*Mini-Chapter* 

I don't know how long I cried but it must have been long enough to put myself to sleep. I opened my eyes to find my head nuzzled against Jordan's stomach, make up smudges staining her Dollhouse blouse.

"Well, hello, Sleeping Beauty," Jordan smiled down at me over the screen of her phone.

Rubbing at my eyes, I sat up. Black blotches of mascara decorated the backs of my hands when I brought them away from my face. I was most certainly not a sleeping beauty. I probably looked like something closer to The Swamp Thing. "How long was out?"

Jordan shrugged. "I'm all caught up on How to Get Away with Murder, so...around two hours."

I nodded wondering how Jordan managed to let me sleep on her for two hours without waking me. I'd never met anyone that could watch TV on their phone with so much stealth and concentration. If TV-watcher was a day job, Jordan was in the wrong career field. "Any good?"

"Brilliant!" Jordan's lips twisted. "I think...I'm actually not sure I understand any of it, but goddamn if I don't want more."

I laughed, somehow knowing exactly what she meant. There was something alluring in the confusion.

Frowning, I felt a wave of sadness wash over me, everything hitting me again all at once. My relationship was over. My life plan that I'd thought was perfectly on track had just been unraveled. I sucked in a shaky breath as my lips trembled and my eyes welled.

Jordan sat up straighter. "Oh, no, no, no. No more crying," she said, placing her phone down on my comforter. "Now, you pull it together and tell me what happened."

Hadn't I already told her? My mind was so convoluted with devastation and sadness; I couldn't be sure if I'd actually shared with her or just cried out all of my makeup on her. "Yelvin...he-he," I hiccupped and Jordan narrowed her eyes on me. I closed my eyes and sucked in a breath, mentally collecting myself. Come on, Marie. Gather your shit. He's just a boy...A boy that you were going to spend the rest of your life with. Your boy. I shook my head. The pep talk was not going as I'd planned.

"Alright." I opened my eyes as Jordan's voice cut through my depressing attempt to be strong. "So, don't tell me. Just tell me what our story is."

"Our story?" I stared at her in confusion.

"Yeah." She grinned. "Our alibi."

"What?"

"I mean, we're killing him right? Why do you think I got caught up on my show? I needed a skill refresher."

I laughed, despite the overwhelming darkness I felt. "We're not going to kill him," I said, even though it wasn't the worst idea in the moment.

"Of course, of course. We're not monsters. We'll just like back over him with the car or something. A severe injury is just as good as murder...so I hear." Jordan's smile widened and I laughed harder. For just the tiniest of moments, I could see the light at the end of the tunnel. He was just a boy. I still had my best friend, my job and a roof over my head. Things could be worse. "I love you, you know that." I met Jordan's eyes and she smiled.

"You better."

I felt a little bit stronger, braver somehow knowing that she was in my corner; felony level in my corner. "He cheated on me," I said softly.

Hey eyes went wide and she blinked, sitting in silence for a long stretch of time before she spoke again. "And you're sure we're not killing him?"

I pursed my lips as I mulled it over. "Yeah, I'm sure."

"Alright then." Jordan climbed off of the bed, staring at me with a determined look in her eyes. "Get up and get dressed. We're going out."

I shook my head, being out in the world was the last thing I wanted to do. "Jordi, I don't want to-"

"I'm not going to let you be this girl. You'renot the girl that sits around on Saturday night moping about the asshole thatcheated on her. It's murder or dancing, A. Take your pick."