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episode. She carries a pitcher of margaritas and fills up Melanie’s glass and then her own.
    “How’s Josh?” Melanie asks, sounding genuinely interested. Impressive. I try to catch her eye to silently thank her for her efforts, but she is still looking at Mandy.
    Mandy plops down on the loveseat. She tells us how much she and Josh miss each other. As she divulges her plans to see him next weekend, I try to catch Melanie’s reaction. She, however, is already looking at me with a concerned glance.
    Oh. Right. The being left alone thing. She knows I can spend entire nights when I am alone searching for hidden murderers around the house. I used to stay with her when Mandy went away, but recently I’ve been trying to suck it up on my own. No murderers have shown up as of yet so I must be doing something right.
    I try to ignore Melanie’s anxious look and instead focus on Mandy’s babble of plans. Melanie eventually turns to Mandy as well. It appears that she is softening a bit to this whole relationship between Mandy and Josh. I know she thinks they are young to be so committed, but maybe she finally recognizes that she and Doug were also young when they got together.
    Besides, it’s probably better to be nineteen and committed instead of twenty-four and alone. Somehow, Melanie seems to be following my thoughts yet again.
    “So, Callie, how is class with Dr. Gabriel?” She sounds all sing-songy as she says his name. She knows I hate talking about him.
    “He’s somehow managing to balance having me as an assistant and trying to impress me while simultaneously pretending that I don’t exist. I think he’s still pretty pissed about last year.”
    I had Dr. Gabriel for my Journalistic Writing I class last fall. We ran into each other on campus in the spring, and he asked me out. After I said no, I, of course, was assigned his class for my TA position. That’s just the miserable way the world spins for me.
    “You should have just said yes,” Mandy chimes in.
    “Now there is a piece of journalism,” I reply with a smile. “Sex-crazed professor captures virgin extraordinaire.”
    Melanie laughs. “You are probably the only one who has ever said no to him. All those literary grad students can’t resist living out the handsome, poetic professor falls for young, naïve student storyline.”
    I smile, thinking of the girls I’ve seen walking with him on campus.
    “You’re right. I’m pretty strong to settle for the Emily Dickinson-style ‘just me and my writing’ character.”
    I do hope things get less awkward with Dr. Gabriel. I guess I should be glad that he actually asked for my commentary today in class, even though he seemed rather disinterested when I gave it. Eventually, he will have to give in and introduce me to the class, especially before I start teaching in November. He’ll probably wait until the last second. My discomfort in class seems to be my punishment for turning him down.
    Oh well. At least the TA job is paying for my tuition. The awkwardness must be worth that. I think.
    We watch another Friends episode and discuss Mom’s upcoming birthday. I’ll pick out the gift and wrap it, we’ll split the cost among the three of us and Jared, and we’ll all have dinner with Mom and Dad to celebrate. Pretty standard.
    11:30 p.m. Mandy and Melanie both seem to be dozing off. I pull Melanie’s blanket over her and take Mandy’s glasses off of her face, setting them on the end table. I power off the television and DVD player and turn off the living room light.
    Time for night preparations. But first, I head to my laptop.
    One email, sent shortly after my last reply. Count. Click.
     
     
     
Calista,
3.) For how many years?
Aren’t you supposed to be at Girls’ Night?
-Dr. Blake
     
     
     
    Count. Reply.
     
     
     
Dr. Blake,
For as long as I can remember.
Yes, it is Girls’ Night. There was a break in the action.
-Calista
     
     
     
    Count. Send.
    Laptop closed. Night