Laura quickly realized the subjects of the conversation had changed from Crystal's friends to her parents. She opened her mouth to speak but found herself unsure of what to say. Finally she said the only thing that came to mind. "I wish she had."

There was a long silence before Crystal spoke. "I wish she had too."

Without thought Laura reached over and rubbed her roommate's shoulder. "I know."

"She used to drink a lot, you know." Crystal continued to look out the window. "She'd get mad for no reason. All the time." Feeling the shrug, Laura removed her hand, letting it rest on the gearshift between the seats. "He'd rag on her in the morning before he'd go to work and she'd take it out on us when we got home from school." Crystal shook her head. "But we didn't do anything wrong." She let her head fall back against the headrest. "You ever get punished for something you didn't do?"

"A few times," Laura admitted.

"It sucks." Leaning forward, Crystal fumbled with the opening of the glove compartment.

"What are you looking for?"

"I just want one hit." The compartment open, she pulled out a film canister and a small blue metal pot pipe.

"Uh, no, not while I'm in the car. I think you've had enough anyway. You can barely keep your eyes open." Activity on the road ahead of her drew Laura's attention away from what was going on in the passenger seat. Jenny had apparently become annoyed with the car ahead of her and was now pushing the Jeep faster then Laura ever had. "Jen, what are you doing?" she said, pressing down on the gas pedal. An acrid smell filled the car. "Crystal!"

The pipe and canister filled with pot were thrown back into the glove compartment. "I said just one," the blonde said impishly. "That's it." Using her left hand to roll down the window, Laura steered with her right, slowing the Omni down and pulling over to the shoulder of the road.

"Wha

?"

Laura ignored her and shut the car off. She reached over with the keys and locked the glove compartment. "I said not with me in the car," she admonished. "You know how much trouble I would be in if a cop pulled us over and smelled that?" Forcing the key back into the ignition, Laura continued her rant. "If you want to ruin your life with drugs, that's your choice. I can't control what you do but you have no right to take a chance with mine. It's bad enough you bring it into the house." Turning the engine on, she glanced in the rear view mirror before pulling back out onto the highway. "Damn it, Crystal, don't you ever stop and think?" Not hearing a reply, she thought perhaps the stoned woman had fallen asleep. Just as well. I don't want to fight with her tonight, she thought to herself. Looking at the road, she noted the Jeep was nowhere in sight. You'd better not get a speeding ticket, Jen. Confident the smell of marijuana was gone, Laura rolled the window up.

"Sorry," Crystal said in a small voice. "Are you mad at me?"

"Why don't you just sit back and relax until we get home, okay?"

"I don't want you to be mad at me."

"I'm not mad. Annoyed maybe, but not mad," Laura said, pressing up on the signal indicator when she saw the sign for the upcoming exit.

Crystal unbuckled her seat belt and was turning sideways in the seat when the Omni turned onto the exit ramp. Too stoned to control her balance, she pitched toward the left, her head bumping against Laura's shoulder. "Ow."

"What are you doing? Get your seat belt on." She reached over and rubbed her shoulder. "And what are you saying 'Ow' for? You've got a hard head there, Sheridan."

"Laura?"

The pot made the blonde's eyes nothing more than little slits and those little slits were having a hard time keeping focused. Laura waiting patiently for Crystal to continue but the stoned woman apparently forgot what she was going to say. "Yes?" Laura prompted.

"What?"

"You were going to ask me a question. What was the question?"

"What question?"

"Forget it, you're too wasted to know what you're saying." Reaching over, Laura grasped the seat belt. "This time leave it on, okay?" "Okay

Laura?"

"What?"

"I don't want you to be mad at me."

"Crystal, I'm not mad at you." Oh please don't start this again. "Look, let's just go home now. Jenny's going to wonder what happened to us." Laura started the car. "We can talk about it in the morning." She put the car in gear and edged the car onto the street. She drove along in silence for several blocks before Crystal spoke again.

"Promise you aren't mad at me?"

I'm going to be mad if you don't stop it. "No hon, I'm not mad at you." She reached over and squeezed Crystal's shoulder. "We're friends, right?" She had hoped her words would make the stoned woman smile but to Laura's dismay she saw tears. "Hey, what's wrong?"

Crystal shook her head vigorously and rubbed her face with her hands. "Nothing," she croaked, taking a haggard breath. "It's just " She shook her head again. "I dunno."

Laura knew she was holding back but let it pass for the moment, concentrating on guiding the unfamiliar car through the winding side streets and into the main entrance to their complex. As expected, her Jeep was parked in the appropriate space, several lights shining through the curtained windows of the townhouse. Can tell Jenny's here, she thought as she pulled the Omni into its parking space. Removing the keys from the ignition, she reached over and put her hand on Crystal's arm. "Wait, before we go in

I want to know what's got you so upset."

"I dunno." Crystal jerked the handle, forcing the door to open. "Laura, please," she said when the firm hand maintained its hold on her arm. "I can't."

Laura swore she heard a crack in her roommate's voice. Letting go, she watched Crystal step out of the car. The marijuana had done a good job of decimating the blonde's sense of balance, causing her to fall onto the pavement. She tried to get to her feet only to fall twice more before Laura got to her side. "Here, put your arm around my shoulders. I'll help you inside."

"No, just leave me. I'll make it in there eventually."

Laura grabbed Crystal's hand and put it where she wanted. "I don't think so, roomie. What would the neighbors think?" With a grunt she rose to her feet, pulling Crystal up with her. To her relief, Jenny must have heard the car pull up. "Want to give me a hand with her?" "Where did you go?" Jenny asked as she made her way down the walk to the parking area. "I looked in the rear view and you were gone." "I had to pull over a couple of times," Laura said. "Crystal, Jenny's here. We're going to take you inside now, okay?" She nodded at her ex-lover. "Grab the other side. She's too stoned to walk."

"How was the ride home?"

"Eventful. She wouldn't shut up. For someone who never says anything, she sure had enough to say tonight. Must have asked me fifty times if I was mad at her."

"You said you weren't," Crystal pouted, her eyes fixed on her feet in an attempt to move in them in the same direction without stepping on Laura or Jenny's toes. "You said so."

"Yes I did. I'm not mad with you." She looked over at Jenny. "See what I had to put up with?"

"Sounds like a handful."

"Just a bit. Watch it, Crystal. We're at the steps now."

"I can walk by myself," the blonde protested, weakly trying to pull her arms off the other women's shoulders.

"Just the same I think it's a goodi.e.for us to help you," Jenny said.

"Oh, hi Doc," Crystal practically hollered. "How the hell are you tonight?"

"Apparently not as well are you're doing. Laur, hold on to her while I get the door."

"She likes me," the stoned woman continued. "I wasn't really sure but yeah. Did you know that?"

"Know what?" Jenny asked, not following the rambling talk.

"Laura likes me," Crystal said proudly, swaying on her rubbery legs. "She told me we're friends."

"Yes I did, now let's get you inside, okay?" Laura asked, guiding her wobbly charge through the front door.

"Okay," Crystal agreed good-naturedly, bumping into the doorjamb, then into Jenny before finally getting finally stumbling through the threshold and into the living room.

Once inside, Crystal managed to stumble her way to the recliner. Laura hung the keys to the Omni on the appropriate hook, frowning when she saw her own keys lying on the counter. "Think we can get her upstairs?" she asked, picking up her keys and hanging them on the hook.

"I can make it myself," the groggy blonde said, pushing herself to her feet only to sit right back down. "Maybe not." Her hands fumbled at her shirt. "No smoking in the living room, remember?" Laura reminded her.

"Hey Doc, did I tell you I got the job with Michael?" Crystal stopped searching for her cigarettes and flung a leg over the arm of the recliner. "No you didn't tell me." Jenny said as she settled herself on the couch. "When do you start?"

"I did already. I worked this afternoon."

"Really?"

"Yeah, I went over and saw him after I left your office."

Laura's eyes widened. "Your office?"

"Um" Jenny looked from her ex-lover to Crystal and back again. "You have to ask her," she said.

"Crystal?"

"Doc said I could." She rubbed her face and yawned. "Oh man, I'm tired."

"Or something," Laura said. "Let's get you upstairs. Jen, you want to help?"

Together they helped Crystal upstairs. Once inside her room, the blonde clumsily broke free of the helping hands and flopped onto the bed. "Jen, go down and make some tea," Laura said. "I'll be there in a minute."

"Perhaps I should go home" Jenny began.

"Don't even think about it," Laura warned. "We need to talk." She waited until her ex-lover left the room before sitting down on the bed next to the sprawled out form. "You still awake?"

"Hm?" The soft pillow quickly drained any energy Crystal had left.

"You have to get your boots off. Do you want me to help?"

"Hm? Naw, s'okay." Crystal's eyes remained closed.

"I'll get them," Laura said, moving down and pulling one booted foot onto her lap. "You know I meant it when I said I wasn't mad at you," she said, tugging the brown lace free. "Even if I was, I wouldn't do anything to hurt you." Using her fingers, she loosened the laces from the eyelets and hooks, allowing the boot to come free. "When I was about thirteen or so, Dad was stationed at Fort Bragg." She peeled the white sock off Crystal's foot. "We were there about a month or so when Captain Brewster was transferred there. He had a daughter my age. Let me have your other foot." Receiving no assistance, Laura reached over and pulled Crystal's other leg over. "Anyway," she continued. "Candice used to always have bruises on her arms and face. At first I believed her when she said it was from accidents on her bike." The other boot and sock removed, Laura found herself with Crystal's bare feet on her lap. Without thought she began massaging them. "After I figured out the truth, I couldn't stand seeing her father." Her grip increased as the old anger surfaced. "I hated him for what he did to her. I couldn't understand why anyone would want to hurt someone else like that." Deciding Crystal had fallen asleep, Laura continued to let her hands gently run over the blonde's feet. "Why did you get upset tonight when I said we were friends?" Her left thumb moved back and forth in a lazy arc over Crystal's arch. "Sure you can be a pain in the ass sometimes and that clear shower curtain is driving me nuts but still" Realizing what her hands were doing, Laura gently placed Crystal's feet on the bed and stood up. "I don't think we need little bits of tobacco between the sheets," she said, reaching over and pulling the half empty pack out of the shirt pocket. Reaching for the coverlet, she pulled it up over the sleeping woman. As she tucked it around Crystal's shoulders, she leaned in close and whispered "I wish you didn't abuse yourself like this. There's a beautiful woman hidden behind the tough attitude and the drugs, I know there is." Laura stood up and reached for the lamp. "Sweet dreams."

Chapter Seventh

She found Jenny sitting at the table, flipping through the newspaper. "Didn't you read it already?"

"I was running late this morning and only had time to check on how the Mets were doing. Your tea is steeping in the brown mug." The wind from the open window on the ride back from picking Crystal up had blown Jenny's hair from its usual wedge shape into a puffed and disheveled mass of brown. Laura reached into her back pocket and pulled out a comb.

"Here, you look like a groundhog who stuck his paw in a light socket." She walked over to the counter and reached for her mug. "So when were you going to tell me that you were seeing Crystal?" She pulled the teabag out of the water and threw it in the trash. "You could have said something earlier."