We Never Happened

Jasmine

"So,care to tell me where your mind is? Because it's clearly not here," Gloria remarked, interrupting our binge-watching session as she switched off the television and turned her attention fully to me. Spending weekends in her apartment had become somewhat of a ritual for me, either to escape the loneliness of my own place or to avoid going to my dad's.

Caught off guard, I blinked, feeling like I'd been caught red-handed. Gloria gave me a knowing look, waiting for an explanation. I sighed, feeling at a loss for words.

My mind drifted back to Sloan, the one person who had been occupying my thoughts lately. Just when I thought we were making progress, he started avoiding me again, leaving me frustrated and confused. And then there was the matter of the lighter I had taken from him days ago on the balcony. He hadn't said a word about it, making me wonder if he had more than one. But why couldn't he just talk to me?

But the bigger question nagging at me was why I was so eager for his attention. Why did I want him to talk to me so badly? I struggled to articulate my feelings, unsure if it was mere curiosity or something deeper. There was just something about him that I couldn't quite figure out.

"It's just my dad," I offered, deciding to share a fragment of the truth. After all, my father had been weighing heavily on my mind since that night. "He's not making things easy for me, but then again, when has he not?"

"What's wrong?" Gloria's concern was evident in her voice.

"I got a job, but not in my field," I admitted, reaching for another gummy worm to distract myself. "And he's not happy about it."

"What job?" Gloria's curiosity was palpable.

"At a boutique," I replied, popping the gummy worm into my mouth. "It's something I really want to do, but he's not respecting that. The look on his face when I told him... it was like I'd disappointed him all over again. Crazy, right?"

Gloria remained silent, a shift in her demeanor catching my attention. She started to fidget, a habit she had when she didn't want to say something that might hurt my feelings. The sudden change in her behavior made me uneasy.

"Gloria?" I prodded, but she still didn't respond. And then it hit me like a ton of bricks.

No.

"Shit, no, Gloria!" I exclaimed, jumping to my feet and leveling her with an accusing stare. "You think he's right, don't you?"

"Don't get mad, Jas, but he does have a good point," Gloria said, scrambling to her feet and attempting to approach me. I instinctively took a step back, feeling a surge of frustration.

"What the hell do you mean? You're siding with my batshit crazy father?" I retorted, my voice tinged with anger.

"You have a degree in law, Jas. Are you really going to waste that by working at a boutique just because you feel like it?" Gloria countered.

"Okay, now you sound just like him. Did he threaten you or something?" I asked, genuinely curious. My father had a way of coercing people into doing his bidding.

"What? No, Jas."

"Then why aren't you supporting me? Why aren't you telling me to follow my heart?" I demanded, feeling hurt by her lack of support.

"Lots of people would kill to have this have this kind of opportunity."

"Not everyone, just you, Gloria." I snapped, watching as her eyes widening and her cheeks flushing pink. She took a step back, clearly taken aback by my response.I sighed, instantly regretting my words. Gloria is a dropout, meaning she never even made it past high school. Her parents passed at the time and their assets weren't enough to fund her fees so she left school, crushing all her dreams of becoming a lawyer. Back then I offered to pay her fees, but she refused. She never took money from Sergio either.