Josh only squeaked pathetically in response. I let go of his arm when I thought he had had enough and he quickly scrambled away from me and his, apparently, ex-girlfriend. He opened the door of his car and pointed an angry finger at the girl,
"You'll regret this and when you do and come crawling back to me, I'll laugh in your face and treat you the way you deserve!" Slamming the door shut, he sped off, wheels screeching and all. Suddenly, I was left all alone with the vision of my dreams and my entire bravado seemed to have sped off with Josh's car. She looked at me shyly and we both started talking at the same time,
"I'm sorry..."
"I'm sorry..." Chuckling lightly, the ice broke a bit and I said,
"I'm so sorry for causing all this trouble. I never meant for any of this to happen..." She stopped me with a sweet smile,
"It's okay. I know you didn't do this on purpose. Though I have to say that I'll forever have Josh's expression burned into my mind. That was priceless." I rubbed my chin in embarrassment and smiled shyly,
"Yeah, he seriously freaked out."
"Hey, I'm sorry for having gotten you fired. If you'll tell me the amount of your salary, I would be happy to write you a check..." My eyes opened wide in surprise,
"What? No, no, I can't let you do that. I deserved it and besides, I wouldn't take your money for anything." She smiled shyly and lowered her gaze. Looking around in somewhat of a helpless expression, she sighed deeply, held up the hem of her dress and carefully sat down on the concrete pavement. I blinked in surprise, pulled up my black pants and sat down beside her.
"I'm Janet, by the way." I said as charmingly as possibly, offering my hand in greeting. She blushed and said,
"Oh gosh, where are my manners. I'm Toni." She took my hand in a firm handshake and then laid her palms softly on the fabric covering her knees.
"I'm so sorry for causing you all this trouble. Because of me, he ran out on you and..." Before I could continue she stopped me and said,
"No, it wasn't your fault. He ran out on me because he was an asshole and that's his usual self, more than anything. Please don't feel guilty about that. I'm actually grateful to you in a way." I smiled crookedly, not understanding.
"Okay...then why were you dating him?" The question was out before I could stop it and I blushed with embarrassment.
"I'm sorry, it's none of my business." Toni smiled reassuringly,
"Would you stop apologizing, it's okay. I dated him because my parents liked him and because it was expected of us. We've been together since high school and it was only natural that we should continue seeing each other when we started college, which would inevitably lead to marriage." She finished the sentence with a bitter look on her face.
"I guess I'm lucky in that way; I don't have anyone to tell me what to do and no one expects anything from me, so I'm more or less free to do as I wish with my life." I shrugged. At the time, I didn't really understand the look of sorrow and sympathy that crossed those beautiful features.
"So, where do you live; do you have anywhere to go to?" She asked carefully. I shrugged again,
"Not really. I was staying at the back of the restaurant, but I guess I won't be welcome there anymore. I better go gather my stuff before they throw it away though." Getting back to my feet, I helped Toni up as well.
"Would you like to stay with me for a while? I have more than enough room and I still feel a little guilty for everything that happened." I shook my head,
