Lizzie sighs at her coffee despondently as the cafe door slams shut, followed by her phone on a darkly polished table near the back. She knew what would happen, predicted it to him, and asked that the whole matter be resolved hours ago with a simple no but she could never say no to him. "You're the best at matrices, Liz. I need you. Nothing can keep me from studying with you tonight.", his promises now as hollow as the cup within her hands. A group of athletes stroll through the aisle towards the cashier's line, laughing and hanging on to each others shoulders, discussing the latest victory. They look so open, so free. It is late.
As Lizzie reaches for the dinged phone in preparation for her walk back home, one of the more boisterous women breaks away from the waiting group and plops herself down in the chair before Lizzie. "Why so glum? Is it because it's raining? Rain is such a downer sometimes. I remember my cousin telling me one time, she's a Psych major, you know, about how some people get super sad just because it's raining and it's not even their fault. It's like emotional allergies or something. Anyway, my name's Britney Holloway.", she bubbles. Lizzie turns her head towards the water, pouring like a hose from heaven against the window. "Seasonal depression? No, that isn't me, at least I don't think it is. I've always liked the rain. It makes everything new again." A brief but comfortable pause settles through the atmosphere between the two women, only to be jarred by the friendly hoots of a pleasantly impatient group. "You should go, Miss Holloway. I am certain you have better things to do. Thank you for talking with me."
A look of tearing decision crosses Britney's perfectly smooth face, her blond curls bouncing slightly as she turns away, then back again to press a business card into Lizzie's soft palm. "Listen. I know this'll sound weird, but I promise it'll make sense sooner or later. When it does, give us a call."
Lizzie quietly pockets the card without a glance.
A wet wind whistles through pines and between concrete monoliths as Lizzie stumbles through the storm.
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