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was sleek and sexy.  Not that he was driving a Bentley or anything but still, it wasn’t a bad ride for a bartender.
     
    “Nice car,” Adrianna told him as he opened the passenger side door for her. 
     
    “Thanks.  Just bought her a week ago.”
     
    Adrianna gave Jack directions to her apartment building and then sat quietly, contemplating why Jack was interested in seeing her again.  He did seem like a genuinely nice guy and that was just more of a reason why she couldn’t see him.  He didn’t need to be involved with someone like her.  Thinking that, she grew depressed and suddenly yearned to reach into her purse for her pills.  Maybe she should take one in front of him now just to show him she was flawed and scare him away.  She didn’t have the guts to do that though.
     
    When the car pulled up in front of her building Jack got out, surprising her further, to open her door.  He even held out his hand to help her out of the seat.
     
    “Thanks for taking me home,” Adrianna said quietly when they reached the door to her apartment.
     
    “Thanks for letting me take you home,” he answered.  He leaned down to kiss her, gently this time, with closed lips.  “I’ll call you soon.”
     

Chapter 4
     
    S everal times over the next week, Adrianna’s phone rang with calls from Jack.  She rejected every one of them.  She was sad about it, she was, but after thinking hard about the possibility of getting close to someone she decided it was a horrible idea. Even if Jack wasn’t disgusted by her life of doing nothing and living alone, he was bound to find out about her habit and she was sure he’d cut and run at that.  What guy wanted to deal with a girl who was depressed, isolated, and addicted to painkillers?  She was moody, withdrawn, and sullen most of the time and Jack, who could probably have any girl he wanted, would not put up with that shit for long.  She didn’t want to run the risk of getting attached to him, only to have him take off when he learned that side of her.  No, it was best not to see Jack again.
     
    After more than a week of rejecting his calls, Adrianna was sure he’d give up.  She wasn’t worth the hassle, surely Jack would realize that.  A few more days went by and when she didn’t receive any more calls she was both relieved and disappointed.  It was for the best, though.
     
    On a Tuesday evening, Adrianna was sitting on the floor of her living room, painting her toenails.  She had had a good day, having slept a full five hours straight the night before and had woken up in minimal pain.  She spent the morning in the laundry room and then spoke with her mother.
     
    Adrianna’s parents were still hoping their daughter would return to school to get her degree in medicine and her mother told her that every chance she got.  Not wanting to argue, Adrianna told her what she always did.
     
    “Soon, Mom.  I’m not ready just yet.”
     
    “How’s work, honey?” her mother asked her.  Adrianna spent the last two years lying to her parents, telling them she had a job working as a medical assistant in a pediatrician’s office.  She didn’t like lying to them but it was important that they believe she was living a normal life.  The more normal it seemed, the fewer questions they asked. 
     
    “It’s fine,” she said casually.  “I’m hoping to take vacation next month so I can come home for a visit.”
     
    “Oh really, sweetie?  That would be wonderful!”
     
    Adrianna felt badly about getting her mother’s hopes up like that but it was something she had to do to keep up with the facade.  In reality she had no intention of going home until she really had to at Christmastime, still six months away.  She couldn’t stand visiting her hometown where she was bound to bump into someone she knew from high school.  They would either pretend not to see her out of discomfort or look at her with such pity she would want to throw up.
     
    After hanging