2. | 7:30 PM

  CAN FRIENDS HAVE PRE WRITTEN MEET CUTES? That's how it was my first day meeting Elodie, and, well, the rest of the world. At 7:30 PM, on a random Saturday in December, our moms would go into labor together, rooms side by side. Two friends who met in the failed parenting classes they walked out of, both expecting their first child; daughters. Don't ask me why they left, something about how they didn't fuck with the instructor's vibes, or however they put it.

  At 7:30 PM on our fifth birthdays, Elodie and I would have our first shared epiphany, our eyes connecting over the flickering flames from the candles on our cakes. Mine was a Disney princess, at my behest, hers was a sheet cake. Elodie joked she gained consciousness that day. On our tenth, we would have our first epiphanot, in which we discovered that, no, grocery bags were not parachutes.

At 7:30 PM, the week before prom, her world stopped as her dad passed away in the hospital, sudden cardiac arrest, and she would be sobbing on my bed as funeral arrangements were made. I snuck into my brother's weed stash, and we smoked on the porch. We ended up not going to prom.

At 7:30 PM, Elodie would leave my life for a grand total of seven months, leaving just one text, Hey! miss you, hope you're okay, on read. Her socials would go silent, and I'd stop checking them, falling into some situationship bullshit to replace my obsessive social media stalking.

  Seven was supposed to represent luck, but, I realized at some point in my life, everything felt anything but fortunate. I think thirty was just caught in the cross fire. And yet, it felt oddly like a fateful number, as I parked behind the mall and sat, nervously hitting my vape as I stared at my phone, waiting for it to ping again. 7:28 PM.

  The lights in the parking lot were going out, slowly, one by one as each corner of the mall closed, the only light source I had came from the blue glow of the vape I was hitting and my dimmed headlights. Why was I stupid enough to say yes? You'd think I'd learn my lesson by now.

  It was just me, my GeekBar, and the email on my phone sitting heavily in my inbox as I reflected on my poor life choices that led me to this point. I had just been cut off by a situationship, college graduation was tomorrow with no other plan besides that, and I was about to be terminated from the one job I'd had since I was seventeen. The downside of your situationship being your boss, I guess (among many others). Don't fuck your coworkers.

  7:30 PM.

  A second set of headlights beamed into my face, pulling me from my thoughts, before shutting off in the parking space beside me. And then, there she was. In her ugly Ford Fiesta. She exited with her usual grace, somehow looking more livelier than the last I'd seen her, illuminated by the last few street lights on. Like a halo. Yet, the most devilish smile on her face implied she was anything but angelic.

  "You're here early," I muttered, cracking open my car door, and gathering my belongings to shove into the various pockets of my cargo pants. "I thought I'd have to wait until at least- eugh!" Elodie had cut me off, capturing me in an embrace that felt like it held most of her weight behind it. It took a few seconds before I registered what was happening, finally hesitantly reaching up to pat her back. I was never one for physical contact, and usually neither was she.

  "You look like shit!" She exclaimed, pushing me away from the embrace to take in my half put together appearance. From my unbrushed and dull hair pulled into a hair clip, to my lack of makeup, and the baggy clothes I wore, I guess it did scream I'm really depressed and sat in bed for a solid twenty four hours with minimal bathroom breaks. I had avoided posting any pictures to social media for a while.

  "Wow, thanks," I remarked sarcastically, "exactly what I wanted to hear from my best friend who I assumed was going to be the focus of the next true crime documentary." Elodie smiled, but there was no humor behind it, and I almost regretted my harsh tone. We stood there for a moment, in the dark silence, staring at one another, observing the other for a reaction.

I broke the silence first.

"Why did you drag me out here?" I asked. It was a stupid question. This was Elodie. I already knew why; she had an epiphany that would only lead to the most unforgettable night. Either in the best or worst way, depending on the perspective.

And that devious look in her eyes answered everything I needed to know.

She reached out her hand and grabbed mine, giving a slight tug, pulling me towards the slowly darkening mall. "Let's go, Kennedy."

That was all I needed to hear.

I would then later regret every life decision that led up to the next twelve hours.