Chapter 9
Cora sipped at the beer in front of her. “Why did I let you talk me into this Mace?” She’d never been fond of bars in the first place but it had only been two months after Paolo had broken her heart and the place seemed even less interesting. The smoke, the noise, the people… none of it was anything she wanted to deal with right then.
“Oh don’t be such a party pooper Cora. You’ve been pining over him for months now, it’s time you got on with your life. That or time you got laid at least.”
“I’m not here to get laid. I let you drag me here but I’m not going home with somebody just to ‘work out a little tension’.” Cora set her lips into a tight line and fixed her with her best ‘don’t think you’re going to push me around’ look.
Mace laughed, grabbed her arm, and pulled her towards the back tables. “Who said anything about going home. Drunken sex in a bar is fun.”
‘That’s exactly what I need to humiliate myself on top of feeling like crap…’ She couldn’t tell her that though, she’d feel bad, and she was trying to help in her own special Mace way.
She pulled her over to a table where Fridah and her sister Becky were talking to Adrian, a fellow teacher at Dalton and Jerry who was Becky’s boyfriend, slid in, and pulled her down with her. “Hey guys!” Mace grinned and took a swig from the bottle of beer she had.
“Oooh you brought the living dead out I see,” Becky laughed.
Fridah elbowed her then picked up her drink and rolled her eyes. “Ignore her, Cora.”
“It’s fine. I know I’ve been a little depressing to be around. I’m trying not to be.” She couldn’t help it, the ache in her heart wasn’t getting any better. Cora took a long gulp of her beer and shrugged.
“So, uh… you never said but…” Adrian hesitated, and looked over at Jerry for a second then back at Cora. “You know…”
“Why’d you guys break up?” Jerry asked, obviously on Adrian’s behalf.
Cora sighed and took another drink. “Just another guy who thought he could get to my family through me…story of my life,” she shook her head, rolled her eyes, and laughed humorlessly, “and the pity party begins.”
Everyone hastened to reassure her that she wasn’t being a pain in the ass princess with a broken heart. Which made her feel worse because she knew that was exactly what she was being. Why else would Fridah have felt compelled to call in reinforcements in the form of Mace; and why else would she have felt it necessary to come? Hell they’d even roped Adrian in…she knew he had a crush on her but he was also a good friend in school.
Mace elbowed her. “You’re staring off again. You should just give him up already and let me kick his ass.”
“He was using you?” Becky asked, raising an eyebrow and pursing her lips thoughtfully. “I could have sworn the man was head over heels for you; he was always looking at you like all the time when we were all in a room together. We thought it was cute, right Fridah? Oh well his loss you can easily find somebody else.”
“I can’t.” It was a fact and she knew it was.
Becky scratched her forehead lightly just above the brow. “And why not? You’ve got a temper but I’d hit that.” She looked over at the guys at the table. “Assuming none of us were involved with anyone of course. You guys would too right?”
Fridah’s eyes crinkled in amusement. “No. I would not. I am so straight.”
“Yeah but if you were gay…right? You’d totally hit that right?” Becky amended.
“Still no.”
“I would if it was like a three some,” Adrian offered.
Cora rolled her eyes. “I appreciate the offer, really, but I don’t need it. I can’t find somebody else because I’m not over him and I don’t want anyone else.”
“Did anyone tell you, you read too many Mills and Boon?” Mace frowned at her. “You’re not over him because you’re content to wallow in this mud-pool of depression instead of going out, getting laid and moving on,” she hissed.
Reaching over, Jerry patted Mace’s shoulder sympathetically. “She’s right, Cora. Maybe he seemed like the man of your dreams but I’m sure when you find somebody else and it works then you’ll see that they’re just as good if not better.”
“No.” Cora shook her head, defiantly. They loved her but they didn’t understand.
Becky took the vape out of her mouth and tapped it on the table. “Ever consider that there isn’t one person we’re meant to be with, Cora? A lot of people think somebody is their soul mate only to realize it wasn’t true after they break up.”
Cora looked over at Adrian and Jerry. “Tell her what a big fat idiot she is.”
“She’s right Becks, sometimes there is a person who is perfect for us.” Jerry leaned towards her and smiled. “Maybe it’s not true for everyone but it is for some of us.”
Fridah leaned forward and looked over at Cora calmly. “What about Pierce Brosnan? His wife of seventeen years died and he adopted her kids and brought them up but then he remarried and is happy. So who’s The One for him?”
“Maybe they both were,” Jerry suggested. “Maybe who he was when he was younger was who belonged with Cassandra Harris and maybe who he is now is who belongs with Keely Shaye but maybe she’s his only one. Or maybe Keely was along and he just didn’t realize it.”
Cora sighed.
Talking about the successful or failed love lives of other people in relation to her own was not what she wanted to do.
“Look, I don’t know but I do know Paolo is the only one I want and that isn’t likely to change soon. I’m trying not to be the depressed friend no one wants to hang out with but this is not helping. I’m going to go get another beer, you should all find a new topic of conversation.” She slid out of the chair and looked at them all. “You have ten minutes so find something, anything to talk about that doesn’t have to do with relationships.”