After forty-five minutes of trying on outfits in front of the mirror, I settle on a long-sleeved, low-cut black shirt, a pair of Kelly’s Diesel dark jeans, and high black shoes. I don’t want to be reminded of Kelly in any way, and was tempted to throw out and/or burn all her belongings (a.k.a. Pull A Simone), but Grant pointed out that a) if she tried to get them back and I’d destroyed them she could take me on Judge Judy, setting me up for more ridicule in front of a national television audience, and b) if she doesn’t demand all her clothes back, the way to really get back at her would be to keep all the stuff, since it’s worth a ton of money and makes me look hot. That way, at least I got something out of the friendship.

I spritz some perfume behind my wrists, loop a silver chain belt around my waist, and head outside to catch the bus. Yeah, I’m taking the bus. I figure it’s way cheaper than a cab, and besides, Corey and I will probably end up taking a cab back from the airport. I would have liked to have been able to ask someone for a ride, but the only person I know who has a car here is Kelly. So, you know, not an option.

The bus turns out to be a horrible mistake. I figured there was a chance they wouldn’t let Frank on with the handheld, which was my secret wish. But when the bus comes (after I’ve waited in the cold for fifteen minutes), the driver hardly gives Frank a second glance. She asks him for his dollar-fifty, and then ignores us.

No one else on the bus shares her view. They point and whisper, especially the teenagers who know who I am. This is a city bus, not a college bus, so the people aren’t used to seeing me. I revert back to being A Spectacle.

By the time we get to the airport, I want to kill someone. Frank’s not allowed in the airport, since they’ve been super security tight after September 11th, and I gladly leave him outside. I check the board to see which gate Corey’s flight is arriving at, and head over there, trying to calm the butterflies in my stomach.

I’m a few minutes early, and I sit in one of the hard plastic chairs, savoring the moment with no cameras and wondering what I should be doing when Corey comes out of the gate. Should I be standing, looking around excitedly, or lounging in the chair, like I’m cool?