Betty's Cardigan

Just In Case you Call

Lorraine had secretly been hoping for James' call. 

As much as she tried to hate him, she kept checking her phone just in case he called or messaged her. 

She hadn't personally given him her number, but she hoped that he would ask one of her friends, or more likely Inez, for her number. 

Despite this desire, she had planned to yell at him to run back to Betty and leave her alone. She needed to be final with him. The sooner she got this over with, the better it was for both of them. 

When he finally called, she couldn't believe it. 

She was working at the ice cream joint outside the one screen of her town, when her phone rung. A pair of twins were first in line and trying to decide between chocolate and vanilla when she grabbed her phone and signaled at her co-worker to handle them.

"Hello," she answered the unknown number.

"Hi," James replied. 

Lorraine's heartbeat skyrocketed. Within seconds, her apron was hanging on the hook and she was out of the stall. Her heels clattered on the grey concrete as she steadied herself. She had to get him out of her system.

"Why'd you call?" she said, feigning indifference.

"I..." James stuttered. "I didn't have anyone else I could call."

Lorraine knew that James had many friends, but his words were all she had ever wanted to hear from someone. And  now, she couldn't just leave him hanging. Something had obviously happened between him and Betty.

"Do you want to talk about it?" she asked suggestively.

"God!" he exclaimed at the other end. "I'm so stupid."

So am I.

She could hear James breathing heavily. "I should have stayed," he said, his voice quietening. 

Lorraine got the feeling that he needed her to listen then. She would be told if and when her opinion was needed.

"Betty, oh god," he grimaced at her name. "I scared her. She...I...I should never have shouted at Adam."

Lorraine raised her eyebrow. Everyone knew Adam. He was rich and a genuinely good person. Those two qualities usually didn't go hand in hand. Even without much care from his parents, who were busy running their company, he grew up to be a gentleman. Everyone, well everyone except Lorraine and Betty apparently, wanted to date him, but he had been single throughout his teen years. 

"And he was just trying to help," James continued. "God, I hate him so much! I feel like I can never be as good - as perfect as him."

You're perfect for me.

"And I just ran!" he said. "Can you believe that? I just left my girlfriend with a guy who just cooked her breakfast. I was so angry at her mother, but then...I can't." He ended abruptly with a sigh. There were a few seconds of silence before he said, "What can I do Lorraine?"

Leave her to Adam. You can have me.

"Talk to her," Lorraine said as she fought the urge to be a wrecking ball. "Tell her what you told me."

"Seriously?" James asked sincerely. 

"Yes, James." Oh, how his name sounded heavenly on her tongue. It was like wine she would never get tired of tasting. "I'm sure Betty loves you enough to understand."

Frankly, Lorraine thought that James was losing Betty. Running away when your girlfriend needs you wasn't a good sign. If she had been friends with Betty, maybe she would have judged James differently, but as a girl who was infatuated with him, she couldn't bring herself to not sympathize. 

Her co-worker called to her from the stall. Break was over.

"I gotta go," she told James.

"Wait," he said. "Let's hang out later."

She should have said that he was out of his damn mind, but all she could manage was a feeble, "Cool."

You'll tell him off when you see him, she assured herself. 

Like a fool, she believed herself.