Megan watched as he practically sprinted behind the pharmacy counter and made it without falling. She giggled. Raul was such a goof.
As she stepped out into the parking lot, Megan checked her phone to see if Sabrina had returned her call yet. She did indeed have a phone message and listened eagerly. She was so surprised that she nearly dropped the phone. Everything around her seemed to spin. The message was from Ted.
He seemed a touch on the morose side, but there was no mistaking that voice.
“Hey, Meg, “the message began. “It’s me. I hope you’re not still pissed at me, because I miss you. I was hoping we could get together and talk. Just talk. If you don’t want to, that’s OK, but I’m hoping you’ll say yes. Cya.”
Struck with disbelief, Megan played the message twice more. She had been racked with all these miserable emotions over the last few days and yet he was the one to call. It would be very simple to go back to him and try to forget their breakup ever happened. However, she wasn’t sure that was the right thing to do. He cheated and she was no doormat. She should probably delete the message and let HIM suffer…. for a few days at least. But she missed being with him soo much! Then again, the message said he only wanted to talk. But Megan knew well enough how to get him from talking to doing something else in a fairly short enough of time.
She wrestled with the decision for a good five minutes, pacing two and fro, huffing and puffing and hemming and hawing until Josh came out to tell her to stop or take it elsewhere (she was scaring the customers). At long last, she made up her mind.
AMegan decided to give Ted a call. She waited long enough.
BMegan deleted the message and thought no more of it. It was time to move on.

Megan decided to give Ted a call. She waited long enough. He seemed relieved to hear the sound of her voice, as was she to hear his. Did she miss him? Yes, she supposed she did. Would they want to get together later? Sure, why not? How were things otherwise? Fine. OK, goodbye. It was possibly the most duplicitous conversation Megan ever had in her life, but she was so happy she could barely stand it.
At home, she called Sabrina to tell her of the news. Her friend promptly advised against trying to get back together with Ted.
“You don’t understand what this week has been like for me,” Megan said after hearing all of her arguments.
“But is all that over Ted?”
“No, there’s something else, but…. never mind. Look, I want this, OK?”
“How do you know he does?”
“He said he wanted to talk. Since when do guys ever just want to talk?”
“Yeah, you’ve got a point there. But he did cheat on you. How can you trust him?”
“I can’t. And I don’t even know if we’re getting back together or what. I just want to see him again. Is that a crime?!”
“No. But you need to chill.”
“Sorry, I’ve been bitching at everyone lately.”
“But we still love you for it. Peace out, Meg.”
Megan spent the next hour or two in jubilant isolation. She was able to block out the sounds of Carrie and Stephen’s bickering as they came home from school. She paid no heed to her eccentric neighbors’ blasting of Jethro Tull. She didn’t even notice when her parents came home from work.
“You’re looking cheerful today, Meg,” Drew remarked over dinner.
Megan shrugged and smiled. “Um, I went shopping.”
“I’m glad you made such nice use of our gift,” said Nancy.
“Are we going to visit Grandma and Grandpa this week?” Carrie asked.
“No, next week,” Nancy informed her. “But don’t think about going anywhere until you get your studying done.”
“Finals aren’t for another two weeks!” Carrie protested.
“All the more reason to start studying now,” Drew commented. “Same for you, Steve.”
“But I don’t even HAVE finals,” he complained.
“Just the same, I don’t want you and Billy torturing anymore poor defenseless animals this weekend,” Nancy pronounced.