Written in 58 minutes.
Saturday, October 14, 2000
Kelly’s: Dining Room
Elizabeth counted her receipts, making a face at Penny Reyes, the waitress that had opened that morning and worked the breakfast rush with her. “You think it’s the lack of coffee that makes people such lousy tippers in the morning?”
“Seems like a skill issue. I did just fine,” Penny said, fisting a hand on her hip and fluttering her lashes. “I told you, Liz, you wanna make the real money, it’s not enough to just deliver the food. Especially with these dock workers. You gotta make them think they’ve got a chance with you.”
“I’m not going to prostitute myself for a few extra dollars,” Elizabeth grumbled, then sighed. “I’m sorry, that’s not what I meant—”
“It is, and you’re not wrong. You want to make the money, you gotta pretend to put out for the gross men, be competent and invisible for the women, and not ignore the teenagers who might toss you an extra buck if they’ve got it. And don’t forget pretending you think all babies are just so adorable and worth the vomit and sticky fingers.” Penny shuddered, then lifted a tub of dishes. “I wear many hats, girl, and pseudo-whore is just one of them.”
She disappeared into the kitchen, and Elizabeth sighed. She’d never been the best waitress, but she’d become basically competent in the last three years, but she was never going to love being in the business of pretending the customers were always right.
“You made more money when these dock guys thought you were doing the boss,” Penny reminded her, reappearing with an empty tub. She stored it under the counter and flashed her a saucy smile. “Everyone wanted to suck up to Jason Morgan’s girlfriend.”
“One of the few perks of playing the role,” Elizabeth admitted. “But those days are over.”
“Don’t sound so annoyed by that.”
She turned, frowning when Lucky appeared from the kitchen, having taken the back stairs from his room upstairs. “What?”
“Not being Jason Morgan’s girlfriend,” he bit out. He moved closer, into the dining room proper and Elizabeth’s mouth dropped at the bruise on the left side of his cheek, crawling up from his jaw, with a matching black eye.
“What happened to you?” she demanded, taking two steps towards him and halting when he put a hand up to stop her. “Lucky—”
“None of your damn business. Try not to sound so disappointed I’m not Jason.” He brushed past her, through the dining room and the few lingering diners and out the door.
“Uh, I thought you guys were back together,” Penny said, her eyes still on the entrance. “Trouble in paradise?”
“I—” Elizabeth shoved her shaking hands into her apron, took a deep breath to brace herself. “We’re—I mean, we were fine. But I got a…” she grimaced, returned to the counter and forced herself to resume wrapping utensils in napkins for the lunch rush due to begin in another hour. “I got a job offer yesterday. Chloe Morgan wants me to be her assistant while hers is on maternity list.”
Penny’s eyes grew wide. “Chloe Morgan the designer? Elizabeth Webber, why the hell didn’t you lead with that? That is amazing. I mean, I hate you because you know nothing about fashion, and you’re gonna to leave the rest of us whores behind, but that’s awesome—” She slapped Elizabeth’s shoulders playfully. “Are you gonna travel? Oh my God, do you get to do Fashion Week in Paris? Or Milan? Last year she did Tokyo—”
“I’m not taking the job.”
Penny stopped abruptly, then narrowed her eyes. “Okay, now I’m pissed for a new reason. Are you really turning down this opportunity for the manbaby who just bitched at you and stormed out? Please.”
“It’s—” She bit her lip. “It’s complicated. Lucky’s been through so much this year—”
“Yeah, being kidnapped is a bitch. Good thing he came home like six months ago. What, does he need you to hold his hand? Wipe his ass? Cut his food into little pieces and play airplane?”
“Penny.” Elizabeth’s tone had the other woman scowl at her. “Look, you and I are friendly, and I’ve always liked working with you. But you don’t actually know me. Or my problems—”
“I know you’re a dumb ass who’s passing up an amazing opportunity to get out of this greasy hellhole and actually do something with her life.” Penny slapped a hand against the counter. “Because, no, we’re not best friends. We just work together. But I’m gonna tell you the same thing I would tell a stranger on the street. You give up the world for a man, you better make sure he’s not going to leave you high and dry, with nothing to show for yourself. We’ve worked together since high school, Liz. You used to have dreams. You used to talk about art and the future and doodle stupid sketches on every available surface. But since that dumbass rolled back in your life, you’ve been all about him, and he’s just spent half his time telling you go screw his brother. Just an amazing choice, Liz. A plus. Gold star.”
Eli’s: Dining Room
Emily slid into the booth across from her brother with a breathless smile. “Thanks for waiting, I am so sorry I’m late. My class got out stupidly late—” she beamed up at the waitress and ordered a soda, then focused on Jason again. “And thanks for meeting me for lunch.”
“Surprised you didn’t want to go to Kelly’s.” Jason plucked up the menu, skimmed for any changes since he’d left in January. When it seemed mostly the same, he set it back down. “What’s up?”
“I wanted to avoid the subject of the conversation honestly,” Emily said. She bit her bottom lip. “Liz is working the lunch shift, and Lucky—” she saw her brother wince. “What? What’s that?”
“Nothing. Just—what’s wrong? If you had a fight with one of them, I don’t really think I’m the right person—”
“No, you are. Because you’re objective, and you’ll tell me if I’m being wrong. Or stupid. Or overthinking, or you’ll just say something super wise and amazing, and I’ll know exactly what to do, okay?”
“Okay. I think,” Jason added, his brows drawn together with a slight squint.
“Before the fire, Elizabeth and I were just getting to know each other, you know? Lucky was—is—my oldest friend, but we’d sort of drifted a little bit. Especially with Nikolas and Sarah, and well everything else that happened during that time,” she said, and shifted uncomfortably, dropping her eyes the scratched and scarred surface of the table. She didn’t want to remember the drugs. Didn’t want anyone else to remember it either.
“I went to Lucky for help with the blackmailing, and don’t make that face. Yes, I know that’s another time I should have just gone to you, but that’s not the point. I went to Lucky who was basically a matched pair with Liz back then. And Liz—she really came through for me. You know? Like, not in a way you’d ever expect someone who barely knew you. She put herself on the line. She does that better than anyone, you know that.”
“I do,” Jason acknowledged with a nod, and she knew he was thinking of the previous winter when Elizabeth had shredded her reputation into pieces protecting Jason after he’d been shot. “You’ve been there for her—”
“No. I haven’t. We’re getting to that part. After—after we thought Lucky was gone, Liz and I really bonded. You know? We leaned on each other, and other than that little scuffle we had over you because I was hurt she hadn’t come to me. Or that you hadn’t either, and I get why, so we’re not revisiting that. But it was a time she needed me to be there for her, and I was still mostly in my own world with the Juan of it all. God, what a waste of time he was. Don’t—” She jabbed a finger at her brother. “Don’t say a word.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it.”
“I would have told anyone who listened Elizabeth was my best friend and that I would have her back the way she’s had mine. But I realized yesterday I’m a giant fraud.”
Jason frowned again, folded his arms the table and leaned forward slightly. “What?”
“Well, first, I didn’t have her back with you. And then since Lucky came home, I haven’t really been in her corner. I thought I was, because I figured the best thing for everyone is Liz and Lucky back together way they’re supposed to be. I mean, I figured the best world for everyone is one with them happy and in love the way they were. You’re making a face, so I know you don’t agree.”
“I—” Jason stopped, squinted again, clearly trying to measure his words carefully. “I think that it’s been hard to see the Lucky I used to know in who he is now. And I haven’t really…seen a lot that I…like.”
“That was incredibly diplomatic of you. And I agree. Lucky came home broken and damaged, and in my head, I thought — this is perfect. Lucky and Liz will find their way back to each other, because that’s how they fell in love. When she was broken and damaged, he healed her—Okay, now what’s that face?” Emily demanded when her brother looked liked he’d swallowed something sour. “That’s just objective fact—”
“First, Elizabeth wasn’t broken or damaged. And second, any healing she did it herself,” Jason said flatly. “I don’t like it when she gives him credit either, but I usually keep my mouth shut because it’s none of my business, but—”
“Oh. Oh.” Emily sat back, stricken. “Oh, I didn’t even hear myself when I was saying it, but you’re so right. No, you are. She was so strong when Tom Baker was holding us hostage. Not at first, at first, she, like, crawled into herself, you know, but then she was like, amazing. She saved us all. And she made so proud, and I wanted to be like her.” She reached for sugar packets from the container on the table, plucked out one out and ripped it open, dumping it into the napkin, then began to shred the pink packet into pieces.
“Em—”
“She’s the one that had to get up every day and figure it out, and keep going. Lucky helped, it’s stupid to say he didn’t. But he didn’t heal her. He didn’t do the fixing. He just helped her. And it’s stupid of me to think it’s the same thing. It’s not. Maybe it could have been,” Emily added. “Because Elizabeth had to let Lucky in to help her, and Lucky just kept shoving us all out. And told Liz over and over again that she just had to have patience, that our Lucky would come back, but she was so miserable, and she kept trying, but he hurt her every time he would seem like our Lucky, and then he’d be like, you should be with Nikolas—”
“Emily—”
“I promise, I’m almost done. We just needed the back story, because I needed to explain to you that I think every time I thought I was being Elizabeth’s friend, too, I was actually still just being Lucky’s friend. And that you can’t be best friends equally with people who are dating. Because sometimes someone is just wrong. And he’s wrong this time. Well, he’s not wrong, but he’s wrong for making it—you’re looking lost again, I’m sorry. I’m just thinking outloud—”
“It’s okay, Em. Just tell me what happened.”
“Liz got this job offer from Chloe yesterday. It’s a temporary position as her assistant, but Liz would get to travel and go see the world. Chloe’s got a collection this year and she’s going to be in London in January, and then she’s going to all the big fashion events – to Paris and Milan and Los Angeles and New York, and it would be so amazing for Elizabeth. She’d get to be part of something artistic, and she’d get to do all this amazing traveling and she loves to paint landscapes and natures, and think of all the awesome adventures she’d get to have.”
Jason exhaled slowly, then pressed his lips into a thin line. “Lucky doesn’t want her to go.”
“No. He doesn’t. He accused her of wanting to abandon him when they just finally got back together.” Emily’s throat tightened, and pressure began to build behind her eyes. “And when she told me, I…I agreed with him. I mean, I didn’t tell her not to take the job, but that Lucky was sort of right, but we should give him some time to think about it, and I’ve been so annoyed with myself ever since.”
“I’m not really sure what you need me for. It sounds like you’ve got it wrapped up—”
“Jason. I’m asking you to help me figure out how to fix this. How can I be both their friends when it’s something like this?” Before he could answer, the server returned with the orders.
“I can understand why Lucky would feel abandoned, because he’s not wrong, you know? He was brainwashed, and that just got fixed, and we just finished, you know—” She wiggled her fingers. “All of that. And it’s like, the second they get to breathe, Elizabeth wants to leave town. So I get it. But I also—” She pursed her lips. “I think about you and Robin. When she went to Yale. You guys made that work, don’t you think?”
When Jason grimaced slightly, Emily bit her lip again. “Sorry, I know you hate talking about all of that—”
“I don’t—I don’t hate it. I just don’t talk about it that much. Or want to.” Jason waited a beat. “But, okay, yeah. Yale was never an issue. I missed her. I wanted her here with me. But she came home when she could, and I knew how much this meant to her. I wanted her to have her dreams. The distance wasn’t our problem.”
“The distance isn’t the problem,” Emily repeated. “Okay, yes, that’s what I think I need to focus on. It’s not that Elizabeth wants to travel, because honestly, he’s making this worse than it has to be. Chloe isn’t even leaving the country until January, and I think it’s like, two, maybe three months. Plus, it’s temporary. Liz would be back, working at Kelly’s I guess, by May. Or something. Or not. Maybe Chloe loves her, maybe Liz finds out she loves it—that’s—I’m getting distracted.” She stopped, trying to organize her racing thoughts. “Elizabeth’s dreams used to matter to Lucky. But maybe that’s because he saw a way to be part of them. He was gonna move to New York for art school to be with her, remember? But he can’t see a way for this to include him.”
“Emily—”
“I think I need to tell her to go, right? I need to tell her to go. I need to tell her that Lucky’s being selfish. Her dreams don’t have to be his,” Emily continued. “If he loves her, he should want her to be the best possible version of herself. Like you and Robin. And Elizabeth stuck by him for all these months. Now it’s his turn. Okay, I’ve got it. Thank you. You were a big help.”
“If you say so.”
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