Breaking Barriers - S.R.

1

I raced down the sidewalk as quickly as I could without looking like a psycho. I had wanted to change out of my plain pencil skirt and white blouse, so I headed home right after work, only to still end up being twenty minutes late to meet my friends. It's not that they would be mad, I sent a warning text as I power walked the four blocks from my apartment to the bar we frequented, but I hated being late for anything.

Three sets of eyes met mine as I rushed through the door, a smile plastered on my face as I took a seat next to Sophia.

"Did you run here or something?" She asked, eyeing my heavy breathing curiously. Sophia has been my best friend since I moved to the Virginia/D.C. area three years ago. We met at work, the same company but different departments. She was thrilled to have someone her age on the job that she actually got along with, and I was happy to make a friend so quickly.

"Sort of." I smiled cheekily, earning a chuckle from Dean.

"I don't know why you bothered to rush. Dean got here less than a minute before you did." Miles added.

My jaw dropped as my eyes met Dean's, feigning hurt. "Why didn't you wait for me? We could've walked together!"

"Sorry Doll, I wasn't home. I came straight from work." He shrugged, adding a smirk at the end of his sentence."I'm more than happy to walk you home though."

I met Dean two years ago when he moved into my apartment complex just a floor above mine. His attempt at flirting with me in the elevator a couple of months after moving in earned a snarky comment about how many women I had seen him bringing up to his apartment, followed by a "No, thanks.". To my surprise, he laughed and we've been friends ever since.

"I'm sure you would, considering we are going to the same place." I rolled my eyes playfully.

A waitress approached us and we all ordered drinks and some kind of fried food. She gave me a sideways glance when I ordered a cherry coke, but didn't question it. We thanked her before she wandered off again.

"Not drinking tonight?" Miles asked.

I shook my head. "You know that is saved for rare occasions."

"Only because you're such a lightweight." Dean interjected.

"And you either cry or become violent when you're drunk. There is no in between." Miles added, laughing along with the rest of the table while I rolled my eyes.

Miles was the last to join our friend group six months ago, and it was somewhat of a rocky start. Sophia and I had been at a local coffee shop one day when I quite literally ran into Miles. He was on his phone, rambling incessantly and barking orders when our bodies collided, causing coffee to spill all over me. His aggressive tone and impatient demeanor changed immediately when he saw the look on my face. He apologized profusely and bought me another coffee, handing me his business card to pay for my dry cleaning before frantically leaving the coffee shop just as quickly as he came.

All of us were a stark contrast to one another. While I grew up in a small town in Virginia a couple of hours from here, Sophia was a streetwise Latina from Chicago. Miles grew up in the heart of D.C. to a family of politicians while Dean was born and raised in Kansas by a mechanic and a nurse. We were completely different people but somehow managed to get along great, balancing each other out.

"Whatever you say, Trust Fund Baby." I smirked, using the nickname we gave Miles because of his upbringing.

He glared at me, his eyes sparkling as his lips curled up into a playful smirk. "Hick."

Sophia raised an eyebrow at me but I brushed it off as our waitress came back with our drinks.

"What's everyone doing this weekend?" Miles asked, changing the subject as he took a sip of his beer.