Page 162 of When In Doubt

ELSIE

We did

I took your advice and called her

FREYA

And???

ELSIE

And…

It was actually quite nice

She’s good fun to argue with

I grin. If this was a spinning chair I’d be whirling around right now.

FREYA

I told you!

She just missed you.

ELSIE

I told her she needs to play nice

FREYA

I’ll believe it when I see it…

I can’t believe this. I knew Joyce was just sad about Elsie going. I should have placed bets, I’d be a millionaire right now.

A few minutes later, my sandwich is nothing but crumbs and Luci’s falling into the folding chair she pulled out from the back this morning.

“But just imagine it. Your whole store could look like a rainbow.”

“Yeah, and I’d never be able to find anything!”

“Sometimes you’ve got to do things for the aesthetic.”

“You’re ridiculous.”

“I’m a genius, you’re just not ready for my brilliance.”

I ball up my sandwich wrapper and throw it, smiling as it bounces off her head and rolls away onto the floor.

She shoots me an affronted look. “I’m not picking that up.”

“You know, they’re not going to put up with your attitude in grad school.”

“I’m taking Creative Writing. I think an overinflated sense of self is kind of mandatory.” She raises a brow, her mouth twisting into a smirk.

“You have to tell me everything about the rest of your cohort,” I demand.

“Obviously,” she sighs, “you’re going to be getting minute by minute updates.”