Lasting Impression 3
Lance stepped out the brick building and into the light of late afternoon of New York's sun. He took his cell phone out of his pants pocket pressing the power button and checked the dial tone before dialing the phone number. He waited patiently for the call to be placed as the line picked up.
"You have reached Joey's Dating Service, how may I direct your call?" Lance shook his head at his friend's flirtatious ways.
"Joe, its Lance. I'm going to be in Irvington longer than I expected," he said still holding the black book.
"You met a girl, didn't you?" Joey was too blunt for his own good.
"I'll see you later," he said avoiding the comment while watching the cars pass by.
"Go get 'em, tiger! Later."
He disconnected the phone call, now where's 150 East Side Lane?
The red light of the dark room illuminated the black and white images as Jayla swirled the clear liquid over the photo paper. She removed the photo of her brother and sister from the tray and hung it up to dry as someone knocked on the door.
She opened the door as a girl flew past her with a look that could kill. 'This could get interesting,' Jayla thought as the young girl flung her purse on the cream colored couch and began to pace the length of the studio apartment. I was never "relationship" type of person; let alone being in one. I think I had a "boyfriend" when I was about five but what do kids' know? So many times, I see my friends' fall over themselves to impress a guy and then they end up crying over it. That doesn't sound like something I want to be involved in. These are things that I tell Shawn not to do. I want my little brother to be one of the few good guys that girls won't shed a tear over.
*****
"Well, it's nice to see you too, Dev. Trouble in paradise, I assume?" She asked still standing at the open doorway before closing it. Devan McBride was her childhood friend with all the qualities of a sister to her. She had a carefree spirit and a great personality; Jayla always knew if she had a problem that she would give her "real deal" of course it didn't work both ways. "I'm sorry, Jay. I didn't mean to burst in here like a deranged mad woman even though I just did. You're right about the trouble part, it's Nick."
Devan responded twisting a strand of her light brown hair around her finger. She did that when she was nervous and couldn't find the words."Oh yes, the infamous Nick Anderson. I may not know that much about guys but when I see a jerk then he is one. You don't deserve what he does to you and if you don't dump him, I'll do it for you." Nick was Devan's boyfriend or so she liked to call him. He was either cheating on her or constantly hanging with his frat buddies. TLC's "No Scrubs" should be his theme song.
"Maybe so but I love him even though I shouldn't. I know it sounds stupid but when I'm with him that's all I ever feel." Her green eyes had a glassy look to them whenever she talked about him. Jayla rolled her eyes at the absurdity of this relationship.
"Dev, how blind are you? It doesn't take brain surgery to understand that Nick is scum. Break up with him if not for me then for you. This is not healthy for you to be upset all the time and I can't help you mend your broken heart all the time when he is the root of the problem," She told her friend with firm yet sincere advice. One way or another Devan was going to have to do this for her. Nick was longer going to be apart of her life.
"Okay, okay. Nick is not the most perfect guy but I really like him. I will take your advice into consideration so thank you for looking out for me but I gotta go." They enveloped each other in a hug and grabbed her purse before Devan walking out the door. Her life was like a soap opera waiting to happen but how much would life be boring if it wasn't?
Jayla needed some down time to process her thoughts and just chill out. She put on a white knit turtleneck and piled the curls on top of her head. A photography book grabbed her eye and decided to pick it up and read. She grabbed various candles and placed them around the tables around the couch just as the sun was beginning to set.
A warm glow and peach scent was a nice atmosphere for her, simplistic and homey. Her small body curled into a ball on the couch as she flipped the pages of the book. She loved looking at photography books. Looking at different pictures gave her ideas to improve on her own and to capture hidden emotions of things. A knock on the door broke her thoughts; she wasn't expecting anyone tonight. She closed the book and walked towards the door.
