Unbroken

arms and hug her tight. Relief sweeps through me. For the second time today, I have to swallow back tears, but this time, they’re tears of gladness.
    “You have no idea how happy I am to see you,” I say, still hugging her.
    “Mneugh! Boobs! Crushed!” Lacey manages, against my neck.
    I release her, grinning. “Sorry, I just missed you so much!”
    “You’ve been gone, like, two days!” Lacey points out. Her choppy blonde hair is pushed back with a pair of oversized shades, and she’s wearing an oversized guy’s singlet over a red bikini that matches her smear of bright lipgloss. Bright, bold, brash—that’s Lacey.
    “But what are you doing here?” I ask, the surprise wearing off. “You didn’t say you were coming.”
    “You need me.” Lacey announces. “To deal with all this ex shit.”
    How does she know? I haven’t even told her about last night with Emerson, or what just happened this morning.
    I bite my lip. “I said I was fine.”
    Lacey rolls her wide blue eyes. “Yeah, with like five exclamation points. If that isn’t a cry for help, I don’t know what is.”
    I pause for another moment, still tense, but then I relax and laugh. Only Lacey could read between the lines like that. She can always see through my bullshit. “Well, I’m glad you’re here.” I decide.
    “Me too,” Lacey leans in the open window of the Bug, and lifts out a brown paper bag. I can hear the clink of glass inside, and see the top of a bag of chips peeking out the top. Cool Ranch, our go-to comfort snacking. “And I came prepared. Come on, you’re going to tell me everything!”
    * * *
    A few hours, three beers, and two bags of Cool Ranch Doritos later, and I’ve just about caught Lacey up on everything that’s happened over the last forty-eight hours.
    “Shit.” Lacey says at the end of it all. We’re sprawled out in the remains of the living room, surrounded by junk food wrappers and empty bottles.
    I turn my head and look over from where I’m laying down on the floor in front of the couch. “That’s all you’ve got to say?” I ask, “I tell you the great and epic tale of how I went from fine to a total fucking mess in like, a day flat, and the best you’ve got to offer is, ‘shit’? Aren’t you the English major?”
    “Hey!” Lacey hurls a pillow at my head. “Give me a minute to process here.”
    I wait, scavenging crumbs from the bottom of the chip bag. The beer has sent a pleasant buzz through my body, and with Lacey around, I’m beginning to feel more like myself, and less like the whirlwind of pure emotion I was earlier at the beach.
    Finally, Lacey sits up. She waves her bottle dramatically. “Now I’ve had time to think about it, I’m ready to share my thoughts on your weird and messed up life.”
    I beat out a drum-roll on the bare floorboards.
    “What I have to say to you is this,” she continues. “Motherfucker.”
    I blink.
    “ Mother fucker. ” Lacey says again, drawing out each syllable.
    I collapse into giggles.
    “What? It’s true. He breaks your heart into a million fucking pieces, and then has the nerve to judge you for your choices? Asshole.” Lacey takes a long gulp of beer, and then gives a burp.
    “Real classy.” I joke, to distract myself from the other things she said.
    “That’s me, babe!” She winks. Then her smile softens. “Honestly, hon, I don’t know what to say. How do you feel about it?”
    “I told you…” I trail off, uncomfortable at the question.
    “Ah, but you haven’t.” Lacey points her bottle at me. “You’ve said what happened, and what he said, and what you said. But you still haven’t actually told me about how all of this is making you feel.”
    I don’t reply. What can I say? That despite everything, I forget myself when I look in his eyes? That one touch from him, and it’s like my body is burning up, so full of desire I can hardly see straight? No, I can’t tell her any of that. Somehow, admitting out loud what Emerson does to me would be like a betrayal – of Daniel, and the life we’re building together, and everything I’ve worked so hard to achieve. It’s a secret; my dark secret, just another to add to the collection.
    “I feel like… I need another beer.” I say finally, reaching for the bag. It’s empty. “You only bought one pack?” I cry, making my voice louder and more dramatic to distract Lacey from her still un-answered question.
    She gives me a look, like she knows exactly what I’m