You Should Have Been Here Yesterday

Dana

Yes?

Yes?!

What the fuck?!

Why the hell would I think that?

"Yes!" I exclaim, pacing about my room, still dazed by the fact that I fell asleep after that horrible thought.

I would've said yes?

"You sure do freak out a lot," Mick evaluated. "I mean, for hating his guts and all. Are you sure you hate him?

"Yeah!" I say immediately. "I mean... No. But... I... Argh."

"You two are totally gonna hook up," Mick says.

"Shut up!" I say. "We're not!"

"And what's so bad if you do?" Mick asks, sitting up and staring at me. He's been listening to me rant for about half an hour now. He had collapsed on his back on my bed with his feet hanging over the edge.

"In case you've forgotten, I've got a boyfriend," I say.

He stops playing with the paddleball, losing his streak and giving me his full attention. "And is that the only reason?"

"Uh," I begin, kind of maybe turning red. "No."

"Or yes," Mick says, resuming his game. I roll my eyes. "If that's the only reason, then maybe you should be with him."

"No."

"He likes you, ya know," Mick says. "A lot. Which makes sense... But the personality thing: I don't get how he digs that. Anyway, there's really no big reason why you shouldn't be with him. I mean, you've got a boyfriend that you hardly ever see, but Steven's right here!"

"Yeah, I know but-"

"So there's really no reason," Mick finalizes.

"I guess, but-"

"Then it's settled," he says. "You're into him."

"Yeah, but- Wait, wait-" But Mick was already yelling a triumphant war call.

"Joey!" he crowed. "Joey we won!"

Joey's not even here.

"Joey get your ass in here!" Mick yelled. "Joey it's happening!"

"Shut up; my mom's gonna hear you!" I say.

"So?" Mick asks. "The whole work needs to hear your confession of love. C'mon!" Mick grabs my wrist. "Let's go to his house!"

"No, no, no," I say, pulling away. "That's really not necessary."

"Don't deny it, Gin," Mick scolds. "You and I both know the truth. Besides, he likes you, you like him..." He claps his hands together. "Boom. Love."

"No."

"Yes. It's happening."

"But it's really not."

"Oh, but it is, young grasshopper," Mick says wisely. "Oh, but it is."

Mick and I went to the fast food Chinese restaurant downtown for dinner. Joey's sick, so he wouldn't be able to make it. That's also why he wasn't at my house.

When Mick and I sat down at a table, a certain someone sat down at the small bar-counter they have in the front of the restaurant.

I glared at Mick. "You planned this," I accused, feeling my face burn.

Mick glances at the bar and then his mouth falls open, halfway smiling. "I swear to God I had nothing to do with this," he says, unable to keep a straight face.

"Yes you did!" I argue rather loudly, causing Steven to look over because we were seated rather close to the bar. "Oh, God," I mutter, looking down my Coke. Mick snorts. When I glance back up, Steven's resting his chin in his palm, chatting up the waitress at the bar.

"I didn't," Mick said. "It's a coincidence..."

"Huh?" I asked, too absorbed in watching their conversation.

Mick frowned, then shook his head. Finally, the girl walked away, twirling her long dark hair between her fingers. That's real unsanitary, to twirl your hair while serving food. They should fire her... "Steven!" Mick called.

"Mick!" I hissed. Mick smirked. Steven looked up. And then he started to walk over here. Oh God, oh God.

"Wassup?" Steven said to Mick, ignoring me.

"Nothin' much," Mick said. "Just out with Gin." Steven's eyebrow twitches involuntarily. "Joey's sick," Mick adds.

Steven blinks. "Oh, yeah, hey Gin," he says coolly. I nod, throwing as much apology into my eyes as I can. But he's not looking at me.

"Care to join us?" Mick asked. Steven looked between the two of us, almost conflicted. He glances at the bar. The girl that he was talking to walks out from around it, no longer wearing an apron around her waist. She comes and stands next to Steven. Steven puts an arm around her waist, looking at me. Oh, wow.

"Nah, I'm good. Just leaving, actually," he says with a grin, looking from the girl to me, seeing the horror written all over my face. I try to hide it, but apparently I'm not very good at it.

Well you know what? Two can play at this game. "Hi," I say brightly, reaching out a hand to the girl. Steven and Mick stare at me in bewilderment. "I'm Gin."

"Dana," she says with an award-winning smile, flipping a wavy strand of hair from her face. Of course she's got a perfect smile. Of course she's got perfect hair. Mick and Steven are practically drooling. "How do you know Steven?" she asks no on in particular.

Mick's too busy gaping at her, so I answer with a knowing smile, hinting at I don't even know what. "Oh," I say nonchalantly. "We're just acquaintances." I look pointedly at Steven, which makes Dana frown.

"Right," she says slowly. "See you around then..." She turns to Steven.

"Ready, babe?" he asks, staring me down with a glare.

"Yep!" she says happily. I roll my eyes. Steven turns around to give me one last glare and I pinch my forefinger and thumb together like, okay! and wink dramatically.

He turned around then, but not fast enough to conceal the vague traces of a smile shadowing his lips.

--

"You're jealous," Mick said. I ignored him. "Of Dana. You're jealous. Never have I ever seen you pass up food. Especially Lo Mien. You hardly ate!"

"Whatever," I say. "I wasn't hungry."

"You're not just a little pissed that Steven's probably making out with Dana right about now?" Mick asks, raising his eyebrows.

I stare into his bright green eyes, feeling my ears go pink. "No."

Mick laughs. "Think about it: They're groping around in the backseat of a car, heavily breathing while their limbs entangle and their tongues-"

"Shut up," I say, closing my eyes and shaking my head, trying to get the disturbing image Mick just painted out of my head. "Now I'm really not hungry..."

"Told you," he said. I stare him down. Mick rolls his eyes, not getting the reaction out of me that he wanted. "I'll see you tomorrow, Gin." He began to walk down my driveway

"Fine..."  He was halfway down the driveway. "I'm jealous."

Mick throws his head back and laughs, then sprints down the street, yelling, "Joey! Joey it's two-zero! She likes him and she's jealous! Joey!" Slowly, his voice faded, until all I could hear was the neighbor's dogs barking at Mick, as they always do when he's loud.