2008 Playlist

 When Amy opened the door to the apartment Kara was still there. She was sitting on the couch with her arms folded and Continuum was playing in the background.

“Hey, what are you doing here, what happened to your date?” Amy questioned as she closed her flip phone, coming in from babysitting.

Kara threw her head back exasperated and huffed, “Good question.”

Amy dropped her Coach purse to the floor and strode over to her roommate. The second she sat down, Kara leaned on her. She sniffled a little, but Amy was sure it was allergies; Kara never cried, especially not over a date gone wrong.

Amy, the perpetual devil’s advocate, continued.

“Maybe he’s just running late? I mean, how far did he have to drive again?”

“No, he’s already in town, he’s here for that 2008 Hall of Fame Game,” Kara explained. She scrunched her face, embarrassed.

Amy knew she needed to choose her next words carefully but before she could console her best friend Kara whispered curtly, “He didn’t even have the decency to TEXT.”

Amy’s jaw dropped and she finally said, “Wait, he didn’t let you know? Rude.”

“I know!” Kara near shouted, like a character from a popular 90s show. She paused, took a breath, and admitted more quietly, “I really thought it would be different this time. I thought…never mind.” Amy squeezed her best friend’s shoulder. She deserved better.

“Well, he’s an idiot,” Amy said matter-of-factly. “You are amazing, and he doesn’t know what he’s missing.”

Kara shrugged. After another huff she slapped her knees and stood up. “Whatever. I need to study anyway, last finals next week.”

Suddenly Amy smiled up at her friend and asked, “Or?”

“Or?”

“Or we could….”

Kara smiled. “Already got ‘em.” She took her car keys from her pocket and jingled them. She smiled at her friend, and they left their apartment immediately.

Within twenty minutes the two 20-year-olds had left the cares of the world behind them, literally in the rear-view mirror. Cruising was something Kara had introduced Amy to when college began; Amy never thought of just driving aimlessly, not only because she didn’t have someone to do it with but mostly because driving made her anxious, like most things in life. Amy had also confessed to Kara early on that her parents were quite strict, so she wasn’t allowed to listen to secular music growing up. Within days of them becoming roommates in the small dorm room that magical fall of 2005, Kara had mixed Amy all the CDs she could possibly need to catch up on music she hadn’t been exposed to. Kara was also obsessed with her red Ford Escape; she was the driver in her life, and she rarely rode with anyone. It was a perfect match from the start.

Five songs in they were belting out “Irreplaceable” by Beyonce, Kara only slightly speeding in her beloved Escape, Amy sitting shotgun like always, singing dramatic and being ridiculous.

“Ooh, to the left, to the left,” the thumbs came out, arrowing to the left, and other silly dance moves. They laughed as the song ended and they pulled up to the streetlights on University Drive.

“Wait, do we have any bread?” Kara instinctively asked, ever the responsible roommate.

Since they were jamming out to music Amy thought she meant on her iPod and replied, “I think I have some Bread.”

“Do WE have bread??” Kara asked again.

“I think WE have ‘Everything I Own’.”

“Wait, WHAT?! DO WE HAVE ANY BREAD?!” Kara didn’t even wait for an answer and swerved into the parking lot of Kroger, their nearest grocery store.

Amy screamed, a usual occurrence during their drives, hands on the dash and then they both bust out laughing as Kara braked abruptly into a spot. With the car in park, this time it was Amy’s turn to fall on her best friend’s shoulder. Amy fake serenaded Kara, “You sheltered me from haarrrmmmm…” off key and shrill.

“Stop!” Kara was trying to cover her ears with one hand and push Amy away with the other. “Not Bread, bread!” But the girls couldn’t stop laughing and once they finally did wipe their eyes Kara looked at Amy and said, “Thanks. I freaking love you.”

Amy playfully hit her best friend and said, “I freaking love you, too.” That was it. That cured her. They didn’t need boys. They only needed each other, and long drives together. Thick as thieves and one funny memory after the other, but the best one: driving around the loop. Listening to their favorite music with their favorite people. Music heals and so does female friendship. She just needed the reminder.

The car beeped as they sauntered towards the store, flip flops smacking the asphault of the parking lot, loose jean threads dragging, arms linked and continuing to discuss their grocery list.

The next day Amy and her classmate Laura were at Chili's pre-celebrating being done with their first internship. They had just finished volunteering at a local children’s event to earn some extra credit for a class. It was lunch but they lifted their Dr. Peppers anyway, the clunky plastic tumblers clinking and bubbles fizzing as they said, “Cheers!” They sighed and vented about their recent classroom mishaps. “Whatever You Like” by TI was playing in the background.

After they ordered their food and she handed the waitress the menu, someone caught Amy’s eye. She looked over and squinted, and sure enough, there he was. She saw Dan. Dan, Kara’s date, who had stood her up just the night before. And lo and behold, he was in a booth on what looked like - a double date? Not only was he there with another girl who wasn’t Kara, he was there with SHEILA, who she had heard had recently broken up with her boyfriend.

“What the…” Amy trailed off.

“What’s up?” Laura asked.

“Um, I have to go do something, I’ll be right back,” Amy said quickly before thinking otherwise. She didn’t even know what she was going to say, she had no plan, she just knew this was a chance, a chance to right a wrong. She took a breath as she stood up, walked straight to his table and all four heads turned.

They all knew each other to some extent, they worked or studied in the music hall at one point in time. The second Dan’s eyes met hers they enlarged and dropped fast; he stared at his food as his face turned hot red.

“Can I talk to you for a second?” Amy said bluntly.

Still not looking at her, Dan nodded slowly and then squeezed out of the booth awkwardly, following Amy to the restrooms like a small child about to be scolded.

Amy was relatively short, only 5’2, and coincidentally so was he. But as she spilled out what came next, she felt herself towering over him.

“I don’t know why you decided to not go out with Kara yesterday, but that girl did not deserve to be waiting for any kind of news from you. You should’ve called her.”

“I –,” he began.

“No, I’m not done.” Amy had always been a reserved, polite people pleaser, so this assertive confrontation was very unlike her. Her heart was beating fast from the adrenaline of putting Dan in his place, and deep, deep down she had to admit she actually liked this feeling of power. The right words just kept flowing, unrehearsed and sharp. The more she said the smaller he appeared.

“Kara’s amazing, she deserves someone amazing. Who do you think you are? I don’t know what you’re doing here with another girl when I know for a fact you’ve been talking with Kara the last few weeks. I don’t care why you didn’t show up last night - she did NOT deserve it. You owe her a phone call.”

She finally stopped talking and he was looking at the ground, nodding his head, seemingly ashamed. She didn’t have anything else to say to him, so she let him know and then he sheepishly said, “Y-y-you’re right, ok? Thanks.” She rolled her eyes and stomped away. “Enjoy your lunch,” she said sarcastically under her breath. “Jerk.” She wasn’t sure he heard that last part, but it didn’t matter. She didn’t get any answers but that didn’t matter, either. She had stood up for her best friend and told off a boy who had hurt her. It was enough.

When Amy plopped back into the booth, satisfied, her friend looked at her with a funny, clueless expression. She hadn’t heard their conversation, but she could tell there was something going on. Amy took a long sip from her drink and then set her cup down firmly. She smiled at Laura, and said, “Don’t even worry about it.”

Less than an hour later Kara and Amy were having an extra scoop of ice-cream at Marble Slab, a tradition when they needed a pick me up after a boy had done something stupid to one of them.

Amy called Kara after lunch to explain what happened and Kara asked her to meet at the ice cream shop to talk in person. Amy had spent almost all of her babysitting money from the night before but it was worth it. When Kara asked again what was said exactly, Amy apologized because she couldn’t remember.

“I think I blacked out?” she stuck out her lip making a funny face. Kara laughed.

“I still can’t believe you did that,” Kara shook her head as she stuck her spoon in her ice cream, digging for marshmallows. “But I freaking love you for it.”

“Always?” Amy smiled.

“And forever.” Kara finished. It was their go to call and response, inspired by one of their favorite tv shows at the time.

“Well let’s see if the stupid boy calls. He obviously needs to ‘take kara business’,” Amy giggled.

“You and that joke,” Kara rolled her eyes. “Doesn’t matter. I feel sorry for anyone who crosses me or you. They don’t know what’s coming if they do.” The roommates tapped their bowls and suddenly “Apologize” by Timbaland came on. They looked at each other and then laughed so hard Amy had to run to the bathroom.

“Good friends bring joy into your life. Great friends bring music.”

-Unknown