I sip my beer, unsure of what to say. The guilt I felt earlier dissipates a bit.

“Anyway, I’m sure you just left Beau wanting more. Positive even! It’s an ideal scenario. You shouldn’t be upset at all. You have him right where you want him.”

Cinnamon is making me feel so much better, and I again have the urge to give her money. Instead she is giving me free drinks and weed and advice. What did I do to deserve this? I fear a sudden disaster will strike to punish me for this spiritual windfall.

“Thanks,” I say. I think about how crushed I felt at Food 4 Less earlier today. “You’ve talked me off the ledge.”

“Fuck!” Cinnamon says, looking at her phone. “I gotta go.”

“Is everything okay?” I ask.

“Yeah,” she says. “I’m just late for this group project.”

“Group project? At the Mirror Box?”

Cinnamon laughs. “I have a life outside of the Mirror Box, thank god. I’m getting my MFA at CalArts.”

“Cool,” I say. I knew it. She is a rich girl doing performance art. She is a Precious Starlet.

“I guess,” she says. “Anyway, this has been fun, but I gotta run.”

“I feel bad I never heard about your bad day. And you listened to me drone on about my nonissue.”

“It’s fine. I’m beyond sick of myself.” She takes my phone off the bar and starts typing on it. “Here is my number. You can make it up to me.” She hands back the phone and kisses me on the cheek, and then poof, she is gone.

Suddenly I am alone in this weird bar, which is now filled with people. I look back at my phone and save her number. Then a text from my dad pops up.

I’m rewatching Inborn. It’s fantastic. I’m so proud of you.

I feel guilty and put my phone away.

On the street, I notice I’m famished. Lydia must feel the same way. I stop back in Food 4 Less and buy two packs of turkey, three packs of saltines, a case of Gatorade, and a jar of peanut butter. This will last me for a while.

As I walk home with my groceries, I think about maybe watching the movie my dad mentioned. Maybe we could text about it like a normal father and daughter with shared interests. We used to watch movies when I was a kid. When my mom was out of town at a conference, we’d watch R-rated ones completely inappropriate for children, like La Piscine and Videodrome. Maybe it’s time for me to start watching movies again. I don’t have to be bitter and jealous. Cinnamon said all the Mirror Box girls noticed my energy. I have star quality, I know it, and it’s only a matter of time until everyone else catches on.

DAWN.