LADYBUG

Chapter 2: The Date

Three months later, abandoned American flags littered the street below my apartment. Star-spangled cups and sunglasses that read "JULY 4TH" filled the trash cans outside the building, accompanied by red Solo cups and wasted food that clogged the lobby doorway with the odor of rotten food, left out in the heat.

July in Virginia was devilishly hot. It was the kind of heat that beckoned you to come outside and play, only to send you back inside, sunburned and satisfied. And each year, thousands of people fell for it. In a way, Northern Virginia was most alive in the warmer months. Every lake and river was crowded with kayaks and paddleboards, and every eatery was filled to the brim with people. Outdoor seating was hard to find without a reservation. Even harder to find were places to simply sit in silence.

I sheltered in place in my hole of an apartment, away from the commotion in a cave all my own. A place to sit in the dark and do whatever the fuck I pleased, with absolutely no one to answer to. Partygoers and bar hoppers walked down the empty sidewalks below at any time of the night, laughing at things I couldn't hear, and tossing their trash onto the grass for some curious dog to scarf down later.

The noise that accompanied developing areas made my skin crawl. My one-bedroom apartment hovered four stories above the ground. A heavy fog rolled down the street as I sat on the couch, lost in my head, forgetting the window even existed or that I'd been staring at it for nearly thirty minutes. Now and again, a car or truck would fly by the window, roaring its engine down the straight length of the road. It was a good street for that sort of thing. Sometimes, if I was lucky, a cop would whoop their siren and pull some poor kid over next to the apartment where I could watch the entire encounter.

The neighbors to my right were a married couple in their seventies, or at least they looked like it. They were no longer working as far as I could tell, only leaving their apartment to throw the trash away and pick up groceries. I could help them from time to time if I was someone who did that kind of thing. The apartment to my left looked particularly empty without the black and tan welcome mat that guarded the door since I moved in. The seasonal door hanger she kept changing hung empty. The silver hook looked limp without the red, white, and blue wreath that was there just weeks ago. Ginny kept her decor on a steady rotation, like someone who paid their bills on time or did their taxes without having to call their dad. Rose thought it was admirable. I thought it was pretentious.

Ginny was undoubtedly gorgeous. She stood at 5'8", with long box braids that framed her symmetrical face. Her dark skin popped against the bold colors she insisted on wearing. Bold and beautiful, like the only skyscraper in an otherwise flat city. Something to behold, and impossible to ignore.

We saw each other in the hall at least once a day, sometimes twice. And although Rose would never admit it, she never liked Ginny. I'd given her plenty of reasons not to. I hadn't seen Ginny since she packed her bags and tossed the luggage into a rusty U-Haul, about a month after Rose went missing in February. She looked thinner than usual, and there were fresh bags under her eyes. Someone was having a hard time.

I wanted to ask her what the hurry was about, but I knew better than to butt in. Not after everything that happened between us. And especially not after that damn video went public. Whatever she was running from, I had to let her do it alone. The second woman in my life to disappear, with no explanation. It was becoming a habit of mine.

My phone buzzed on the kitchen counter, zapping away the daydream of past memories and scooting me into the present. I read the name on the screen and scoffed before answering.

"Come out with us, Liv! You graduated! You have to come celebrate. Please please please?"

"I'll pass."