Hessa

All week, Kai called and texted me, acting like we were together. A couple.

And it was nice.

We talked about everything and nothing, no topic too silly to discuss. I shared a bit about my mom, my sister, and the genre of books I read at night when all my papers were graded. I learned more about his family, the way he grew up, what he did in his spare time. We bonded over the fact that we'd had divorced parents. He hated being separated from his dad for such long periods of time. I believed him when he said he wanted to be around every single day for his kids, when that time came.

We never discussed our relationship or where we stood. It was all about getting to know each other and developing a deeper level of comfort with each other. We'd already been intimate, but I felt closer to him now, knowing who he was underneath all the tan and muscles and gorgeousness.

Friday night came quickly without any further run-ins with my Principal, and I was looking forward to a night of pajamas the moment I walked through my door. In my estimation, a frozen burrito, some light music, and a good book were the ingredients for a perfect night.

I was jammed up, as Esa would say, when my doorbell rang. I groaned, the first bite of burrito taunting me from my untouched plate, fresh out of the microwave. A quick look in the peephole showed my sister standing on my doorstep holding a plant.

I swung open the door and let her in, apologizing for my state of undress. She laughed me off and shoved the pot in my hands.

"Here. A housewarming gift." She breezed into my living room, leaving me to find a spot for my newly acquired plant.

When I made it to the living room, sans plant, I found her wolfing down my burrito.

"Oopth. Thorry, wa da for ou?" she mumbled with her mouth full of bean burrito deliciousness.

"I live alone, Rainna. Who else would it be for?" I crossed my arms, leaning against the doorway. "To what do I owe the pleasure of your company this fine evening?" A sickly sweet smile split my face as I unleashed my irritation in the form of sarcasm.

She wiped her mouth with the 'Books Are Life' napkin I'd meticulously placed under my plate earlier. "Well, I missed your actual housewarming a few years back, so I thought I'd remedy that now. Hence, the plant."

Okay, that was kind of nice. A lot nice. I dropped the false smile and flopped down on the couch next to her.

"Thank you. That's really thoughtful. I'll probably kill it with my black thumb in a matter of days, but the thought is very nice." I gave her a quick hug. "So what's new with you, sister dearest?" I hopped off the couch and waved at her to follow me into the kitchen. My stomach growled right on cue.

"I don't have a client till ten p.m. so I thought we could just hang out for a bit." She sat on a bar stool and watched me heat another burrito.

"Sounds good to me. I didn't have anything planned except relaxing." My phone buzzed with a new text on the counter. I leaned over and saw it was from Kai. I swiped it open and read it, quickly typing a reply and sending.

Rainna whistled. "Who's got you blushing and smiling like that, huh?" Then she began to sing-song like only an annoying sister could. "Hessa's got a new boyfriend...Hessa's got a new boyfriend."

"Shut it, woman!" I was embarrassed to be caught in the act, like a naughty teenager, but I really wanted to share my excitement with my sister. The microwave dinged, so I took the burrito and went back into the living room, Rainna trailing me.

"Details, give me details."

"Let me eat first and then I'll tell you everything you want to know. Wait. Almost everything."

"Ooooh! Those kind of details, huh? I can't wait." Rainna sat on the floor across from the coffee table and waited not-so-patiently for me to inhale my burrito. Her eyes sparkled and her skin glowed. She looked good, which was nice to finally see.

I took my time with the last bite, making sure to chew it at least one hundred times before swallowing, and then wiping my mouth thoroughly. Rainna glared at me, knowing I was doing it just to annoy her. Then the doorbell rang again and I laughed out loud at her expression.

"Nooooo!" she whined. I hopped up and looked through the peephole again, seeing a crowd on my doorstep.

"Prepare thyself!" I yelled back to Rainna. I swung the door open a second time that night and let in the circus. Also known as the Beach Squad.

After all the introductions were done, I opened the bottles of wine the girls brought and handed out wineglasses. Rainna declined, opting for water instead, which impressed me. I didn't have enough furniture for everyone, so half of us settled on the floor with minimal squabbling.

Bailey leaned over to me while the girls were still shouting over each other about the nuances of white versus red wine and passed me an envelope. "I looked into that thing we talked about. Found some interesting things. But remember, I had nothing to do with the information you have there. Got it?"

I took the envelope, winked my acceptance, and put the envelope on my counter to be opened later when I was alone. I was curious to see what she'd found, but knew there was nothing I could do about it right this minute, anyway. I’d look at it tonight, sleep on it, and then approach Jack with the information if I felt it would help the investigation.

As soon as I sat back down, Esa shushed everyone and all eyes landed on me.

"What?" I asked, bewildered.

"You've got some 'splaining to do, Lucy!" Shasta said with a ridiculous Ricky Ricardo accent.

"That was bad, real bad," Bailey muttered into her wineglass.

"Let me give you some background here. We were all at Chocolate Dreams on Wednesday. So were our favorite lifeguards. Two things stood out for us. One, you announced to the whole world you'd sing in public and didn't tell us...and this was after saying you'd never do it. Two, Kai seems pretty hung up on you and you haven't given us the goods." Brinley brought me up to speed on why they were looking at me expectantly.

"I always thought Kai was pretty damn hot, but it was clear from the way he was talking about you, he's already taken," Autumn admitted shyly. She smiled at me so I knew she didn't hold any grudges. Her words made my tummy flip-flop with excitement. I didn't know for sure if Kai was actually mine, but the idea was starting to appeal to me more than scare me.

Shasta broke it down for me. "Maybe we weren't clear enough, but here in the Squad, we tell each other everything. We lean on each other. If you can't lean on us, then we feel slighted, plain and simple. You haven't taken that opportunity yet, so we've come to you."

My good mood plummeted. I never meant to hurt their feelings. I guess things just happened quickly the last week or so and I didn't think to update them. "I'm so sorry, you guys." That's all I got out before my eyes filled with tears and I jammed my lips together to keep my emotions in check.

Rainna rubbed her hand on my back and spoke for me. "Hessa here has always been the responsible one. She doesn't lean on other people because she's always the one who has to pick up the pieces for everyone else. Maybe you could give her an out, just this once, while she learns how to rely on good friends?"

"Of course we can!" Esa was quick to say. "Listen, we've all gone through rough patches or issues with men, and we've got to be able to rely on each other during those times to stay sane. If you shut us out, we don't know how to help you. And I guarantee you that every woman needs a group of women to back her up in life. We want to be your back up. So spill, woman."

I swallowed through a thick throat and did just that, telling them everything that had happened with my student, the Principal, the reporter, and finally, Kai. I skipped the sexy-time details, feeling like some things were too sacred to go blabbing about, even with the best of friends. When I'd finished unloading, we'd finished two bottles of wine and Bailey was reaching for another.

"Okay, first, let's get the boring stuff out of the way, then we'll get to the juicy details. I can help you with your fundraiser. Do it at Pacific City, in the downstairs courtyard. They have singers out there all the time. I'll set up a hot chocolate station and we'll donate the profits to your student. I can even talk to some other vendors there and see if they'll donate a portion of the night's proceeds to your cause." Esa grabbed a napkin and a pen from her bag and began to write down notes.

I felt a strange but welcome warmth bubbling up my body, making my heart race and my tear ducts flood. I couldn't believe I didn't even have to ask. Esa was just willing to pitch in and help. "I-I'd love that. Thank you so much!"

"If you make up some flyers, I can have them at the register at work," Bailey suggested.

"Oh! Us too. We can hand them out to our classes at Strike Ready," Brinley added.

I nodded my head, mind spinning with all we could do to pimp out the event to make the most money possible. If I focused on that, I wouldn't have to focus on the actual singing that I'd have to do the night of the event.

My head was ping-ponging back and forth between Esa and Bailey while they argued about what we should name the event. I had a smile on my face I couldn't seem to get rid of.

Shasta waved to get my attention. "See why you need to lean on friends? It's that feeling you got right there. The one that makes you feel like you're floating on air and can accomplish anything." She was grinning at me in a very motherly way. She was rough around the edges, but it was clear she really did want the best for all us girls. I nodded back, understanding exactly what she meant.

Rainna leaned over and wrapped an arm around me. "I'm so happy for you, Hessy. These friends of yours are the bomb," she whispered.

"They really are," I whispered back.

"Hey! Enough arguing already. Some of us are single here and we'd like to get to the sex stuff so we can live vicariously through you sluts, okay?" Autumn interrupted, getting a fist pump from Bailey.

Esa threw a napkin at Autumn, who threw it right back.

"You're just jealous," Brinley said smugly.

"Damn right we are!" Bailey shouted back, making us all laugh.

"I don't know why you're whining. I'm single, but I get plenty of sex. You're just doing single all wrong." Shasta swirled her wine, looking very much the sexy siren even though she was by far the oldest woman in the room. She was the perfect cougar.

Rainna whistled while the rest of us groaned. We didn't want to hear about Shasta's friends-with-benefits arrangements. We'd heard enough already since she was constantly chattering on about who her 'special friends' were. If I was on the one end of the spectrum with under-sharing, Shasta was on the far other end, that's for sure.

When everyone had settled down, I explained my reluctance to get involved any further with Kai. "I like the guy, but let's be real. He's a total hippie. He walks around barefoot most of the time, for cripes sake. Rainna can attest: we had a hippie for a father and I want nothing to do with that." Rainna nodded in agreement. "I really like Kai. I do. But long-term? I just don't see it working out."

"Hmm. Maybe I should take this one, guys," Brinley spoke up, eyebrows knitted. "Listen, Hessa. I had the world's worst father. Emotional and physical abuse the whole time growing up. Found out not long ago that he'd actually kidnapped me from my mother when I was an infant. Told me my whole life that my mom had passed away when I was a baby. I would never compare shitty parents, but I think I know where you're coming from with wanting to avoid getting involved with someone just like your father."

Wow. I'd had no idea she'd gone through all that. My father was just absent from my life. Her's sounded far worse. Plus, I'd always had my mom. She hadn't.

"So what advice do you have for me?" I hoped she'd keep sharing.

"When Dean barreled his way into my life, I was very resistant. In fact, I was downright rude to him. I had a huge wall built and thankfully, he stuck around and helped me pull that wall down, brick by brick. Let your past help you make smart decisions, but don't let it hold you back from the best thing that could happen to you simply because you're scared. Share your concerns with Kai and see what he says. I bet you'll be surprised with what he says. He's a good guy, Hessa. One of the best."

I spoke slowly, thinking about what she'd said. "Truth be told, Kai's never done or said anything to make me feel that he'd be just like my father. I've just made assumptions that he would. Maybe I should give him a chance."

Brinley smiled and nodded. I still couldn't get over what she'd gone through, and I fully appreciated her sharing that with me tonight. I leaned across the carpet to give her a hug.

Everyone seemed happy with my decision. We all raised our wineglasses for a toast in friendship and then spent another hour just drinking, talking about clothes, men, and if we all wanted to try surfing together one day. Rainna and Brinley, the only two sober among us, decided we were hammered if we were making plans to surf. Everyone disbanded, placing wineglasses in the kitchen and grabbing purses, before making their way to my front door.

"For future reference, do you ya'll have like a phone tree or something?" I asked.

"A what?" Bailey asked, scrunching up her face.

"You know, like a diagram outlining who to call in case of an emergency and then it tells you who that person should call."

They all busted up laughing. "No, but that's a damn good idea. This group is getting unwieldy. That'll be your assignment, Hessa. Make us a phone tree, wouldya?" Shasta ordered.

After hugs all around, they left, leaving my apartment eerily quiet.

I left the glasses in the sink, promising myself to clean them first thing in the morning. I walked to my bedroom, memories of the night with Kai running through my brain. I looked at my bedframe where he'd told me to put my hands while he pleasured me from below.

Suddenly, I couldn't stand to go to bed all alone. I needed to talk to Kai and let him know I was all in. I wanted to give us another chance. Hell, I wanted another night together.

I figured I had just enough wine on board to do something stupid, so before I could back out, I put my plan in action. I texted him, asking for his house address, saying I had something to drop off to him. Then I whipped off my pajamas, spritzed myself with perfume, dabbed some smokey shadow on my eyelids, brushed out my hair, and added bright red lipstick. I slipped on a winter coat over my naked body and topped off the look with my black heels that Kai said he loved so much.

Time for Operation Get My Man Back.