... She is Fine
by Nyssa Jayne
The three of us -- my brother Isaac, his girlfriend Tori and I -- wen tout
for a drink after Tori knocked off work.
"Scotch and coke for me, Midori and lemonade for my lady--" Isaac started to say
to the bartender.
"I just want lemonade," said Tori quietly. "I'm driving."
"You'll be right, and Zac?"
"Whatever's on tap." The bartender served up the scotch, Midori and beer,
and Tori was left swirling the bright and sweet liqueur around with the straw.
She did eventually take a big swig of it later, and her faced screwed up.
"Not too keen on the dishwashing liquid, eh?" I asked with a laugh.
"More of a lemonade person," she replied.
Isaac fed the jukebox and made it play fifties music, I started to rack up his
drinks tab and where Tori normally might've shuffled her feet next to Isaac on
the dancefloor, she instead just played with her keys. Isaac tried to drag
her into the life of the party he'd created, but she just smiled and turned back
to the lemonade she'd bought.
Once she cleared the glass, she tried to tell Isaac she had to go now, but he
didn't believe her.
"The night is young!" She shook her head.
"Zac, I gotta go. Tell your brother I might drop by tonight." I
nodded and watched her leave.
I racked up Isaac's bar tab good and proper, so I left early, even though I
don't think Isaac noticed. As I stumbled home, I saw Tori's car pass me a
couple of times.
I think she did it for most of the night. I'd started to come down by the
time she actually buzzed the intercom.
"Come in," I said to her when she arrived on the landing.
"No... no, that's okay. I've got to keep moving. Is Isaac home?"
I shook my head. "Didn't think so." I watched her shake the bracelet
Isaac gave her from her wrist. The letters to spell her name --
'V-I-C-T-O-R-I-A' -- caught the light from the foyer and splashed glitter all
over the walls. She handed it to me. "You can give this back to
him."
"He'll be home soon," I stuttered.
"I've got to go now, though. Tell him that he was right, that I can be
whoever I want to be. And that I am Tori from Oklahoma, not the flashy
princess Victoria from New York." She sighed. "Or just tell him I
said goodbye."
"You're leaving?" She paused.
"I just might not be seeing him soon." I blinked and my temporary clear
vision let me see the glassy eyes that refused to look me square, that didn't
catch the glitter from the bracelet. She shrugged. "So... I'll see
you."
"Bye..." I watched her run down the stairs. I clumsily went to the
window that faced the street in time to see Tori jump in her car. There
was something on the backseat that I couldn't focus on from my angle, though it
reminded me of the of shoulder bag she'd put her things in when she followed me
to the gym.
I wrote Isaac a note, because hangovers never remembered these things.
Isaac-
Tori dropped in, said to give this to you and to say that you were right.
And she said to say goodbye.
-Zac
Isaac asked my hangover the next morning where Tori was.
"I don't know, driving."
"She doesn't drive!"
"Yes, she does... y'know, I'm sure she's fine."
Musical Credit
John Mayer's 'Victoria'
from the EP 'Inside Wants Out' (enjoyed 'Underneath Acoustic' did you? You'll dig this.)