Incubus

Chapter 12

No one can make you feel inferior with your consent

~Eleanor Roosevelt

"You know you've been standing me up a lot lately," Emmalyn scolded me the next day. "I don't know if you realize this, but it's rude. I waited outside of the club for you for twenty minutes! Did you even ever show up? Were you inside?" This angry lecture had been going on for ten minutes so far. I groaned, listening to her on speaker phone so that she wouldn't blow out my eardrums. She was absolutely furious, and I could understand why. Last night was supposed to be our girls' night out, but that didn't happen because Hayden had to continually waltz into my life during the most inconvenient moments and ruin everything. Hopefully, last night had set him straight; I wasn't interested. 

But I still couldn't place that feeling I had felt when I had seen him with another girl. I shook my head and decided to forget about it. That was none of my concern; he could do whatever he wanted with whomever he wanted.

"Corin? Are you even listening to me?"

"Uh yeah, Em, I'm sorry. I didn't feel well last night and had to go home early."

"Did you even make it to the club or did you bail on me halfway there?"

"I made it there! I just... listen, I'm still tired, can this conversation continue some other time?"

"Is this an excuse, so you don't have to tell me that you're hung over?"

"No! I didn't even get the chance to have a drink last night!"

I heard her sigh on the other line. "Listen, Corin, I'm sorry. I shouldn't be this mad at you. I don't even know why this upset me so much, it's just... I haven't had the easiest time. I'm still upset about my father; he's gone forever. I still have to wrap my mind around that. He left me, and I guess that I feel like you kind of left me as well. You keep canceling plans with me, and it started to scare me. I was hurt and angry, and I suppose I'm still upset."

I sighed and chided myself for the way I'd been treating her. I didn't even realize how Emmalyn would feel about me canceling my plans with her, and that she would feel all alone without me there. 

"Emmalyn, I'm sorry, I didn't know you'd feel this way. I should have known, but I didn't. How about I make it up to you? We do something together, the two of us and no one else. You come over here, pick me up, and we'll go to the mall or something to hang out. What do you say?"

There was a slight pause, and I was afraid she'd say no. But then I heard her sigh again and knew she wanted to go shopping. She never passed up a chance to visit the mall. "All right. I still need to shower; I'll pick you up in an hour?"

"Sounds great, Em. See you then!"

The mall was packed full of people, as was to be expected on a Friday. I could only imagine how full the coffee shop must be today and suddenly felt bad for not being there to help Connor and Olivia. 

"Why don't we try to go to H&M?" Emmalyn suggested. "They always have good deals there, especially during the big summer sales."

I nodded absently, still thinking about Connor and Olivia. I'd have to apologize later, not that they'd known that I bailed on them to go shopping with my friend. They didn't have to know that specific detail.