Discombobulate

Chapter Two

Denise finished changing her clothes when someone knocked on the door. She shoved her greasy blonde into a low bun. She glided across the wooden floor with the help of her socks.

Whoever was at the door, they arrived early. Hopefully, some fan hadn't found her address. She dealt with enough harassment at her old house. This was supposed to be a fresh start. She held her breath and opened the door.

"Hey." A meek smile appeared on a woman's face outside. Light brown bangs framed her face. Freckles, which had always been noticeable, were hidden by a layer of makeup.

Denise raised an eyebrow trying to figure out what this woman was doing on her step at 8:30 in the morning. She blinked and took a step back, "Andy?"

"I'm so glad you remember me, it's been a while. I brought breakfast."

Denise opened the door wider and stepped out of the way. "You can come in, it's freezing out there."

"Thanks! I've been sitting in your driveway for ten minutes debating to knock on your door. I didn't know if you were up or not. You were always a morning person."

"I got up about a half-hour ago. I just finished changing when you knocked on the door." Denise turned to face her former friend. "Did you need something? You're never in town."

Andy pulled a bag out from behind her back. "As I said before, I brought you breakfast. I hope you still like sausage, egg, and cheese english muffins. Specifically, the ones from McDonald's. Remember when we used to have them every morning before school?"

Denise let out a chuckle. "That was the only thing that got me through our senior year."

She led Andy into the kitchen. A bar counter jutted out from the side of the wall. Four black wooden stools stood evenly spaced out. She gestured for Andy to sit down. She grabbed one of the stools and took it to the other side to sit on it.

"Shit, I forgot about the drinks! I'll be right back." Andy took off back towards the front door.

Denise rubbed the side of her head. Confusion clouded her brain. Andy hadn't been around for years. She took off after high school and went to college for marketing. She always came back to Michigan for the holiday season until a few years ago. Her remaining family moved, she started working for a bigger company, and that was the end of it.

There was no time for Michigan in Andy's life. They made phone calls to each other once a month, but that ended too. The two hadn't spoken since 2004.

"Are you okay?" Andy's voice made Denise jump. Two plastic cups were in her hands. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you."

Denise shook her head, "it's okay. I'm a little overwhelmed right now. I wish I could wake up from this hell-on-earth nightmare."

Andy slid an orange juice towards her old friend. "That's why I showed up. I know we've both been busy. You have your books and I've been working with Nathan's Soup. Well, I was working with Nathan's Soup until they laid me off."

"They laid you off?" Denise's voice raised. "Why? I thought you were doing well there. Last I knew, they said because of you, their sales had increased."

"I know! I was doing so good and they hired some random guy to take my place. He graduated from college a few months ago. I've been doing this shit for years and I brought so much publicity to the company." She took a bite of her hash brown. "They're unbelievable!"

"Is that why you're back in Michigan?" Denise took a sip of her orange juice.

Andy nodded, "I planned on applying for another marketing job. It's what I love to do, you know? However, I have money saved up and I was planning on staying with my parents in Kansas. My mom gave me the news about your family two days ago. She just found out about it and I came down here as fast as I could."