2 comments/ 8148 views/ 2 favorites Life As It Is Pt. 01 By: Tacobox I.Mickaela The first time I saw her, she was leaning over the bar, ordering a drink. I watched her for a few minutes-I watched the way her long, light brown hair fell across the front of her shoulders and onto her smooth, tan arms. I watched the way her smooth, beautiful hands, with perfectly manicured nails, wrapped around the bottle of beer that she had just ordered. She talked to the bartender for another minute or two and then started to turn towards me. I quickly turned and faced the bar that I had just been leaning back on. I had a funny feeling that I would be seeing her again so there was no use in staring at her now and being completely obvious. The whole time, though, I couldn't help but feel like I knew her from somewhere. II.Trystin While I was at the bar ordering my beer, the bartender let me know that I was being admired from across the room. "Yeah, sure I am," I laughed. "You're just trying to butter me up so that I'll give you a better tip." The bartender smiled back at me as she handed me my drink and pointed over my shoulder. "I'm serious, honey, directly across the dance floor and on the second level. Nice button down dress shirt-blue, I think-untucked with dark jeans." I rolled my eyes and turned to look in the direction she was pointing. Sure enough, there was somebody standing up there in a blue dress shirt and jeans, but he was looking towards the bar on the second level, not towards me. "OK, I'll give you credit for knowing it was a blue dress shirt, but that's it. He isn't even facing this direction. Besides, I'm not here to find a 'he'. They aren't even my type." The bartender smiled and held her hands up at her sides, "Look around you, Hon!! There isn't a single person in this building that is looking for a 'he'. Some of them may wish that they were one, but there isn't anyone here looking for one. What's your name, anyway? Not trying to pick you up, swear it! It's just that I don't recall ever seeing you in here before." I smiled, "My name is Trystin, and you're right. I have never in my life been in here before...as a matter of fact, tonight is a special occasion!" "Excellent! What might you be celebrating? Sorry to be so nosey, but this end of the bar is a little dead right now." "No, that's fine, really! I'm celebrating a few things, actually. I'm single-somewhat newly single-and I've just gotten a new job that just brought me back home for the first time since I graduated high school. So I guess you could sum it all up and say that I'm starting all over again and I'm right back at home! Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got some cruising to do." I turned and started to walk away and then turned to look at the bartender over my shoulder, "Thanks for the drink and the conversation! I'll see you around!" III.Mickaela When I turned back around, the beauty that I had spotted from across the room was gone, but the bartender that she'd been talking to was looking at me and waving me over. As I made my way across the bar, I realized that the bartender was a friend that I'd had since high school. "Shit, Allie," I said, "If I had known you were over here, I'd have come over here first instead of up there where I have to wait!! You're the fastest drink thrower in here, you know." "Yeah, keep trying to butter me up...I know what you really want! For the record, I was gonna tell you anyway, but I honestly don't think that you'll believe me!" I laughed, "Am I that readable? Anyway, try me, there isn't much that surprises me these days." "Well," she started, "I know you watch porn and stuff-right?" "Yeah, you airhead! Remember who introduced you to it? By the way, I wasn't buttering you up. You really are the quickest beer slinger that I've ever known. But the quickest to the point you are not. Spill it, skillet; tell me who she is." "You know what? I was going to tell you before you chose to be a smartass. But just for that, all I'm going to tell you is that she is supposed to be the next Logan Rae. If you really want to know what I mean, come by my place tomorrow and we'll have a few drinks and watch a few of her videos." "Fine, don't tell me anything else, I'll figure it out on my own! I'll have to get back to you about tomorrow, though." "Aw man, Mick! Why? What could possibly be more important that getting drunk in the middle of the day with your best friend and watch some porn?" I smiled, "Funny you should ask, Al. Logan is actually coming into town tomorrow. If she doesn't have to get to work as soon as she gets here, I'm gonna spend the evening with her." I winked at her, "Don't worry, though. When she's working, we can spend all day doing what you want. So anyway...what's new?" She turned and picked up a glass and a beer and proceeded to pour me a shot of tequila. She handed me the beer and sat the shot down in front of me. "You ever hear from that girl that you were head over heels for in high school?" My smile faded quickly, "You mean the one that broke my heart? The same one that I used to say I would do anything for and drop everything for if she walked back into my life? The same one that left me in tears in the rain on my parent's front porch five years ago and never looked back? Is that the one to whom you are referring?" "Umm, yeah, that's the one?" "Nope, not a word. The girl you were just talking to sort of reminded me of her, though. Her hands looked the same. Why do you ask, anyway?" "You might want to take that shot now," she said as she grabbed another glass and poured me another shot. I did as she said and waited for what I was about to hear. "Word going around is that she's moving back to town-and she's supposed to be back this weekend." I downed the second shot of tequila and motioned for her to pour me a third. "When did you hear this? Is she just coming for a visit or is she back for good? Is she bringing someone with her? You can't just tell me this shit, just drop it on me like this, and not tell me anything else about it? That's just fucked up!" Allie poured me another shot and laughed, "Take a deep breath, kiddo! From what I understand, she got a new job out here. All I know is that she bought a new house out here, but I'm not entirely sure if she's single." I took the third shot, "How'd you find out about this anyway?" "I'm a loser...Mark is her real estate agent. He called me and told me, but he didn't say her name directly-it almost seemed like he couldn't believe it-and he didn't tell me where. What was her name, again, anyway?" I started to turn away, "Trystin...Thanks for the shots and the news." With that, I turned and started to walk off. "Mickaela, wait a second! You aren't mad at me are you? I just though that you should know!" I turned back around and smiled my best smile, the one that melts hearts and gets me whatever I want, "Absolutely not, babe! You just gave me a lot to think about is all. Definitely the best news I've heard in a while. Thanks. I'll call you tomorrow and let you know what's going on." After the news that Allie had just given me, I decided it would be best to cruise the room and see if I could find that girl. Allie told me that she was supposed to be the next Logan Rae and I wanted to see for myself. I'd been sleeping with Logan for a few years now and Trystin was the only other person that was better in the sack than her. If this girl was really that good, I wanted to know. IV.Trystin I walked away from the bar and went to the other side of the dance floor, where I could see what all was going on around me. I really wanted to watch the bartender that I had just been talking to because she was really familiar. I think her name was Allie. I'm pretty sure we went to school together. After about five minutes, I noticed that the girl that Allie had said was staring at me was walking towards her. She had a strong and confident, yet, casual, stride. Shoulders back, head up. You'd think that she owned the room. And it seemed like everyone stopped what they were doing to look at her as she passed. She seemed so damned familiar, too; she reminded me of the girl I'd dated in high school, Mickaela. A girl walked up next to me and started talking, "Is your name Trystin?" I turned to see it was my best friend from high school, "Oh my God!!! Lisa? How the hell have you been?" I hugged her. Lisa laughed, "I can't believe that it's really you!!! I haven't seen you since graduation, when you left town with that girl. Where'd you go? What happened to you? God you look great! Sorry if I seem so excited and stuff, but I just can't believe it's you!" "Wow! Didn't really expect 'Twenty Questions' right off the bat, but it's understandable." I turned and looked at the girl talking to Allie. I wanted to watch her while I talked. "Well, when I left here with Lauren, we went to Houston. That's where I've been for the last five years. Lauren and I broke up about a year ago; I found out that she had been cheating on me since the beginning. Now that we've gotten everything split up the way that it should be-after a year-I've decided to come back home. This is where I belong." Lisa's mouth dropped, "She cheated on you for four years and you just recently found out about it!? God that sucks! But couldn't you call that karma?" I frowned, confused, "Why would I call that karma?" She sipped her beer, "Well, you cheated on Mickaela. Lauren cheating on you could be considered your karma." I looked at her, "Actually, I knew from the beginning, but then I thought that she'd stopped for a while, at least that's what she told me-apparently not. And for the record, I did not cheat on Mick...I ended things before I ever did anything with anyone else." I turned back to look at the other girl, "Speaking of Mick, what has become of her? Did she ever find anyone that could make her happy?" Lisa laughed so hard and loud that a few heads turned, "You're joking, right?" "Why is that so funny?" "Trystin, she was absolutely crazy about you! She still is, but she'd never admit it. She's still around." I raised an eyebrow, "She still is, eh?" "Still around or crazy about you?" "Still around, of course." She turned her head in the direction I was looking and smiled, "Yeah, she's still around." My interest was way more that piqued, "What's she been up to, then? Is she seeing anybody?" Lisa laughed again, "She is sort of seeing someone...they have an open relationship. The girl lives out of town. She has slept with a lot of folks, though. She's done a lot for herself." "Mickaela? Slept with a lot of people? No way, I don't believe that! She was way shy and way insecure!" "Like I said, she's done a lot for herself. After you left, she lost a lot of weight, toned up some. After that, she gained a lot of confidence. About a year or so after graduation, she was working in that little bookstore in the middle of town and this girl walked in and fell for her." I had to laugh; I couldn't help it, "Just fell for her? Just like that?" "Not like as soon as she saw her, but not long after that. You'll never guess who it was, either!" I pretended to think for a minute, "You're right! I haven't a clue." "Logan Rae, the porn star!! She was lost and stopped in to ask for directions. Mickaela says that all she did was smile when she turned around to see who the customer was. I believe it too...it's that smile of hers that gets us all and makes us all melt. But anyway, Mickaela gave her directions and wrote her number down on a business card. She told her to call her if she got confused about the directions or needed to know how to get anywhere else while she was in town." I glanced at Lisa and noticed that she was looking in the same direction that I had been looking. We were looking at the same person. "So what? She gave her number to Logan and then she suddenly starts getting laid? For all you know, she could have made that story up!" Lisa looked at me and shook her head, "You didn't let me finish ...Logan called her later that night and told her she wanted to personally thank her for keeping her from being lost any longer by buying her dinner. Mickaela obviously said yes and Logan showed up an hour later on her doorstep with a pizza and a case of beer. They got along so well that they ended up having sex that same night. Logan told everybody that she'd never had better sex or more orgasms with anyone before Mickaela. Now Logan stays with her when she is in town-has a key to her house, clothes there, even keeps her horses there on her land. Anyway, since Logan said that about the orgasms-her being the most famous porn star and all-we all wanted to know if it was true." "You've had sex with Mickaela? What the hell?" I couldn't believe that this person that was once my best friend had had sex with one of my exes, especially not the one that mattered most to me. Better yet, I couldn't believe that Logan Rae had never mentioned it to me. "Hey, back off!" Lisa started to get defensive, "Just because you didn't want her anymore doesn't mean that nobody else could have her! When you left with someone else, she became fair game!" I backed off, "Ok, point taken. So tell me, was she good? Because she was good in high school-actually the best sex I've ever had!" Lisa lightened up, "She's the best I've ever had, too. I'm pretty sure that is the consensus of half the girls in this bar. And I only say half because she hasn't slept with everybody in here." She got a very quizzical look on her face, "The last time I talked to you, you'd only been with Mickaela and when you left, Lauren. That really doesn't seem like much to compare her to, you know." Now it was my turn to laugh, "You're kidding, right?" She was even more confused, "Kidding about what?" "I thought everyone knew!!" "Knew what? What are you talking about?" "Wow!! You seriously don't know? Ok...when I moved to Houston, I got into the adult film industry. In the last five years, I've risen to the top as an award winning porn star. Logan Rae and I are actually close friends!" "Then how could you not know about her and Mick?" "I don't know. It's just not something that ever came up. I mean, she told me that she was really into this one girl, but she said it probably wouldn't ever be as much as she wanted it to be because the girl had been screwed over pretty good in her last relationship...I just never once thought that it might be Mickaela, nor did I ever think to ask!" "Well, now you know." The girl at the bar had just taken a few shots and she seemed part nervous, part excited about something, "So how much has she changed?" "You miss her, don't you?" I could feel the tears in my eyes starting to form, " I've regretted leaving her for the last one thousand, eight hundred, and twenty-five days. There isn't a single decision that I've made that I haven't thought of her. It's been so long that I'm not even sure I could spot her in a crowded room." The girl with Allie had turned around and started to walk away. Lisa nodded her head towards her and said, "You know, the two of you were together for so long, junior high and high school. When you left it shocked us all, y'all were made for each other. I think that if y'all were in the same room, y'all would be drawn to one another and not even realize it." I smiled, "You think?" She put her arm around my shoulders, "Yeah, I think. You've been staring at that girl with Allie for a while now. Mind if I ask why?" "I knew that was Allie! I'm not staring. I'm watching." "Sweetie, watching is one thing, and you are definitely not watching. You are staring. What's the deal?" "Well, I'm not meaning to stare. It's just that Allie told me that that girl was watching me while I was over there and I figured that it wouldn't hurt to watch her for a while. Besides, everyone else seems drawn to her. What's with that?" "Easy. Everyone is drawn to her. She exhumes confidence." I rolled my eyes, "Maybe if our paths cross this evening, I'll talk to her...by the way, you never told me how much she'd changed." Lisa smiled, "She's changed enough that the only way you would know for sure that it was her is if she smiled that smile of hers that melts hearts-and she doesn't even use it all the time. It's like she can just turn it on whenever she wants to." "God, I'd love to just talk to her again, just to explain things and to just hear her voice again! I doubt that she'd want to have anything to do with me, though, if we ran into each other again." About that time, the girl talking to Allie had turned around completely and was smiling. It was a smile I'd know anywhere...and it was at that very moment I melted all over again. It was her! "Lisa, it's her!" I turned around real fast, hoping that she didn't see me. I wasn't ready to talk to her just yet. "Yeah, sweetie, I know. I've known since I saw who you were looking at. Do you want to get out of here and get something to eat before you have a heart attack?" "No, just stay with me the rest of the night, please. I'm not taking you from anybody, am I? Please!!" Lisa smiled and hugged me, "I'm here for you, babe. Do you need another drink?" I sighed, relieved, "Yes, please...I think I need a shot or two. Do you want to go over to Allie's bar and I'll meet you there in a minute? I have to pee." "See you there in five." With that, I walked off to use the restroom and get myself together. God she looked good! Life As It Is Pt. 02 V.Mickaela When I turned, I happened to see Lisa talking to that girl. The girl had turned around quickly, though, when she saw me, which let me know that she had been looking at me. I decided to make my way through the crowd and say hey. About half way across the room, though, my cell rang so I made my way to the patio to answer it. Once outside, I pulled it out to see that it was Logan, so I answered it and found a quiet corner. "Hello?" "Hey you sexy thing," she replied in her most seductive voice. "Um, to whom am I speaking?" I was feeling facetious so I thought I'd mess with her head a little. She nervously replied, "Is this Mickaela's phone?" "Yes it is. Who is this?" "This is Logan, is Mickaela around?" "No she isn't, she's in the shower right now. Do you want to leave a message for me to give to her for when she gets out?" She started to get upset, "Who the hell is this and why the fuck are you answering her phone?" I busted out laughing, "Take it easy, baby; it's me. I was just messing with you." "That wasn't funny! I started to get really upset. Just because I know you sleep with other people when I'm not around doesn't mean that it's ok for them to answer your phone when it rings!" Still laughing, "Ok, ok, I'm sorry. I get the point. I was just playing around. Do you forgive me?" "Hell no! Give me one good reason why I should forgive you." She wasn't really mad at me anymore, "What if I told you I was smilin' at you, telling you I'm sorry and asking you to forgive me?" I could hear the smile in her voice, "You are such an ass! You always pull that card! I forgive you! So what are you doing?" I won, "I'm at Rayne's, hanging out, having some drinks. After the news that Allie just gave me, I'm about to start throwing back the drinks to get drunk. Honestly wasn't my intention when I came in, though. Why? What are you doing?" "Well, I was lonely and bored so I flew in early. Do you mind if I join you? I'm at the airport, I can take a cab since it's not far." My evening just got a million times better, "You sure as hell can join me! When you get here, go to Allie's bar and call me." "Sounds like a deal, pickle. So what's this news that Allie has given you that's made you want to get drunk?" "Well," I sighed, "remember that girl I told you about from high school that broke my heart?" "Yes, why?" "Allie informed me just a few minutes ago that she's bought a house out here and will be moving back into town this weekend. To top it off, there is a girl here that is crazy familiar and crazy cute." "Hmm...sounds like I better hurry up and get a cab and come run crowd control. Are you ok with her moving back?" "I don't know, I've always wondered what I would do, how I would react. You know? I just don't know how to feel about it. She left me, though, so if she is back, I'm not going to go searching for her. She needs to apologize to me for what she did. Then maybe I'll think about catching up and trying to be her friend." "I understand that...I'll get a cab real fast and be there soon so we can talk about it if you want." "I'm not sure I'm ready to talk about it yet. I am sure, though, that I'm ready to drink about it, though. I'll see you when you get here. Be careful, ok?" "Ok, you too. I have a shoe." I grinned, "I have a boot." And with that I hung up and set out to find out who that girl was and to get my drink on. VI.Allie When Mickaela walked off, I turned back to the back of my bar and let out a huge sigh. Things were about to get crazy around here. I was so surprised to see Trystin for two reasons. First of all because I knew she was a huge porn star now, second was because of Mickaela. Mick had such a hard time after Trystin left her because she was "the one". Or at least that's what we all thought. Mick was so determined to make herself a better person and boost her self esteem when Trystin left her, so determined that we were scared for her. She went into this total zone. She lost about sixty pounds and just toned up really nice. She was never heavy to begin with so we all thought that losing that much weight was a bit extreme, but once we saw her afterward, we didn't think it was extreme anymore. Let me clarify...Mickaela was never big to us, she was a little on the heavy side, I suppose, but we never noticed because that's the way she always looked. Once she lost that weight, we weren't scared for her health anymore, we realized that this was the size she was meant to be. God was she determined to change the way she looked! I think that she felt like if she changed the way she was, like by losing weight and gaining confidence, that Trystin would come back for her. She gave up when it didn't happen. She didn't let herself go, either. She stayed with her diet and her workout regime, but didn't focus on it as much as she had at first; it was habit for her. Instead she poured herself into her work at that damn little bookstore...she managed to save enough money, though, to build and open Rayne's. Anyway, after Trystin walked off, I had to warn Mickaela somehow, let her know that she might run into her again soon, so I waved her over to me. After she asked for that third shot of tequila, I knew that maybe I shouldn't have said anything; just kind of let them run into each other. When I turned back around, I saw that Lisa, Trystin's best friend from school was talking to Trystin. I was relieved to see that they picked up where they had left off. Once everyone knew that Trystin was back, she was going to need at least one friend. At first we were all pissed because of the way she left Mick; now they would all be trying to keep her away from Mick because Mick was the best lay in town. I noticed, though, that Trystin looked a lot more nervous than when I had talked to her. I suppose that she had spotted Mick. Lisa was looking this way and Trystin walked away from her, in the direction of the bathroom. Lisa walked towards me. It probably took her less than a minute to get to me, and when she did, she just started talking. "Holy shit!! Can you believe she's back? I mean, after five years, she just walks in here, of all places. And on a night when Mickaela is here! What are the odds?" I poured her a tequila shot and handed it to her, "Calm down Lis, we're gonna figure this out. We're gonna have to if we want to stay sane. We won't purposely let them cross paths when we are with them; we'll just let Mickaela figure it out for herself. She's gonna need time to wrap her mind around this. I'm worried about her." Lisa downed the shot, "Ok, good to know one of us has a game plan. Thanks for the shot; I'm calm now. Trystin needed a potty break." "Yeah, I saw that. How is she anyway? She looked damn good!" "She should, she's a porn star now! She seems to be doing ok, though. Just got out of a bad relationship with the girl she left town with. She says she's back here where she belongs." I raised my eyebrows, "Really? That sucks, yet it's completely fascinating! I knew she was a porn star now; I've got a few of her films. She say where she was staying?" "No, but I'm sure it will be close to that lake that they always used to go to for everything. You know, the one that they both said they wanted to build a house and live within walking distance of because of all the memories that they shared together out there. I just hope that isn't where she's living." "Well, Mark told me she bought a house, but wouldn't tell me where, so we're going to have to find out from her." I pulled out my bottle opener, "So what'll it be for the two of you tonight?" "God this is crazy! Two Buds and three tequila shots." "Three shots!" I coughed. "What the hell?" "Trystin needs them, not me. I'm good after one, you know that." "Yeah, I know, that's why I was so surprised." I turned to get their drinks and shots and when I turned back around, Trystin was sitting on the barstool next to Lisa. "So, Trystin, what do you think about Rayne's?" I asked. She smiled warmly at me, "Allie, I think it's wonderful! We needed a place like this growing up...minus the alcohol and all, you know. Whoever did this must be amazing!" I handed her the shots and her beer and replied, "Yeah, you'd be surprised. None of us ever thought that it would happen." Lisa took a long chug from her beer, "Yeah, we were so surprised. All we knew was there was construction going on over on this side of town, where nothing was at, and then they put up this huge partition so we couldn't see what was going on. The partition came down opening night. All we knew was that we needed to dress up and be here...that was three years ago." "Wow, that's awesome. So who's the owner? I'd love to meet them." I really didn't want to answer, and I could tell that Lisa didn't want to, either, so I poured all three of us a drink. Jaeger bombs for Lisa and I and a Royal Fuck for Trystin. Then I tried to change the subject. With a deep breath, I said, "So, T, where are you staying at? You told me earlier that you were back for good, but you didn't say where you were planning on living." She took a long drink and replied, "Oh, that's a secret until I finish getting everything set up. I guess you both know that I used Mark as my real estate agent...I put him under strict orders not to tell anybody what house I was buying. Let's just say that I had to look hard for the perfect place." Great! Just what we all wanted to hear, the world's vaguest answer. Lisa jumped in, "So, what really brought you back? It couldn't have been just a break up. Spill it." Trystin smiled, "Work. Work is what brought me back. I wasn't supposed to be moving back into town until this weekend, but I got a call and we start shooting day after tomorrow. It's not supposed to be your average flick. It's going to have an actual plot, like they did in the seventies, and it isn't cheesy. There is a lot of dialog, but there's also going to be enough sex to make up for it." She took another long drink, "I'm really excited to start this project, it seems like it will take us a few months, rather than a few days. Plus, it will open us up to more serious films for the future." "Awesome," I said, "I can't wait to see it. I'm always saying that I'd like to see something with a purpose besides orgasms." I made another Royal Fuck for Trystin and got Lisa another beer. Then we were silent, enjoying each other's company for the first time in five years. Then Logan walked in. VII.Logan The second I stepped off the plane, I called Mickaela to find out where she was at. I missed her so much! I couldn't wait to see her, and I'm glad she was at Rayne's, I love that place. It was an amazing investment for her and it's really done well. That, and she'd be dressed really well. I mean, she dresses well as it is, but when she goes out, she dresses to get people's attention. And it being her club and all, she dresses like everyone else, but just a little bit better. She's just so friggin' hot! When I got off the phone with her, I was glad to hear that she was surprised and wanted to see me. I was not glad to hear about her ex being back. I mean, I know that we have never really been a "normal" couple, but we were as close as I had ever been. That and she, above all else, was the best friend I've ever had. I could always go to her for anything, no matter what it may be. I just knew that I didn't want to lose her as a friend. It would be good, though, because I had another friend, Trystin, one of my co-stars, that was supposed to be living out here, so maybe I could introduce them and they could be friends and keep each other company. I had told Trystin that I was sort of in a relationship with someone, but I never told her who, nor did I tell her where she lived. But I had told her all about how great of a person she was and about how mind blowing the sex was. I got a cab and told the driver where I was going. It took about 15 minutes to get there and I walked right in...the door bouncers and cashiers knew me, so I didn't have to go through what everyone else had to go through. Allie's bar was directly across the dance floor on the bottom level, and I noticed that she wasn't that busy; it looked like she only had two customers and they looked pretty quiet, so I went ahead and made my way over. As I squeezed my way through the crowd, which was pretty heavy for eleven-thirty, I managed to get Allie's attention. She suddenly looked really nervous and poured one of the girls another drink. After a few minutes of saying hey and shoving my way around, I got to the bar. Allie already had my drink ready. One of the girls, I could see, was Lisa, but I had no clue who the other was, she looked new. I decided to ignore it for a while. Allie smiled as I sat down, "I'm guessing you want one of these?" "I most certainly do...thank you very much. How are you?" She still looked nervous, "I'm not bad, just a little on edge...it's getting really busy in here and it's still early. I thought you weren't coming into town until morning, did you miss me that much?" I laughed, "How'd you know?" I took a sip of my drink, which was unusually strong, and continued, "You're right, I wasn't supposed to be here until tomorrow, but I was bored and couldn't stand to sit at home for another second by myself, so I thought that I would come early and hang out with y'all." "You look really good. I'm glad you came early and sat at my bar. Now I'll be really busy and make lots of money.' I smiled and leaned over and gave her a kiss on the cheek. When I sat back down, I heard the mystery girl speak. "So I suppose you just come in here like you own the place and don't pay any attention to the newbies in the crowd?" I'd know that voice anywhere. I knew she looked familiar, but it had been over a year since I'd seen her. When I turned to look, I couldn't believe my eyes. "Trystin!" I squealed. "I can't believe you are here! This is so great! I haven't seen you in forever! What's been going on?" I could tell she was a little drunk when she coldly replied, "I could ask the same of you. You never told me that you were seeing someone out here, in my hometown!" To Allie, "How much of what have you given her to drink?" Then to Trystin, "Don't get all pissy with me about it, it's not something that I've told anybody. I don't want everybody on her...she doesn't need the paparazzi that would come with this. We've discussed that." Allie jumped in, "She's had a couple of shots of tequila and a few Royal Fucks. Do y'all know each other?" I turned back to Allie, "Yeah, actually, we do. This is Trystin Montgomery. We've done some work together." "Really now? What a small friggin' world!!" Allie replied. She then turned to Lisa, "Who would have ever though that not only would the two most famous and hottest porn starts would be in this bar with us and we would all know each other? Would you have guessed that in a million years, Lisa?" Lisa chugged the rest of her beer and motioned for another shot, "Nope, I never in a million years would have imagined that this would ever happen. But I suppose that tonight is just the night of surprises!!" I was thoroughly confused at this point. "You guys all know each other? It is a really small world. Let me call Mick right fast and let her know I'm here and y'all can tell me the story while she's on her way over here." All three replied in unison, "NO!!!" Then Trystin, "We just mean that maybe you should let us tell you how we all know one another before you call her. It's an absolutely amazing story, actually, and we feel that we should have your full attention while we tell you about it." I frowned and looked at all three of them. This definitely seemed like it was going to be good. "Ok...I'll wait till you're done. Now tell me." VIII.Trystin I looked at Lisa and Allie, "Who should tell her?" They offered me no help. I suppose that I knew I should be the one to tell Logan, she was my friend; and after all life, as the four of us knew it, was about to become one giant cluster fuck. And it was going to be all my fault. I looked at Allie and she nodded. "Well," I said, "you are going to have to pour me another one of these shots and get me another beer if I'm about to do this. You should also get Logan, here, a shot of the best. I think that we all may need one after this, but she'll need it the most." "I don't understand," Logan replied. "What could be so damn bad? You didn't kill anyone, did you? Like, the three of you together?" I laughed, "Logan, you can be such an airhead at times. We didn't kill anyone. Just listen and don't say anything until we-pardon me-I am done telling you. Do you promise to just listen?" She nodded her head so I began. "We know each other because we all grew up going to school together. Lisa, here was my best friend. Allie and I were pretty close, too, but I guess we had to be." I took the shot of the artificial courage that Allie had poured me. "When I was in elementary school, I met this absolutely amazing girl. She was beautiful, intelligent, thoughtful, independent-yes, even back then she was independent-and incredibly shy. But she was still everything to me. Of course, I had to settle for just being her friend at first because being gay was weird back then. When we hit junior high, though, I couldn't help myself any longer. See, we'd spent the entire summer before seventh grade together. That is when she really broke out of her shell, at least to me she did. We did everything together, swimming out at this secluded little lake that we had discovered, going to the movies together, fishing, picnicking, reading to one another, and telling each other secrets at sleepovers. I mean, we were virtually inseparable. "It was during this summer and all these sleepovers that I started to actually notice the way this girl looked at me. It was like no matter who was around, she only saw me. I decided to start flirting a little with her, just to see if maybe the feeling was mutual. We were still young enough that I could have passed it off as just joking around. She flirted back, though. I'll never forget the first time we kissed. We were at our little lake, Rainbow Cove, that's what we called it, and we had decided to camp out there overnight because there was supposed to be a meteor shower. God, it feels just like it was yesterday...it was the end of July, a few weeks before school was supposed to start. Anyway, we had built a fire so we could make hot dogs and s'mores and she'd brought her telescope so that we could see the sky better. As the sun went down, we lay back on our sleeping bags and watched as the stars started to streak across the sky. It was one of the most beautiful things I have ever witnessed. I guess we had been watching the sky for a while because when I turned to look at her, I realized that she'd been looking at me. I asked her what was wrong and she replied, 'I have something to say, but I don't want you to think that I'm weird or anything.' I told her I wouldn't and asked her what was wrong. "I'll never forget the way she looked at me, with the fire in front of us and the stars streaking across the sky above us. That's the exact moment I realized that I was in love with her. Then she told me what was on her mind, 'You are the best friend that I have ever had in my life. I mean, I know we're only twelve, but still. You've made me feel like a different person. I don't really know how to say what I need to say.' I looked her dead in the eyes, put my hand on her cheek, and told her to just say it; that whatever it was couldn't be that bad." Logan couldn't help herself, "Did she tell you? What happened?" I fought back the tears in my eyes and smiled, "Yeah, she told me alright. She looked me in the eyes, I'll never forget the tears in hers, and told me, 'Trystin, I think that I've fallen in love with you and no matter how hard I've tried to stop it, I can't. The harder I try, the harder I fall.' Then she leaned in before I had a chance to say anything and kissed me. It was the first time both of us had ever kissed anybody at all. It was so amazing and felt so good. That was the beginning of the best six years of my life. We were with one another when we told our parents, who were unusually understanding. We were there by each other's side whenever anything went bad. We were meant to be together and everyone knew it." I started to cry then, I couldn't help it. Life As It Is Pt. 02 Lisa put her arm around me, Allie put her hand on my shoulder and said, "It's ok...if it means anything at all to you, we forgive you. Go ahead, finish." It was then that I realized all three of us were crying because we knew what came next. I took a deep breath and continued, "Then I met this other girl, Lauren. You know her. I don't know what it was about her, I don't think it was anything other than the fact that she kept asking me if I really wanted to spend my life with only one person, if I was alright with never knowing what it would be like to kiss another person. And I did and was. I couldn't ever see myself with anyone else. To this day, I couldn't tell you why I left her standing there to go with Lauren. It broke my heart to see her standing there in the rain on her mom's front porch. She didn't cry, though, not until we started to drive off. I watched her the whole way down the street. Watched her stand tall and proud with no tears until the car pulled away from the curb, then I watched her collapse onto her knees crying because I had just broken her heart. I cried all the way to Houston and for the entire first month that we were there." I was sobbing uncontrollably now, "I don't know why I stayed away for so long. I suppose that I was afraid to come home. I left exactly five years ago, today. I think part of me came in here looking for her." Logan was crying too, but because she realized who I was talking about, "Have you seen her yet?" I shook my head no. It was about then that someone standing behind us all spoke up. I knew who it was as soon as she started to speak; she had a voice that I never could have forgotten.