living room and settled on the couch. She was content with her life. Her job. Her home and friends. There was nothing wrong with any of those things, and yet… restlessness coursed through her veins. She hated the duality of her feelings. Wanting todosomething but not go anywhere, wanting toseesomeone but not have to entertain.
Her phone rang, and since it was Stacey, she picked up.
“Hey.”
“Hi. I only have a minute. I’m so sorry.”
“You’ve apologized more for this than Simon did for cheating on me. It happened. It’s over. I’m not mad at you.” She wasn’t. She was mad at herself for thinking today would be different from any other birthday and for letting her emotions bubble over at work.
“I’m coming over later. I’m bringing reinforcements.”
Everly laughed, knowing that meant chocolate, salty foods, and alcohol of some sort.
“Sounds good. I’m sitting here contemplating life.” Which was a lot better than thinking about what had happened this morning. If she replayed it in her head, she’d end up hiding under her blankets.No hiding. Thirty is too old for that.Leaning her head back against the cushions, she stared at the popcorn ceiling.
“No time like the present to break out of ruts. Maybe we should do something crazy tonight. Ever try a Brazilian?”
This time, her laugh was more of a squawk. “No, and if you have, we’ll put it in the TMI category.”
“I didn’t know that existed between us,” Stacey said.
Everly heard the smile in her voice. “Apparently, it needs to.I think I’ve done my crazy for the day. Doing a tell-all on-air is enough for me. Besides, I can’t go out.”
That was technically true, and technicalities mattered. A lot of things got dismissed in courtrooms because of them.
“Why’s that?” Music sounded in the background.
“New rule. Number three. Stay home on birthdays.”
“Since when?”
Everly sat up, tilted her head to keep the phone tucked in the crook of her neck, and opened the pretzels. “Since today. I’ve got a whole list of them.”
Three was a list. There weren’t more at the moment, so that was thewholelist. Technically. Details mattered. A grin tugged her lips up. Maybe she should write it down so she could back herself up with documentation.
“I want to see this list,” Stacey said, easily ignoring Everly’s groan. Why had she said it out loud? To Stacey of all people? She might actually make her go through with completing somethingonthe list. Or the list itself. A text sounded in her ear at the same time Stacey added, “I have to go. See you later.”
Everly hung up, checked the text.
DAD:I want a last name on this Simon character. Call me when you’re done at work. You’ll come for dinner tonight. You should be with your family on your birthday.
