Everyone has asked, “how did I get here?” at one time or another. You know you’re lying if you deny it. It wasn’t until today, that I have truly found the meaning of that question forever being pondered. I walk into ShopRite, my sneakers squeaking against the slippery floor. The noise causing me to cringe, always hating rain. The orange lanyard in my hands clink my car keys together with every sway. My sunglasses dominate my face, attemping to hide my dark circles as I struggle with the freezer door to the ice bags.
The door is clearly winning, as I am pulling with all my strength and it’s barley budging. I pull one more time, and the door now chasing at me, hitting me in the head, as I stumble back to the floor. I would call this a weird situation, but that would also be a lie. Bad luck is my reality. My leggings slide against the dirty shop’s floor as I look at my surroundings from the ground, seeing if anyone saw that. A hand offers itself at me, great I think, some one did see. As I am helped to my feet, I am astonished by what was helping me up, or I should say who.
“No way!” I exclaim.
It was my best friend from middle and high school, Lucas. I doubt he recognizes me, especially with my sunglasses on, and since we now are in college. I can’t recall the last time we talked. We drifted apart in high school, and lost touch over college. It’s now my senior year, winter break. I’m only back here to visit my family. I’m guessing he is doing the same. He stands there with a puzzled look on his face, before I whip the sunglasses from my face. What my mind swiftly envisioned, gets caught in my bad luck and long hair. It takes me a couple seconds to untangle them from my hair, grasping them in my grip. Once he can see my face, his expression changes.
“Mary..? Wow.” He questions
I just laugh not really knowing what to say. I notice a Starbucks in the store’s quiet corner and gesture. I figured it would be good to catch up. We used to be close. He nods in reply as we walk, the squeaking still cringing my face.
“So you still hate rain huh?” He says with a smirk.
“I’m still that obvious?” I smack back with an even bigger smirk.
Clearly, him not being familiar with Starbucks I order us two lattes, as the night gets darker. A few minutes pass and I come to the table with the cups in my hands and quietly set them down.
“Thanks.” He chirps.
I crack half of a smile in reply. As I take a sip of the coffee, I decide to start the conversation.
“So tell me. How’s college? How’s your life? What’s been happening all these years?” I question.
“College is pretty good, you know, go knights! He laughs.” Cutting him off my phone rings. After he reads the name on the screen, he gestures to it, telling me to answer it. I smirk as I get up, pick up the phone, and back away a few steps. It’s Carter. Oh boy I think.
“Hello?”
“Mary?”
“Yes it’s me. You’re the one that called me. What’s up?”
I see Lucas in the corner of my eye, cracking up.
“Well I am just surprised you answered.”
“That’s good for you. Just why did you call?”
“To say I am sorry and I’ve messed up, I want you back. I need you”
“I can’t and am not going to talk about this now”
I press the end button, cutting him off, mid rant.
“So it seems like a lot has happened to you over the years huh?” Lucas says with a smile as I return to my seat.
I just laugh.
“Who was that guy?”
“Oh trust me, no one important. And to answer your question yes, a lot has happened. I love West Virginia, I play field hockey for the school there. I am majoring in sociology and minoring in psychology. School is school, parties are parties. I’m just visiting my family over break. I guess you’re doing the same?”
He nods with a smile. I remember what his family was like. Complicated is an understatement, but it’s good he is visiting them.
“So did Luke ever find himself a girl?” I slyly ask.
“I think the real question is, did Mary get a concussion from the freezer door?”
Laughing I manage, “Ok I’ll give you props that was a good one. But in all seriousness, are you happy bud?”
“Guessing by your phone call I’m pretty much in the same place as you.” He admits.
“Oh really? You found out that your fiancé cheated on you too? What a coincidence.” I bluntly say.
I see his expression change once again. The phone vibrates again and again as Carter’s name illuminates up on the phone again.
“Mary, that’s terrible. I’m really sorry.” He mutters.
“No need, stuff happens; it’s whatever.” I reply.
“Stuff happens, but fiancés cheating just shouldn’t. My ex-girlfriend Alex cheated on me, she wasn’t my fiancé. But I get where you are.” He proclaims.
I plaster on a half smile in place of words.  I guess bad luck is both of our realities. The phone vibrates again and we both just stare at it. Lucas reaches for it and presses answer, holding it up to his ear.
“Hey Carter, listen bud she doesn’t want to talk to you so stop calling.” He bluntly says to the phone.
Carter starts to spit some insults about me being with a guy and he too presses the end button, hanging up on him.
“Thanks.” I smile.
“That’s what friends are for.” He replies.
I think about this for a second, reviewing what he just said. We really aren’t friends. I haven’t heard from him in years. I’m sure if he wanted to, he could’ve reached me. I just shoot him a bewildered look. I pretend to read my watch without even really looking at the time. I reach for the pen in my bag and scribble my phone number on a napkin.
“Well, it’s getting late so I should go. It’s been nice to catch up. You can call me if you want or whatever.” I mutter.
“Oh ok, yeah it is getting late.” He stutters.
He folds up the napkin and stuffs it in his pocket. I say my goodbye, get up, take my coffee and start to walk away. As I look back I see him entering my number into his phone. I smile and keep walking. As I reach the exit door my phone vibrates in my pocket. A text from a number I don’t know appears on the screen. It says, “You know I’ve missed you.” I just stand there reading the text. I turn back and see him standing there behind me.
“You know what? I actually can’t leave yet.” I smirk.
“Why’s that?” He ponders.
“I never got my bag of ice.” I say.
He takes my hand and we walk off to the ice freezers. All I know is, if bad luck is my reality then I’ll start to like the rain.