Chapter 293
**Sara**
"Yeah, he was all 'where's Sara' and 'why isn't she answering her phone' and 'her apartment's locked.'" Jessica mimicked his voice in an unflattering whine.
"Seriously?" I dug my phone out of my purse. Three missed calls from Matt. "Ugh, I saw his calls but didn't bother answering. Why can't he take a hint?"
Emily snorted. "Maybe because his skull is thicker than this pizza crust."
"What did you tell him?" I tossed my phone aside.
"That you'd moved to Tibet to become a monk." Jessica grinned. "He didn't appreciate my creativity."
"Jess!"
"Fine, I told him you were busy living your best life without cheating scumbags." She shrugged. "He didn't appreciate that either."
"Did he say why he came by?" I grabbed another napkin, mostly to have something to fidget with.
"Something about wanting to explain and make things right." Jessica rolled her eyes. "I told him the only thing he needed to make right was his exit from our building."
"You didn't actually say that." I couldn't help but laugh.
"No, but I thought it really hard while I closed the door in his face."
Emily high-fived her. "That's my girl."
"I can't believe he's still trying." I shredded the napkin into tiny pieces. "What part of 'we're done' wasn't clear?"
Jessica leaned back, balancing her feet on the coffee table. "Maybe he was waiting for you to finish your MBA? Like, 'Oh hey, now that she's got her degree, time to swoop back in and mess with her head again.'"
"He can take his swooping and shove it." I tossed the shredded pieces aside. "I'm so over it, I can't even remember what he looks like anymore. Matt who? Don't know him."
Emily slow-clapped. "And the Oscar for Best Performance in 'Pretending Your Ex Doesn't Exist' goes to Sara Parker!"
"I'm not pretending!" I crossed my arms. "I genuinely don't care."
"Says the woman who just murdered an innocent napkin while talking about how much she doesn't care," Jessica smirked.
"That napkin had it coming." I stuck my tongue out at her. "And besides, I'm serious. I'm in a completely different place now. New job, new life-"
"New man?" Emily wiggled her eyebrows.
"That's not what I meant!" I threw a piece of crust at her. "I'm just saying, Matt's like that weird phase in middle school when I thought wearing glitter eyeshadow with everything was cool. Embarrassing to remember, but totally irrelevant now."
"Ooh, speaking of embarrassing." Jessica sat up straighter. "Remember that time Matt tried to serenade you outside the library?"
"No." I buried my face in my hands. "No, we're not doing this."
"Oh, we absolutely are." Emily clapped her hands. "What was that song again? Something about eternal love and-"
"Stop!" I threw myself across the couch, trying to cover her mouth. "That memory has been deleted. Error 404: Cringe moment not found."
Jessica dodged my flailing limbs. "For someone who doesn't remember who Matt is, you sure remember enough to be mortified."
"I hate you both." I flopped back onto the couch. "This is friendship abuse."
"No, friendship abuse would be letting you pretend you're totally fine when we all know you're still processing." Emily's voice turned serious for a moment.
"But I am fine!" I protested. "Look at me, living my best life, eating pizza, hanging out with my terrible friends who won't let me repress memories in peace."
"Uh-huh." Jessica nodded sagely.
"Can we please talk about literally anything else?"
"Fine." Emily reached for another slice. "But only because we love you and your terrible attempts at emotional deflection."
"My deflection skills are excellent, thank you very much."
"Sure they are, sweetie." Jessica patted my head. "Sure they are."
I swatted Jessica's hand away. "Stop patronizing me. And since we're changing subjects - how's the job hunt going for you two?"
"Nope!" Jessica sprawled across the couch. "We're not doing serious conversation hours. This is pizza and wine time. Sacred space."
"We don't even have wine." I pointed out.
"Details, details." She waved her hand dismissively. "The spirit of wine time remains."
Emily perked up from her corner of the couch. "Actually, I had an interview yesterday."
"And?" I leaned forward. "How'd it go?"
"It was... okay? I think?" Emily scrunched her face. "The interviewer didn't fall asleep or run screaming, so that's progress from last time."
"That's because last time you told the interviewer their company logo looked like a drunk penguin." Jessica snorted.
"It did!" Emily defended. "And I stand by that assessment. But this time, I kept my design critiques to myself."
"Look at you, growing as a person." I grinned. "So what's the verdict?"
Emily shrugged. "They said they'd get back to me next week. If I get it, I might actually cry. Do you know how long I've been living off ramen and hope?"
"Speaking of jobs..." Jessica sat up suddenly. "Sara, my beloved friend, my partner in crime, my-"
"What do you want?"
"Put in a good word for me at Westbridge?" She batted her eyelashes. "Pretty please? Think about it - we could carpool, have lunch together, judge people in the elevator..."
I rolled my eyes. "Jess, I literally just started. I don't even know where the bathroom is yet."
"But you know Lucas!" She bounced on the couch. "And he likes you. He hired you on the spot!"
"After a full interview process," I pointed out. "It's not like I walked in, and he threw a job at me."
"Details." She waved her hand. "Come on, Sara. Help a sister out. I'm desperate here."
"I can tell by your designer purse collection." Emily snorted. "So desperate."
Jessica shot her a glare. "Hey, Brad bought those-"
"Exactly my point!" Emily sat up straighter. "How many times have I told you to stop letting Brad bankroll your life? Get a job - any job! Even part-time would help cover your shopping addiction."
"It's not an addiction," Jessica mumbled. "I just have excellent taste."
"In men or handbags?" I couldn't resist.
"Both! I mean- neither- I mean..." Jessica slumped back. "Okay, fine. You're right. I need to get my shit together."
"Did you just admit we're right?" Emily pressed a hand to her chest. "Someone check if hell froze over."
"Shut up." Jessica threw a pillow at her. "I'm being serious. I'm done with this whole... whatever it is. The casual sex, the shopping sprees, all of it."
"Really?" I raised an eyebrow. "What brought this on?"
"Brad's getting weird. Clingy." She wrinkled her nose. "Started talking about 'defining the relationship' and 'meeting his parents.'"
"The horror." Emily deadpanned.
"Plus..." Jessica picked at her sleeve. "I ran into my old college roommate yesterday. She's already a junior executive at some tech firm. Meanwhile, I'm still stuck between Brad and Blake."
"Wow." I blinked. "That's surprisingly self-aware."
"I have my moments." She straightened up. "So, about that job reference..."
"Jess!"
"What? I'm showing personal growth here! That deserves a reward."
"That's not how it works." I laughed. "Give me a few months to establish myself first, okay? Then we'll talk about getting you an interview."
"Months?" She flopped face-first onto the couch. "I'll be living in a cardboard box by then."
Emily kicked her leg. "Or you could, I don't know, apply to other companies?"
"But I want to work with Sara!" Jessica's voice came out muffled against the cushions.
"And I want a million dollars and a pet unicorn." Emily grabbed her phone. "Look, I'm sending you some job listings right now. Real ones, not just 'Instagram model wanted' scams."
Jessica lifted her head. "You're mean when you're helpful."
"Someone has to be." Emily kept scrolling. "Oh, here's one - financial analyst, downtown office, decent benefits."
"Fine." Jessica sat up with a dramatic sigh. "Send them all. I'll apply tomorrow."
"Today." Emily and I said in unison.
Jessica groaned, sliding further into the couch. "You two are like those creepy twins from The Shining. Fine, I'll do it tonight."
"Like, tonight-tonight or Jessica-tonight, which actually means next week?" I poked her with my toe.
"Tonight-tonight!" She swatted at my foot. "After I finish my beauty routine. And maybe watch one episode of that new show. Oh, and I should probably organize my closet first-"
"Jessica!" Emily cut her off. "Applications. Tonight. No excuses."
"God, when did you two become such responsible adults?" Jessica pulled out her phone. "Look, I'm setting an alarm for Eleven PM. Happy?"
I peered at her screen. "Make it Nine."
"Nine-thirty?"
"Nine." Emily and I chorused again.
"Stop doing that!" Jessica threw her hands up. "Fine, nine it is. But I'm doing this under protest."
Emily beamed. "I'm so proud. Our little Jess is finally growing up."
"I told you this months ago." I crossed my legs under me on the couch. "Remember when I gave that whole speech about career planning?"
Jessica rolled her eyes. "Yes, mom. The one about 'building a foundation for your future' and 'not relying on sugar daddies.'"
"I never said sugar daddies!"
"It was implied." She stuck her tongue out. "But you were right, okay? Happy now?"
I grinned. "Say it again, but slower this time. I want to savor it."
"Shut up." Jessica threw a cushion at me. "I'm serious now. No more coasting. No more letting guys pay for everything. I'm going to be a real adult."
Emily snorted. "What brought this on? Besides running into Miss Junior Executive?"