Double Trouble

Old Friends (Part 3)

“Yeah, I remember Ronnie. Hi Ronnie,” I was trying to sound excited but I new that it wasn’t coming out that way.

“Go order your food and then come sit down. I saved you a spot,” Jess said, a love-struck grin plastered across her face.

“Yeah, I’ll be back in a second.”

“Jess! Why didn’t you tell me you were dating Ronnie?”

“I didn’t think you would care.”

“Of course I care! First off, I would like to know when my best friend has a new boyfriend; second I would especially like to know when my best friend’s new boyfriend is Ronnie.”

“Ok, first of all, when did I suddenly become your best friend?”

“What do you mean? You’ve always been my best friend.”

“Not lately, I haven’t.”

I put my fingers to my temple, “I don’t know what you mean!”

“Ever since Rebecca got pregnant with her now dead baby, you two have been together non-stop. Then when her new baby came along, you started spending even more time with her. How that’s possible, I don’t really know.”

I was angry now. “I don’t appreciate you calling Annabelle ‘her now dead baby.’ That’s disrespectful. And of course I’ve been spending time with her. She’s a new teen mom. Just like me. We need to rely on each other because at times those babies can drive us to the brink of insanity and we need to talk to another person who knows what we’re going through. Just because of those reasons does not mean that Rebecca has replaced you as my best friend.”

“Yeah, sure.”

Ronnie walked up to the table, a smirk across his face, “I believe you had a seat saved for me?”

Jess returned the smirk, “I do,” she stood up, touching the spine of his back as he made his way into the booth, and sitting when he did.

I started stirring my drink with my chewed up straw.

I was angry at Jess, and they were just sitting there holding hands, and staring into each other’s eyes. Truly, it disgusted me, but I knew that it shouldn’t because they had puppy love. John and I used to do it all the time, and sometimes we still did, and nobody stopped or got mad at us.

“Jess,” I said at a normal volume.

She continued her gaze with Ronnie.

“Jess,” I said, louder this time, but not loud enough to interrupt the entire food court.

She still didn’t respond so I looked for something that would catch their attention.

I grabbed my drink and “accidentally” knocked it over onto the table.