It was Josh who convinced me to go. First, he discovered we were out of Lucky Charms and wrote it in all capital letters on the shopping list that I keep on the fridge. He mentioned last night that we didn’t have any. Then this morning, he looked especially forlorn as he poured himself a bowl of Cheerios instead of Lucky Charms, repeatedly mentioning that he wished there were some colorful marshmallows in his cereal. Then he wrote it on the shopping list a second time.

He also pointed out that I could go shopping without having to get a babysitter. Josh has been pushing for a little more freedom, and to be fair, he’s old enough to stay by himself for an hour while I’m at the supermarket. So here I am, buying Lucky Charms and I guess eggs and cheese and bread and some other stuff we need.

While I am inspecting a head of lettuce in the produce aisle, I get the distinct feeling I’m being watched. I look over my shoulder and wince at the sight of a familiar face. It’s Kelli—that girl who waited on us the other night at the Shamrock. The one who was on the cheerleading squad with me, back before my entire life went to hell.

Our eyes make contact. At this point, it would be worse to ignore her, so I wave hesitantly. “Hi…”

The woman shoots daggers at me with her eyes. “I know you.”

I freeze, not sure how to respond. Does she mean she knows me from when I was out with Tim? Or does she recognize me from all those years ago? I hope it’s the former.

“You’re the woman who was having drinks with Tim the other night,” she says.

I let out a sigh of relief. “Uh, yeah.”

Her lips curl in disgust. “So what are you—his girlfriend?”

“No,” I say quickly. Not that I owe this woman any explanation, but I’d like to get out of this supermarket without her scratching my eyes out with those long red fingernails. “Tim and I are just old friends.”

“Didn’t look that way to me.”

“It’s true.” I look over her shoulder, trying to catch the eye of a security guard. “If you want Tim, he’s all yours. He told me you had a boyfriend though.”

Her face fills with rage. “He was talking about me to you?”

Oh God. “No. Not at all. He just mentioned you went out, but now you had a boyfriend. That’s it.”

Kelli looks completely furious. I can see why Tim wasn’t eager to go out with her again if this is how she behaved. Of course, she seemed super nice around him. I’m sure if they started dating, she would have kept this side of her from him for as long as she could.