Cat Instinct

Chapter 1

Decision

Gosh how hard is it to make a choice? I'm so hungry. 

"Courtney? Are you ready to choose?"

Courtney looked up from her menu into Ashley's eyes. Ashley wasn't the only one at the table starring at her. Jada, Kim, and Tony eyes studied her. She knew they didn't want her to get what she really wanted, which was a steak, fried fish puffs, greens, yams, some cornbread, and a tall glass of COLD SWEET tea. Courtney looked down at her menu and frowned.

"I'll just have a salad, no dressing, with a glass of water."

Tony snickered, "That's all you gonna eat?"

BITCH YEAH! Because if I don't you all will only cut your necks at me!

 Courtney smiled back at Tony, as if she was happy with what she ordered. Courtney never said anything or spoke up for herself out loud. Something her mother drilled into her bones at a young age: If you have nothing nice to say don't say it at all.  Forfeiting a lot in her life. 

The waiter collected the menus and continued on his way. Jada smiled to herself watching him walk away. The waiter looked to be in high school. Jada just turned thirty-two, but that never stopped her from dating younger guys. No one really said anything about it because, Jada didn't look a day older than twenty-five. Courtney just turned twenty-eight. Still a virgin. Something she hated. Of course she was still a virgin. Look at her friends. There was no way she was going to get a man around them, but she hated being alone. 

Courtney pretended to be on her phone. She wasn't texting anyone important, and other than her parents no one ever called to talk to her. Tony, Ashley, Jada, and Kim all didn't care to talk on the phone, or at least that's what they told Courtney. 

After what felt like an hour, the food arrived. Courtney been taking deep breaths to keep her stomach from growling. Her salad came and Courtney forced a smile on her face. Nothing about it said that it could fill her up. 

"Did you want to go to the gym after this?" Jada asked, as she put a small spoon full of chocolate moose into her mouth.

No. I wanna go to the damn Cheesecake Factory. 

"No...I have class."

"Ooo! Exciting!" smiled Tony sarcastically.

Kim grunted a laugh, "I'm so glad I don't have to worry about that anymore."

Yeah. I'm still in school. So what?

Ashley didn't say much she just watched Courtney.

Courtney didn't look towards Ashley, but she felt her eyes on her. So she didn't tear into her salad like she wanted to. She would chew slowly and take a sip of her water from time to time. Enough to convince Ashley that she wasn't starving. 

**

**

"I'll see you guys later." waved Ashley, going over to her car.

Jada walked along side Courtney, following her to her car. Jada must have wanted something, because she was supposed to be riding with Kim and Tony to the gym.

"Can I borrow your key? I left mines at home."

Courtney didn't want to give it to her. Jada had did this before. Courtney didn't have a way into the apartment and had to sleep in her car because Jada didn't come home until the next morning.

Courtney unhooked the key around the metal ring on her key change and watched herself hand it to Jada. Jada took the key and smiled, "Thank you!" Jada gave Courtney a hug. Courtney watched her walk back over to the cherry colored Nissan.  Courtney turned around and opened the door to her car, swinging herself to the side to close the door. She hated the summer time. She would try so hard to stay cool. 

Courtney started her car, instantly moving the vents until it started blowing cold air. She opened her purse and pulled out her eye drops for her contacts. The last things she needed to happen was to get into an accident because she can't see anything.