The Other One

Chapter 7

Here's part seven! It took a while, and I apologize for that, but I have a multitude of completely valid reasons that I am not going to list. :3

Anyway, I love this chapter. I made it long just for you. And I totally leave y'all with a cliffy, but you can deal with it. ;]

It would make my day if you voted and commented for me. :D

+Cake

*  *  *  *  *

As soon as Lizzie walked into the bar, the group in the far corner spotted her, yelled "LIZZIE!" simultaneously, and came running toward her, wide smiles on each person's face. God, she'd really missed her friends.

Chris stampeded over to her and picked her up as if she weighed nothing. Thumping half-heartedly on his back with small fists, she laughed as her friends groaned about not being able to hug her.

"Hey, I got her first," Chris defended in that deep voice of his. He gave her one last gentle squeeze before setting her down and smiling as she was tackled from all sides by her other friends.

"Lizzie, why didn't you call me?" Anna, a pretty brunette woman who was currently in the residency stage of her medical education, asked. "Or any one of us? We could've helped. Even if you just needed a hug." Anna pulled her into a motherly hug to prove her point.

"I'm sorry, guys. I didn't want to dump all my negativity on you," Lizzie told her friends, her head resting on Anna's shoulder. "Besides, I got through it fine on my own, didn't I?" Anna released her and stared at Lizzie's face, a calculating look in her eye. Lizzie started to squirm and blush under the scrutiny.

Why did she always know? Every single time Lizzie tried to hide something from her friends, Anna was always the one to find out. She just gave her that calculating and there went the secret - whoosh! - right out the window. Of course, in this case, Nathan was the secret in question, and Lizzie was finding it impossible to keep such a big person a secret, anyway.

Lizzie pulled herself out of Anna's hold and threw her hands up in surrender. "Fine! I'll tell you!" she huffed, giving up.

Chris, Des, Oli and Kaylie stared perplexedly at Lizzie, while Anna looked on with a knowing smirk.

"You had something to tell us?" Oli asked quietly in surprise. She and Kaylie looked blankly between their two friends.

Chris looked carefully at Lizzie's expression and a slow grin spread across his face. "Ah. I see. Anna did her thing again."

"What thing?" Des asked, clearly confused. Des wasn't part of their group; he was Chris's newest boyfriend. He was kind of ditzy sometimes, but he was really cute, with short brown hair and pretty hazel eyes. He was a social butterfly.

 Lizzie hoped Chris kept him.

"Oh, only the thing where she brainwashes you into telling you all your secrets," Chris said, and Anna gave a proud little satisfied smirk. Des looked slightly frightened.

"Aw, don't worry Des, she won't brainwash you," Lizzie comforted, swinging an arm over his shoulders. "She only does it to us when there's something we're hiding from everyone that's a big deal. If you don't have anything important and secret-like in your head, Anna won't give you the look." Des exhaled in relief and Anna chuckled.

"Speaking of big important secrets," Oli said, "Lizzie has one she should be telling us right about now." The whole group swivelled their heads in Lizzie's direction and she flushed.

"Don't look at me like that! I'll tell you soon enough," she complained. "We have all night, and I want something to eat first before you guys start shooting questions at me." The group grumbled and whined, but Lizzie held a hand up and looked at them sternly. "I need food. We will go sit down, and while I eat my french fries I'll explain. Now go sit. I'm going to order and then I'll meet you over there."