Beside You

Chapter 3

When back at my apartment, Jess runs up to me and embraces me in a huge bear hug. I take a step back and push her off of me. "What the hell was that?" I ask.

"I know how much you were stressing about your interview, and I'm just so happy that you did it! Personally, I would have chickened out." She smiles at me, her bright, large teeth showing through red lipstick. She's always wearing red lipstick. She loves how it looks against her hispanic skin.

"Well, thanks."

"So what are you doing for the rest of your day?"

I try to think if I have anything on my mental to-do list. "Nope, just finishing unpacking. What about you?" I head to the kitchen to grab a smoothie.

"Yeah, I'm gonna check out some clubs around here. You should come!" She yells from the living room. I hear the TV turn on. Jess knows I hate clubs, so I don't know why she's always inviting me to join her.

"No, thanks." I respond as I head to my bedroom.

I toss my purse on my bed and start reaching for boxes to unpack. I have put off this unpacking of non-essential things. There's just so much stuff, it's overwhelming.

I start with my books. I place them on my bookshelves, and the room is already looking better. I grab a photo album and smile at the memories coming to mind. I sit on the floor and start flipping through its pages. The first picture I see is of my parents in their uniforms with my sister and I at their feet. A tear comes to my eye. I am so incredibly proud of my parents for serving our country, but it's been pretty difficult for our family with them being overseas. They usually can only see us a couple of times a year, and we aren't as close as I'd like us to be. So, it's pretty much been just my sister and I. Even then, I've always been the responsible one.

I place the album with my books. I keep unpacking for the next four hours, and when I have finally finished the last of it, I carry the empty boxes out to the living room to take downstairs.

"Wow, I thought you were either dead or asleep. That took awhile."Jess comments from the kitchen. She's putting the dishes away. I ignore her sarcastic comment. "Hey," she asks, "want to get dinner with me?"

I really could use some 'fresh' air, so I say, "Yeah, sure. Just let me take my trash down to the dumpster." I manage to walk, well, shuffle, down the stairs and outside, my hands completely overflowing with cardboard. I almost fall over because of how much there is. I didn't want to take two trips. I walk to the side of the building and place the garbage in the dumpster. I feel chills run through me; even though it's the middle of the day, I always feel creeped out being in the alley, even if its just for a few minutes.

When I get back inside, Jess is waiting for me by the front door. I give her a look. "So, we ready to go?" I ask.

She scoffs and looks at my outfit. "You ARE changing, aren't you?" I look down. I do have some dirt on my pants and a smoothie stain on my blazer.

"It doesn't really matter." I say. She shakes her head and takes me into her room. She flings open her closet door as I sit in her desk chair.

"Girl, if you're gonna be seen with me, you can't look like a thirty-year old teacher with stained pants." She remarks. I glare at her.

"Look, we are just going to get food and come back, so it doesn't really matter..." I trail off when she gives me an exhasperated sigh. I decide to appease her. "Fine, pick something for me to wear." She grabs a black and gold flowy, yet short, dress and tosses it at me. I look it over. It IS cute. I change into it while she puts on a very low-cut cream dress with sequin accents.

"That seems a little over-the-top for dinner." I say.

"Paisley, this is New York. Nothing is over-the-top. Get used to it." I shrug. She slips on a pair of four-inch black pumps and tosses me a pair of red ones.

"You know, I have shoes." I say.

"Yeah, but mine are cuter." She says with a shrug. After a few more moments of dolling up, we are ready to go. Jess, being so into the night-life scene, is always dressed a bit risque and clubby. I don't really care, but she's always trying to get me to dress more like her.

We head downstairs and I ask her where we are going for dinner.

"Oh, we're meeting some people at Mia Cucina."

"That seems a bit expensive for a Thursday night." I say, always the worrier.

"Well, we are meeting some people and they offered to pay for us." I wonder who we could possibly be meeting. It doesn't surprise me that Jess has already made friends in this city.

As we walk, various catcalls and comments are thrown our way. Jess just takes it in stride, as if it boosts her confidence. She smiles and occasionally offers a wave to passerbys.