Chapter Six
Morgan
Back in the hotel, we get ready to go out to a nice dinner. Ruby is paying for my dinner as her payback for earlier. I climb out of the shower and go back out into our double queen bed junior suite when I hear Gia's voice through Ruby's speakerphone.
"She did what?" laughs Gia.
"You heard me; she shook his hand and confessed she knew nothing about gaming," Ruby replies. "Oh look, she's out of the shower now, so you can ask her yourself!"
I cringe a little. "Come on, guys. I thought we were moving on from this," I say.
Ruby chimes, "I told you we were going to call her."
I still hear laughter coming from Gia as I say, "Gia, look, it was stupid and embarrassing, but it's not that big of a deal. Don't read anything into this."
"No, Morgan, it is a big deal. We've been friends since 10th grade and I've never known you to get all hot and bothered by a guy," she replies, and both she and Ruby lose their cool to a fit of laughter.
I plop down on the bed opposite of Ruby and pout. "I was not hot and bothered. He was hot. And yeah, it bothers me that I made myself look like a fool. But that's it," I confess.
"Morgan, we love you. We're just giving you a hard time. When was the last time you gave us some real ammunition to make fun of you with?"
I actually try very hard not to embarrass myself. Every once in a while, I will tell a bad joke, or worse, not get a joke, but for the most part, I’m boring. "I know," I say, sighing. "I just, I can't believe I did that. He just took me by surprise, and I don't like surprises."
"I get it, Mo. Just let us have our laugh now and then we can all move on." Gia replies. "But I still really wish I could have witnessed it."
"You know, what if it was the universe's way of telling you that you just met your soul mate for the first time? What if Dex is the one? “Ruby says thoughtfully, and I hear Gia gasp and say "oooooh" like she can’t believe this thought never occurred to her.
Now I’m laughing. "Ha! Right. No way am I meant to fall in love with some…professional video gamer. And Gia, you don't even believe in soul mates, so you just be quiet!"
"No, I don't, but you do. And wouldn't it be a good story someday? I know how you love a good story and happy ending," Gia retorts.
Yeah, good stories and happy endings in the books I read. Because that’s really the only time there truly are happy endings. Instead of sharing my rather depressing but real thoughts on the way life is supposed to turn out, I just say "sure," and move off the bed to my suitcase to pick out my outfit for dinner.
"Ok, guys, how about this? Will y'all just leave the whole thing alone and let me forget about the most embarrassing moment of my life? I promise that if the universe ever gives me the opportunity to talk to my ‘soul mate’ again," putting soul mate in air quotes, "I will talk to him and not be a spaz. Does that sound like a deal? Because I personally think it sounds like a very good idea." If I can just get them to back off, then I can go back to my happy little, non-spaztastic life, and really, we all know that I'm never going to see Dex again.
"Boring!" says Gia through that phone.
"Fine, but remember you promised to talk to him. Oh, and if he were to ask you out, you have to go. If he doesn't ask, then you do. Live on the edge a little, " Ruby counters.
"I'm totally down with this version," Gia says with a tone that implies that she is probably doing that fingers-to-fingers hand gesture used by evil masterminds during the reveal of their evil mastermind plans.
"Ugh, fine, you guys are the worst.” I'm over this, and I will agree to whatever, just to make them leave me alone.
“Ok Gia, we are letting you go now, we have a dinner reservation in thirty minutes, and we need to get ready." Ruby snickers.
"Ok laters! Keep me updated...on everything!" she replies, and then Ruby and I say quick goodbyes just before the line goes dead.
~~~
Dinner was fantastic. We walked about five blocks from the hotel to a nice steak and sushi restaurant. I hate sushi but love steak, the complete opposite of Ruby, so it was the perfect place. I don't think I've ever had a better steak in my life. Not that I have had a lot of nice steak dinners, but either way, that was incredible. Per our agreement, Ruby didn't bring up Dex the whole night, thank God. So, it was just a great night with one of my best friends.
I am so incredibly lucky to have Ruby and Gia in my life. I couldn't ask for better best friends. I met them both at different times in my life, and I am beyond thrilled that they both get along with each other. The three of us are nearly inseparable.
Ruby and I met at work and really hit it off. She is the comic relief in my life. She’s super smart and hilarious. So, conversations with her are never boring. She always has something to say, and it’s usually entertaining. We became fast friends the minute she saw the picture of me standing next to a cardboard cutout of Edward Cullen in my cubicle. She struck up a conversation about why she will always and forever be a member of Team Jacob. A healthy debate on if Bella chose the right guy in Twilight is always a welcome conversation in my book. And that’s how it’s been since that first day. I don't have a lot of friends, or really a lot of people in my life, so she was a welcome addition.
Before my mom passed away, I was a social butterfly. I had an extremely full social calendar, and I couldn't have been happier. But when my mom was diagnosed with cancer, I started sticking around at home more often. My mom was more important than going to some dumb movie or wasting time at someone's house just to flirt with boys.
My friends were understanding at first, but after a few months of blowing them off for my mom, they stopped inviting me out. Honestly, I hated that my friends gave up on our friendships. It really hurt at first, but being with my mom was my primary focus. By that point, we knew she wasn't going to be able to beat the cancer, so my time with her was a top priority.
A couple of months before she passed, Gia moved to town, and being the sweet and attractive new girl, she had an opportunity to pick her place within the social hierarchy of high school. She could pick any friend she wanted, and to my surprise, she picked me. She sat down next to me at the library on her first day, introduced herself, and pretty much became my best friend within the week.
She didn't push me to spend time with her, she knew I needed to be home, but she came over at least once a week and got to know my mom. My mom loved Gia. It's like she knew that when the time came to leave me, Gia would take care of me. And she did. She stayed with me for a week after my mom passed. She was my rock, and she has been ever since.
When I tried to reemerge back into the social scene at school, it was brutal. I went to parties only because Gia was invited. I wasn't quite a social pariah even though it felt like it in the beginning. It was almost like I made my choice and it wasn't “them,” so that was my payback. I was left behind and forgotten about. But really, it was all right, I dealt with it. Even though it was lonely at times, I wouldn't have changed my decision to spend as much time with my mom.
In college, Gia and I purposefully didn't room together. We were consistently told that if you room with your best friend, then you wouldn't be best friends at the end of the year. We took that to heart, and I think it was for the best. We both had a chance to become adults on our own, but we still remained best friends. I never got super close with my roommate, Ashley, but she was my roommate for three years. Senior year, though, Gia and I decided we were past the "growing up stage of college" and moved off campus and got a small apartment together. After graduation, we decided to move to Chicago.
Shortly after the move, I met Ruby. While she is the complete opposite of Gia, she, like Gia, attached herself to me. I don't know what it is. I've stared at myself many, many times in the mirror trying to find out if I just look lonely, or if I look like I need a friend, but both Gia and Ruby say that there was just something about me that made them feel like they wanted to be my friend. I guess I should take that as a compliment. In truth, spending time away from real life with one of my best friends means a lot to me. I could be home on the couch reading a book or watching TV, instead of living.
Later that night, as I lie in bed trying to get some sleep before another long day ahead of us, I wonder; why do I get the feeling that I'm still not living? My mom's sickness and death shook my world apart. I let the shattered pieces fall where they landed and did very little to put them back together again. I embraced this way of life as my new normal, and it was now safe. So why do I feel like it's about to be shaken up again?