"Flattered, I guess?" She shrugged. "It was strange to think I'd attract that much attention. I didn't
always look this good. I had a weight problem. Once I got to my junior year in college, got away from my mother...." She rolled her eyes. "I slimmed down."
"But the boobs are impressive. Sorry if that's a weird thing to say, but wow. I wish I had half that."
Alice giggled. "Oh, there's some foundation, but what makes them impressive is Victoria's Secret."
"I don't think Victoria's entire arsenal could make me look like that," Avery said, staring at her own chest.
"Avery, if you had my boobs on your body, you'd freaking fall over. You're perfect for your frame. I'm five ten and I've been this height since seventh grade!"
It was Avery's turn to giggle. "Shit, me too. Only I'm five one."
Alice smiled, her eyes tearing slightly. "I never had a really good female friend," she admitted quietly. "It's so cool to talk to a smart girl, who understands."
"I've always been smarter than most of my contemporaries. That's another reason I hang around this crew. They're dumb as dirt, in some respects, but smarts out the ass. They can hold up the heavy end of a conversation."
"I really like Stan," Alice admitted. "He's smart and cute and funny. I saw him in the line before he got to my register. Hard to miss with him being a yard taller than everyone. I kept looking at him, wondering who that delicious man was. When he walked up and asked me out, I about peed myself."
"I didn't think he had the courage to ask a complete stranger out. Sometimes, he can hardly say two words without stopping. Totally cool."
Alice leaned closer, whispering. "Do you think he's—experienced?"
Avery blushed, drawing back a little. "No idea. I think so—a little bit. These guys aren't exactly Casanova, you know? Colby's had a few girlfriends over the years. Stan, a couple, too.... Colby will be my first, when we get to that point."
"Really?" Alice grabbed her hand again, squeezing as she leaned closer. "Me too," she whispered.
Stunned, Avery sat with her mouth open. She couldn't believe Alice's admission. In her, she saw perfection, confidence. To find that her new friend was as insecure and inexperienced as she, was quite a revelation.
"All the girls I went to school with, they started so young," Alice continued. "I was always the one that no guy wanted to go out with. Here, look." She pulled a picture from her wallet. "Mom made me dye my hair darker, because she said that blondes weren't taken seriously."
The picture was of a chubby faced girl with a bad complexion, braces and thick glasses. Her hair was a hideous shade of washed out brown that made her look pale and brought out the freckles in her face. It was frizzy with short, unmanageable curls but there were traces of Alice there, mostly in the eyes. It was hard to see that it was the same person.
"That's me as a senior. I got to college, I let my hair grow out and my true color show. I got contacts, found a better line of makeup products, and shed an entire person just by eating right and exercising."
"You look so great! Just amazing."
"You're so lucky," Alice said, wistfully. "You're not fat, and you've got gorgeous skin."
"I had braces and bad hair," Avery admitted. "I don't have many pictures. I grew up in foster care."
"I had a mother who suffered from Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy."
"Isn't that the thing where someone projects illness on another person? Makes everyone think they're sick?"
"Yes! I was in and out of the emergency room so many times, I lost count. My dad left when I was a kid and Mom didn't deal with it well—at all!"
"Wow, we both had some shit, huh? But now, we've got each other, and two fantastic guys."
"Yes, we do. We're going to be great friends."
Stan and Colby drove to Colby's apartment. Gavin was pacing, slapping his arms. He was wearing a T-shirt and jeans. His lips had a blue tinge. Occasionally, he hopped up and down to keep the blood circulating. Colby opened his apartment quickly, bringing his friend inside to warm up. He threw the afghan around his shoulders and started coffee.
"How did you end up outside without your coat or keys?" Stan asked.
Gavin dropped his head. "You'll think it's stupid."
"I always think you're stupid," Stan quipped. "What makes this different?"
Chuckling, Gavin sat on the couch. "I heard something outside. It sounded like someone calling for help. So I went out to see. Only it was just some kids playing tag. But the door swung shut and boom. Locked out."
He accepted the cup of coffee gratefully.
"Then it's a good thing we have keys to your place," Stan said.
"Which is why we have keys to each other's places," Gavin said. "Because we're all fuckwits who lock ourselves out regularly."
"Just not usually in the cold without a coat," Colby pointed out.
©2021 Dellani Oakes
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