As soon as Jonna cracked the door to the apartment, Ola greeted her from the couch.

"You're back! Don't forget to take off your shoes," the svelte gal reminded her, a rule her brother didn't give three shits about.

Ola spouted a lot of rules, especially for a jobless person who deposited clothes and food everywhere possible. She also shed hair an inordinate amount. As a fellow shedder, Jonna was conscientious of where wisps of her hair ended up, for the most part. On the other hand, Ola seemed to be going bald at the rate of fuzz balls she lost, even leaving hairbrushes in the kitchen. Jayden, her brother, overlooked many of the girl's annoyances, in favor of her other talents.

Jonna took a deep breath before lugging her carry-on to the bedroom.

"Hey, shoes!" Ola chimed after her.

Making no movement to remove her flats, Jonna continued on to her room.

"My bad," she said, not really caring.

She deposited her bag on the bed and wandered back into the living room.

"Jayden will be home soon," Ola said, making it sound like a threat.

"Cool."

Jonna flipped through the stack of mail on the kitchen counter. She could feel Ola's doe eyes on her.

"Have fun?"

She frowned at her latest phone bill. "What?"

"Your trip, did you have fun?"

The weekend's events hit her in waves, and her face flushed.

"Yes, I suppose you could say that," she slowly replied.

Ola smiled, which she didn't do often. Then, when she spoke next, Jonna understood the smile.

"I hope you didn't get the floor dirty."

"Not at all."

Jonna smiled back, taking the purple hairbrush from the counter and handing it to a confused Ola.

Shaking her head, she went to her room to unpack. Tracking in the Florida dirt, or sand, ranked low on the list of her problems. Her jet-setting weekend had cost her, and she was out of a phone, time, and a bit of self-respect. The sex she didn't mind, and wanted much more of. She minded her vulnerability, and the way her voice had wavered when she offered to return to D.C.

So pathetic.

Jonna also hated how she'd allowed her hormones to rule over the work she needed to get done. Student emails had piled up, along with grades she'd forgotten to input. Her next class started in a few hours, and she had yet to plot out a lesson plan. Well, it's not like she'd never winged it before.

When she finished unpacking, she moved on to her work briefcase, pulling out student folders.

"So, I might be able to take another weekend off next month," she mumbled as she thumbed through a stack of essays. "Stupid."

All the same, she kept her cracked phone within arm's reach, but Zachary left her alone.

~*~

The card sat on the counter collecting dust, but Jonna glanced at it every time she left the apartment, confirming it was still there when she waltzed in again.

Zachary hadn't contacted her in weeks, not since...she couldn't dwell on it, not if she wanted to get any work done. As for the other guy...ugh. Shane blew up her phone at least once a day. She had set his ringtone to Mordor doom music to alert her properly.

As if aware of her thoughts, her phone buzzed.

She'd finally purchased a replacement and was able to read the sender's name.

Zachary.

Relief and elation hit her simultaneously, but the high quickly diminished after she read the message.

Shane: You can't throw away 13 years. Don't do this, J.

Tears pinched at the corners of her eyes. Sad? A bit. Mad? Hell yeah. Only, she was also pissed at herself, because part of her itched to respond. To give in. Shane had never hit her, done drugs, or been a bad provider.

Yeah, he just stuck his plug in every socket he could find.

Though, she was guilty of the same crime. She gripped the phone, ready to respond.

Jonna: Let's meet up.

Last second, she deleted Shane's phone number from the message. She swiped the card off the counter, scanned for the necessary info, and hit send.

She waited, hoping for a quick answer. When none came, she decided on the next course of action. In the bedroom, she changed into a skirt, a lacy bra, and a black top. One check in the mirror to rearrange her haphazard locks, and she was ready.

~*~

It was a slow night. More old guys than Jonna preferred, and she liked 'em old. The only ones givin' her the eye were over 50.

No thanks.

She took another swig of whiskey, feeling quite cool for doing so. Whiskey. Jonna grimaced, pushing the glass away half-full.

The bartender, a tall red-headed man, picked up the glass, tilting it in her direction. "No good?"

"Naw, nothing wrong with it. Just wanna get something different." Inspiration struck her. "A shot of tequila, please."

"Alright." He flipped two shot glasses up from below the counter, pouring  quickly and generously. "This one's on me." He smiled and offered her the shot.

Jonna returned the smile, contemplating the subtle invite. Or was it an invite? He had a nice smile, and wasn't bad-looking.

"Say, would you--" but Jonna never finished because she noticed someone waving to her at the other end of the mahogany bar.

Honey blond hair, blue eyes, and a sparkling smile.

Laney.

What were the odds she'd be at the same bar?

"Here." The bartender slid the drinks near Jonna's hands. "For you and your friend."

"Uhhh," was that what she was?

They'd spoken a few times, weeks ago, then never again.

Jonna picked up the drinks, and joined the enigma across the room. Laney's smile was even prettier up close.

"Thanks for inviting me," she said, deliberating brushing her hand against Jonna as she took the drink from her hands.

All sorts of promises sparked from the slight touch.

Jonna sipped on her drink, intent on not drinking anymore. She wanted to remember the night with a clear head.

A/N: Hmm, what kinda trouble can the ladies get into in one night? 

Hey, I'm actually posting this on a Friday. I'm just as surprised as you are. 

Dedicated to a supportive reader, KaleighMcLauchlan! <3