Chloe was huddled up on the couch under a blanket, looking small and fragile, eyes puffed up from hours of crying. Her best friends had invited themselves over once they found out the news of the break-up. Now, they were all huddled around her like they were members of the Ya-Ya sisterhood, becoming a protective barrier between her and the harsh world outside.

"He thinks he'll find someone better than you?" Angela laughed at the question, looking around to the girls who wore serious expressions, "That person doesn't exist. He should be grateful that you even paid attention to his criminal ass back in high school." The girls all nodded in agreement.

Sierra rolled her eyes as she made her way from her hallway to the kitchen. Sunday was supposed to be a day of rest, but she felt anything but restful. She had been trapped in her bedroom most of the morning, listening to them squawk like a bunch of hens in a hen house. It was her apartment, yet she felt like she was the intruder.

"I just don't know where I went wrong..." Chloe sniffed, "Maybe once he cools off a little we can talk...work it out...we were so good together. He just needs to remember how things used to be." Sierra could only hope that would be the case. She wanted her life to go back to the way it had been.

"You didn't do anything wrong. That asshole just hasn't grown up...he doesn't know how to handle being in a big boy relationship." Angela was saying all the pretty words to make Chloe feel better. She was just another groupie, someone else who wanted to bask in the glory that was Chloe Palmer.

"You know what we should do? We should have a girls night." The group of them all jumped in at the idea, showing their support. Sierra would happily pay for the entire evening if it meant she could have the night alone in her apartment. God, even if they just left her alone for an hour, that would be enough time.

"I don't know. I think I just want to stay in...I'm not really in the mood..." Chloe replied in a somber tone.

"Don't let that dick win. You need to get out there...make him see how he messed up. Rub it in his face that Chloe Palmer still has it, and she can get anything she wants. Even a new and better man if that's what she wants." Angela proposed from her little soap box, the other girls becoming a chorus behind her.

Sierra clenched her teeth together when she reached for the canister of coffee and found it empty. She swung her gaze to the pot to see the  last remaining remnants. The little bitches had drank her coffee. All of it. She hoped that each cup had come out burnt and as bitter as they all were. Her eyes narrowed. Seemed fitting that the shallowness they showed was steeped in the bitter black coffee dredges that remained in the bottom of her coffee pot.

She threw the canister into the trash can under the sink before walking out the kitchen, "Or maybe you could just move on like a normal person. Because I'm sure Andrew will." It was a cruel thing to say but she was beyond her limit. Sometimes the truth hurt, Sierra had learned that lesson more than once.

Chloe choked out a sob at her words, "Oh god..." Angela cast a hawk-eyed look over her shoulder, lips pulling back in a devilish sneer. The other girls echoed the expression, turning her living room into a nest of vipers ready to strike at the slightest movement.

"Just who's side are you on, Sierra?" Angela snipped in her direction before turning back to Chloe, "What does your sister really know about relationships? How many successful and steady boyfriends has she had?" Sierra curled her fingers inward, clenching her hand into a tight fist at her side.

"Yeah! Ignore her." They all hissed.

Sierra snorted, of course she was the bad guy, not that she cared. She would happily join the peons that sat in the shadow of Chloe, at least there she was accepted. At least in the shadows she didn't have to be worry about getting burned.

"Whatever. You all have fun. I'm out of here." She mumbled as she moved back into the kitchen, slipping her feet into her sneakers and snatching her purse off the side table by the front door. There was no way she was going to waste anymore of her time on this.

Sierra made the short five block walk to her favorite coffee shop, getting herself a sweet tea instead of her usual black coffee with an added shot. She had enough bitterness in her life at the moment, a little sweetness may be just what the doctor ordered. She had only looked down into her purse for a moment, searching for her cellphone as she walked from the shop. That small moment was enough time for her to walk straight into a human wall.

"Damn it!" Sierra hissed as she stared down at her feet where her tea lay, leaking it's content all over the concrete. The universe seemed to be shoveling out all the karma she had stored up the past couple of months. She let out a heavy defeated sigh.

"I'm sorry. It seems I am making it a habit of running into you." The voice rumbled, the familiar timbre of it had her lifting her face. Her gaze caught the firm jaw line covered in a few days growth of beard, intrigued, she continued to sweep her gaze over the strangers face.

He had a head of thick waves, hidden under a faded baseball cap. Sierra couldn't really see his eyes under the shadow of the bill. She couldn't remember why he seemed familiar to her. She was certain she would have remembered the stranger if they had met before. His lips were turned up to one side in amusement, "Don't remember me?"

Sierra's mouth formed into its familiar posture,  turning upward, "Give me a second..."

"I'm not surprised you don't, practically ran me over to get out of Andrew's apartment. First time I'd ever seen a girl trying so hard to get away from him." She felt her heart tighten in her chest but her smile remained perfect. Her mind recalled the event vividly in her mind, like most of the moments between her and Andrew.

"Scottie." She stated his name with a playful purr.

He gave her a grin as he pushed the brim of his hat back, letting her get a look at his bright blue eyes. They swallowed her like the ocean, pulling her further and further away from

safety of shore, "So you do remember me

then..."

Sierra snapped back into herself, "Its hard to really forget what it feels like to run into a brick wall. If this is how you pick up women, I'd like to suggest you try a different method in the future." Scottie laughed at her comment, it was a deep and rich sound.

Her smile grew a bit, "I'm Sierra, by the way."

"I know who you are. You sat in front of me during English lit. our senior year of high school." His eyes crinkled in the corners and his smile became more mysterious. Sierra felt her stomach drop a little at this news, her smile faded.

How well did he know her? How much of her past did he know?

"How about I buy you another drink? To make up for the one I made you spill." His offer seemed genuine but Sierra wasn't looking to another stroll down memory lane. She wanted to bury her past deep in the ground, so deep it could never find its way to the surface again.

Sierra forced herself to become dazzling once again, "That's not necessary, just watch your step for the next poor girl that accidentally walks into your path." She took a step a half step back from Scottie, wondering how she could have never noticed him before.

"Well I better get going. See you around." She moved around him, giving a friendly wave as he watched her with a secret amusement, "You always running away, Sierra Palmer?" He called after her.

Her cheeks burned at his question, but she kept her mask in place, "I have no idea what you're talking about..." she called back in a teasing tone as she stepped off the sidewalk and jogged to the other side of the road.