Rough Draft

Wrap My Heart in Cellophane

Tina threw her bag on the floor beside the couch, happy to be home. The blissful quiet enveloped her comfortingly as she moved to turn up the thermostat. She loved her family, she loved being home. It had been a nice break from her college stress and her string of unsuccessful relationships. She had missed Louise's crazy schemes, Gene's ambiguous nature. It had been blissfully busy in the restaurant, she'd forgotten how much she enjoyed the general business of running the business.

It had lifted her heart to be home, but in the time she'd been away she had come to rely on her solitude.

Tina stretched, ignoring the soft buzz of her cellphone as she made her way upstairs, laptop in tow. She had five new books to get published and she didn't want to waste any time in getting them done.

~*~*~

"You're so lucky, Tina."

"Yeah!" Erica slid her head down onto the table, her lunch pushed aside. "Taking a creative writing course. You don't need to worry about math or algebra or statistics like the rest of us."

Tina let out a nervous chuckle. "Heh. Heh. Yeah, I guess. I never was good at math anyway. The numbers didn't make sense in my head. I've always been more of a words person."

"Really?" Courtney pinned Tina with her green eyes, manicured nails clicked against the table top. "What do you mean numbers didn't make sense? I feel like words are far more unpredictable."

Tina shrugged, pulling her hoodie closer around her. "One of my teachers suggested I was autistic."

"Are you?" Erica glanced up from her forearm, doubt crinkling her forehead.

Tina shook her head, "No. I don't think so. I just can't make sense of numbers. But I was on the debate team, I'm good at remembering facts and writing. I think it's just the analytical side of things that I fail at." She sighed, leaning back in the crisp Spring sun. "I've always been more a heart than head person."

"Speaking of head." Erica quipped, pulling her beanie down further over her ears. "Here comes Jake."

"Jake?" Courtney tilted her head, turning in her seat. "Oh he's cute!"

Tina bristled. The tone in Courtney's voice was too high pitched; he was cute, but not Courtney's level of cute.

"Why are you hiding from him?" She lifted a perfect brow.

"I..." Erica blushed, barely visibly from her nearly fetal position. "I- I can't say, Tina you tell her!"

Tina felt her body grow hot and sweaty. "We went to a party last week. Erica puked on him while giving him head."

Courtney's eyes widened. "Oh God. No!"

"Yee-he-he-heeesss!" Erica wailed, drawing Jake's attention.

"Oh, he's coming this way." Courtney smiled sadly, reaching out and patting Erica's shoulder. "I can try and redirect his attention?"

Erica nodded imperceptibly, muffling her consent into her sweater.

"H-hey Erica..." Jake waved shyly. "I... well I-"

"Well, hello." Courtney purred, leaning forward and flipping her hair back.

To his credit Jake barely flicked his gaze to Courtney before rounding the table and sliding in beside Erica. He hesitated before bumping her shoulder.

"Are you gunna look at me?"

"No." She whined, sniffled. "I'm so embarrassed."

Jake laughed, "I'm not." He shrugged "I was having a great time before that happened. You're funny and cute. And even the way you tried to clean up was hilariously adorable. And, you know." He blushed, his eyes darting to Tina and Courtney. "I-if you don't mind I'd like to go on a real date with you. You know, maybe not get so drunk next time?"

Erica peeked over her sleeves, "Are you serious?"

"Don't question it, just get it girl." Tina whispered.

"Y-yes, I'll go out with you!" Erica sat up, grin splitting her face from ear to ear.

"Awesome!" Jake grinned back, pulling out his phone and getting her number.

Erica sighed dreamily as he walked away. "What a guy."

Courtney snorted, "He sure is. He didn't even look at me. He's totally got it bad for you." She leaned over the table, "Did you drug him or something, cuz... whoa."

"Well, now that I'm taken we just need to get you-"

"Nope!" Courtney cut her off, "No. I don't want to be tied down like that." She stretched, lacing her fingers behind her head. "I just got out of a relationship and I'd like to stay single for a while. Get myself right again, you know?"

Tina nodded, "I get it."

"Okay, fine. Be that way." Erica rolled her eyes, "How about you Tina?"

"Oh no, no." Tina waved her hands in front of her, "I'm... I'm too busy with my writing and classes. Plus my dad is having some health issues. Just not my thing right now."

"Didn't the last guy you dated dump you cuz he was gay?" Courtney pointed out.

"No! The last guy I dated was Nick-"

"Nick the bartender? That was nearly a year ago."

"Only a few month from finding out Jimmy Junior is gay though." Tina corrected. "I really loved him." She frowned. "It's weird because I sort of always knew, you know? Like... it just nagged at me. All the moments, the opportunities, that never led to... more. It's just hard to... come to terms with. I'm glad he can be himself, and that he can admit it finally but - I have a whole lifetime of memories that hurt sometimes still." Tina sighed, "I think I need to be in a better place mentally before I start dating again."

~*~*~

"Tina! Babe," her voicemail echoed tinny in her ear. "Sorry but I've got a party that I got roped into. Maybe we could plan to hang out some other time?"

She sighed, rolling her eyes and deleting the message, not letting it finish.

"Face it girl," she whispered into the dark room. "You're washed up. Kaput. Wilted before your prime."

She watched the flicker of the blue light form her tv screen illuminate her walls. She'd forgotten to turn the lights on. Her legs thrown haphazardly over the back of her couch she decided, quite firmly, that she was going to leave them off. It was bed time anyway. She figured she'd be up late, maybe try for a home-run with the random Erica had set her up with.

That plan was shot to Hell, she may as well use this Spring break to finish up the paranormal series she'd been writing. The money she was making off commission was easily replacing her need to work and then some. She had never expected her smutty books to make it big. Well except maybe Chad.

He was a vampire with a heart and a thirst for zombie butts. She smiled, thinking about how much Chad was like her teenage self; silly, unaware, shy. Obtuse. Of course, he had a few hundred years of sleep to explain his disconnection to the modern world. She had just been... her. Tina's eyes drooped closed as plots and ideas danced in her head.

The sound of a shrill, sharp neigh jolted Tina awake. With a scream she fell off the couch.

"What the-" She readjusted her glasses, finding the remote tucked between the cushions where she must have lain on it and turned the volume up. "Oh pretty!" she smiled.

A palomino galloped across the screen, the words "Rhode Island Rescue" flying behind her in '90's word art. Gradient and everything.

'Volunteer now and receive free riding lessons with one of our rescue horses! Call below to-'

Bleary-eyed Tina scribbled the number down and trudged up the stairs, falling into bed and finding a dark, dreamless sleep.