Light in the Shadows

right?  Yeah, my sense of humor was seriously messed up. 
                    Discomfort aside, I needed the job.  And I needed to prove to my therapist that I was capable of mingling in general society.  No more playing scary shut in for me. 
                    “Well, cool.  I’ll leave you to it.  Nice seeing you again.”  Rachel’s head bobbed a few times and I watched her with amusement.  I was definitely making her uncomfortable.  Which I found inappropriately funny.  See, messed up sense of humor over here! 
                    Before she got too far away, she turned back around and cocked her head sideways.  “You know, I’m glad to see you’re doing okay.  You had a lot of people worried about you.  Maybe we could all get together sometime, you, Maggie, Daniel and me.” Okay, that was not what I was expecting her to say.  Well crap, I had nothing sarcastic or droll to say to that.   
                     “Uh, yeah, that sounds g..good,” I stumbled pathetically over my words. Yep, I had been reduced to stuttering simpleton. I had never exactly been welcomed into the fold before. If you’re looking for the black sheep of Jackson High School, then search no further.  Rachel had been nicer than most but it was a barely tolerant politeness.  This offer not only surprised the shit out of me but left me feeling almost…included.
                  “Fabulous.  I’ll see you at school.”  Rachel went back to her tables and I went back to filling out my application, actually looking forward to having the job.
                    The manager offered to give me a few shifts to start, just to see how things went.  I had been surprised that he gave me the job so quickly, but I didn’t ask him what the hell he ws thinking.  My first one would be next week.  Now that I had accomplished what I had set out to do, I was left with an entire weekend full of nothingness.  And having nothing to do was a big no-no. 
                    I jingled my keys in my hand, debating whether I should head over to Ruby’s shop to check in with Tilly when the sound of an engine keeling over caught my attention. 
                    I couldn’t help but laugh as I watched Maggie pull into the parking lot, smoke billowing out of her tailpipe.  Then her car stuttered to a stop, the air ringing with its death knell.  Luckily she was able to coast into an empty parking spot.  I could hear her cursing from twenty feet away and I couldn’t get rid of the goofy smile on my face as I watched her smack the steering wheel over and over again.  An angry Maggie was a tiny bit scary but I was a masochist by nature.
                    I walked over and tapped on her window.  She looked up in surprise that turned into embarrassment once she recognized me.  Her face was flushed and her neck was splotchy.  She got out of the car and slammed the door shut.
                    “What was I just saying about your car taking my car in a cage fight?” I leaned back to examine it.  “I take it back.” Maggie groaned and rolled her eyes. 
                    “She put up a good fight but you’re right, it’s time to put her to pasture.”  Maggie patted the hood.  She reached into the back seat and grabbed her purse and a plastic grocery bag, then turned around to look at me.
                    “What are you doing here?” she asked, looking over my shoulder towards Bubbles. 
                    “Putting in an application.  You are now looking at the newest addition of the Bubbles wait staff.  Don’t get too hot and bothered by the purple apron.” I held my hands out to keep her back and she reluctantly laughed. 
                      “I’ll work on keeping my hands to myself.”  Her smile fell and she scuffed her shoe into the asphalt, looking away from me.  “Well, I’d better get inside and see if Rachel can give me a ride home.  And she’d better considering I was only driving around in my death trap because she needed these shoes she left at my house.  You know because the other forty pairs she owns just wouldn’t do for her date with Daniel later.”  She held up a bag in way of explanation.  “So, I’d better get in there.  See ya around.” 
                    She started to walk around me when I