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more than making out and accepted the truth. She made the choice not to do it, anyway, so she couldn't blame him. She focused her time and energy on her schoolwork and pulled out a 3.97 her senior year. In her eyes, breaking up with Ryan proved the best thing to ever happen to her. She always had top grades, and while they dated, her grades declined. Their breakup refocused her efforts on school. Her GPA helped her get into the local university, which she couldn't wait to attend in the fall.
    The only thing missing in this moment was Lucy. Best friends existed for these very moments - those times in life you'll burst at the seams unless you can share it. She hated letting Lucy win, but soon they'd each be in different colleges, meeting new people and sharing those experiences with new friends. Beth needed to give in. It didn't matter who initiated the apology, just that they were friends again.
     
    "Rise and shine!" Sharon Overland whipped open the shades in her daughter's bedroom, sending rays of light into the room.
    Beth rubbed her fists against her eyes. The clock flashed 9:15. "Mom! What are you doing?"
    "Today is your eighteenth birthday, dear! We're having a ladies' day!" She clapped her hands in excitement. Beth cringed at the early success in annoying her. If an Olympic medal existed for irritating your child, her mom would win gold.
    "What do you mean by ladies' day?" She pulled herself up and leaned against the pillows.
    Her mom hopped up next to her daughter. "A ladies' day! A girl's day! You know - we'll get our nails done - a manicure and a pedicure – do some shopping, go to lunch, gossip. All those things you'd do with your girlfriends, except since you're eighteen, we'll call it a ladies' day. You're not a little girl anymore."
    "Sometimes you're such a dork, Mom."
    She rubbed her hand on the sheet over Beth's leg. "What do you kids say these days? Takes one to know one, right?"
    "Not since I was in middle school." She rolled her eyes. "Anyway, I have plans to see Lucy."
    Beth called her after she finished fawning over Harvey. Uncomfortable pauses filled the phone for at least ten minutes of the conversation. Beth gave in, a commonality in their relationship. "I'm sorry I stormed off. I know you're only being a good friend."
    Lucy paused, her breath echoing on the other side of the line. "I'm sorry, too, Beth. I shouldn't have left like I did. I even left Jackson behind. He was pretty pissed, but got over it." They exchanged a few stories about their summer so far before agreeing to lunch for Beth's birthday.
    "I'm glad you two made up, and especially for your birthday." Her mom waved her hand in front of her face, refusing to accept Beth's plans. "You can hang out with Lucy later. Meet her for dinner instead. Let's have a day together." She patted her hands on the bed. "Come on. We never do this. I want to do this."
    It had been awhile since they'd spent an entire day together. But the whole day? Was spending the next eight hours together necessary since they lived in the same house? She and Lucy had a lot to catch up on. She hadn't brought Harvey up in their conversation, but she was anxious to tell her about him. The smile on her mom's face pulled at her heart (was guilt stored there, too?).
    "Fine. I need a half hour to get ready, okay?" Eight hours was manageable if she thought of it like a school day.
    "Fantastic!" Her mom leapt to the floor. "I'll meet you downstairs."
    As soon as she left, Beth curled back under her covers for a few minutes, her mind wandering toward Harvey. His thick hair, muscles ready to rip his tight shirt in half. She shivered thinking about him.
    "Beth, I don't hear the water running!" her mom called from downstairs.
    "Ugh!" She threw off the covers. "I'm going!" Thoughts of Harvey would have to join her in the shower.
    A half hour later, Beth sat silent next to her mother in the car. She stared out the window looking for Harvey, hoping he found his dog. She never owned a pet,