Ghost of the Past (C)

Aubrey Conners sighed and locked the door of her classroom. She loved the kids, but she was glad that it was finally Friday. Parent-teacher conferences last week had prevented her from really enjoying the weekend. Now that she was finally free, she undid the bun in her hair and rushed to the car. This would be a big night.

Forty minutes later, her friends Tiffany and Lauren were over in her apartment. Lauren was in the kitchen with some cheap wine she'd brought for pregaming, and Tiffany was trying to help her finish getting dressed. “Which one do you think I should wear tonight, the blue or the pink?” Aubrey asked her, holding a hanger in each hand.

Tiffany paused for a moment before pointing a nail at the pink one on the right. “Def that one, it really brings out the pink of your highlights.”

Aubrey frowned, “Are you sure? The blue one really hugs my butt.”

“And how long does it take to take off after a night of dancing? Trust me, being a little loose is going to be helpful. You don’t want to struggle getting your outfit off in front of some random man. The pink you can just slip off when you’re ready” Tiffany said, ending her last sentence with a wink. Aubrey rolled her eyes before heading back into the closet to get changed. Five minutes and a glass of chardonnay later, the girls were ready to head downtown.

“I’m telling you, we’re finally getting you over Dick tonight.” said Lauren. The three of them had been waiting in line at Nectar for a while, and they finally neared the front of the line.

“I’m not sure that’s happening tonight, I just need… something." Aubrey said, not feeling quite as optimistic now that they were actually at the nightclub. She felt around for a moment trying to remember where her phone was before remembering Tiffany was the only one with pockets tonight. “Hey Tiff, could you check if I got any messages?”

Tiffany fished Aubrey’s phone out of her bag before tapping the on button on the rubber case made to look like a bear. “There’s four here from a Helena Turner. It looks like they came in a burst while we were on the subway.”

“That’s fine, I can deal with her tomorrow.” Dick’s sister had been pestering her ever since the breakup. Helena had taken her out for lunch, to play tennis, even to see that musical Jefferson together. It’d been nice at first, but the woman wouldn’t leave her alone anymore. If Helena hadn’t paid to fix her car the last time it was in the shop, Aubrey probably would’ve tried to ghost her by now. On a teacher’s salary she could hardly afford to throw away friends that could spend five thousand dollars without needing to check their bank account first, even if they were a bit clingy.

“We’re about to go in. One last drink to warm up. Could you grab my flask?” Lauren asked Tiffany. Tiffany passed around the flask. Aubrey took a sig and nearly spat it out before forcing herself to swallow. Damn she thought. I asked her not to do everclear again. She barely had any time to recover before Tiffany showed the bouncer their IDs and they were waved in.

Four more drinks later, Tiffany and Aubrey were sitting at the bar. Lauren had given up at trying to get a guy for Aubrey and struck out on her own, but Tiffany was still trying to point out various guy in the club.

“What about that guy?”

“He seems a bit young, I kind of want someone that looks like they do their own laundry.”

“Sure, whatever that means. What about him? He’s a bit older.”

“Yeah, but he’s got pickup artist energy. I feel like he’s going to bring up crypto during foreplay.”

“Yikes. Fine, what about him? You have to choose someone tonight.”

Aubrey followed Tiffany’s finger to a man standing near one of the bathrooms. Sandy hair, clean face, and looked to be about her age. He was close enough. She stood up, head swimming as she made her way across the dance floor towards him. It’s so loud in here she thought as she reached the man.

“Hi, I’m-” she stopped mid sentence, feeling herself starting to gag. That fucking everclear. She ran for the bathroom he was standing next to and barely made it into the stall before her body betrayed her. She kneeled in front of the toilet as she hoped one of her friends would show up to help.

Her friends never came for her. Instead, she felt unfamiliar hands start to pull her hair away from the toilet and a low alto voice saying “Here, let me help. I’m Genet. I'm an assistant manager here” The drunk woman was grateful for anyone as she emptied her stomach.

After far too long, she felt like it was over. Leaning back, she turned to look at her rescuer. The woman was hot, though she looked to be at least five, maybe ten years older than her. She looked like she’d recently been crying. “Are you alright?” Aubrey asked.

The older woman was caught off guard at first, but smiled and replied “I feel like I should be asking you that, dear.”

“Your mascara was running.”

Genet ran a finger along here eyes before speaking. “I guess it was. It’s been a long night, I’m just trying to figure out what to do about this guy.”

Aubrey let out a pained laugh. “You too? God, I feel like love is impossible.”

Genet grew more serious at Aubrey’s words and put her right hand to Aubrey’s cheek. "Love is never impossible dear. It just requires help sometimes. Someone gave me some good advice on my way here, can I try to pass it on to you?” Seeing Aubrey nod, she continued. “Just close your eyes and figure out where you want to start. I’ve got someone coming to drop off a change of clothes for you.”

Aubrey closed her eyes, and there was silence. Genet stood up, brushing the grime of the bathroom floor off her dress. She summoned her bag and tried to rest for a moment. She’s a hot mess, but she’ll be important in the beginning. She looked down at her tablet, refreshing herself on the last two candidates. Maybe a more direct approach would be best with them.