The Marriage Contract

by Kim Hartfield

  Still behind me, Leah murmured into my ear, “I can tell you’re a teacher.”

  I jumped at the feel of her warm breath on my skin. “I am a teacher.”

  The bus jerked into motion, and Leah raised her shoulders in a shrug. “I can see it now, though.” She glanced around the bus, and her eyes went wide. “This bus has a stripper pole. Seriously, Poppy? You got a bus with a stripper pole?”

  “It came with the bus,” I said. “Hopefully someone’ll give it a twirl once they’ve got a few drinks in them.”

  I led Leah – and Neeta – forward. Someone had hooked up the Bluetooth speakers to a Spotify playlist, and hip-hop music blared through the bus. I grabbed Leah as we bumped over a pothole. Oddly, Neeta smiled, showing no signs of jealousy. She must’ve been comfortable knowing we were such old friends.

  I introduced Leah to a few people, since she didn’t know many of them. My high school friends, Julie and Amanda, wore strange expressions when they saw her. I wondered if they still hadn’t grown out of their ridiculous snobbery, or if they were just uncomfortable seeing someone they’d never gotten along with. They’d never bullied her, but they’d certainly had some not-so-nice things to say behind her back.

  Brushing by them, I brought Leah and Neeta over to Mary. She was always warm and friendly – sometimes I thought she would’ve been better off teaching kindergarten than fifth grade. “This is the guest of honor,” I said. “She came all the way from San Francisco for this party.”

  Mary’s date’s jaw dropped. “San Francisco, as in… PupTech? Leah Perry? I think I just saw you on the news!”

  “Oh, yes, I was on the local news a few weeks ago.” Leah spoke casually, as if being recognized like a celebrity happened every day.

  “No,” Lloyd said, “I mean CNN.”

  Wow, Leah had been on CNN? If I’d thought any part of this night was going to impress her, I was clearly wrong. A school bus with a stripper pole, impress someone who’d been on national TV? I doubted it.

  Excusing myself, I went to the back to get a drink. A college friend had apparently elected herself as bartender, the cases of beer and boxed wine packed in on either side of her. “What would you like, birthday girl?”

  “To be twenty-five again,” I laughed. “I’ll take a Heineken, though.”

  “Two dollars, please.” She held a frosty bottle just out of my reach.

  I raised an eyebrow at her.

  “All right, for you, I’ll let it go for a kiss on the cheek.”

  I bent down to brush my lips over her cheek, and she handed me the beer. “Don’t tell anyone I gave you special treatment,” she said.

  With the music blasting and people chatting, the party was off to a good start. I mingled for a few minutes, then hit the dance floor to try to get things happening. I glanced over at Leah every once in a while, making sure she was having a good time. I talked to everyone, but I went back to her more often than anyone else.

  The bus made a wide turn into a parking lot, and people shrieked playfully as they tried to keep their balance. The driver stood up and opened the door. “First stop,” he said. “Twenty minutes.”

  Six – Leah

  “She seems like a nice girl,” Neeta said, watching Poppy stand on the bar taking shots.

  “She’s the nicest.” I tightened my fingers around my glass of water – after a few beers on the bus, I wanted to rehydrate a little. I also didn’t see the point of buying drinks when there were free ones on the bus, but that didn’t seem to be stopping the others.

  “You’ve got it bad,” Neeta said. “I mean, I can see why, but…”

  I snapped around to glare at her. “Don’t get any ideas. I did not bring you here so you could hit on her.”

  “Whoa, whoa.” She held up her hands. “I’m here to make her jealous, and that’s where my role ends.”

  “Hmph.” I sipped my water. “It’s not about making her jealous. I just didn’t want to come alone.”

  “Sure, keep telling yourself that.”

  Poppy breezed over to us, wrapping her arms around both of us with a glazed look in her eyes. “Birthday girl number two! You both need to take some shots!”

  “I think you might need to take it slow,” I said, suppressing a laugh.

  “Take it slow?” She swayed on her feet. “You’re getting boring, Leah. Old and boring. You never told me to slow down back in high school.”

  “And I’m sure your hangovers are a lot worse than they were back in high school.” I rolled my eyes at her. “Anyway, we still have, what, five more bars left to go to?”

  “Oh, shit.” She blinked as if clearing her vision. “We need to get back on the bus! Hey, everyone!” She waved people toward the door, and when no one responded, she ran around behind them, herding them like cattle.

  “That’s Poppy for you,” I said.

  Music blasted and people started dancing before the bus even got out of the parking lot. One of Poppy’s friends I’d known vaguely in high school spun around the stripper pole while another girl tossed bottles of beer to everyone in sight.

  I caught one, but didn’t open it. “I think we must be the most sober ones here,” I murmured to Neeta.

  “Speak for yourself.” She grabbed the bottle and twisted it open. “So, if Poppy’s off-limits, do you think I could chat up one of those chicks?” She pointed the bottle’s neck toward a few women I didn’t recognize.

  “Sure, why not?” I asked. “Other than that you’re not into casual sex and you’ll never see them again.”

  “You never know. If you end up dating Poppy, we can fly back and forth together.” She covered her mouth playfully. “I mean ‘staying friends’ with Poppy, since that’s clearly all you want from her.”

  “It is.”

  “Uh-huh, you haven’t been in love with her for approximately fifteen years, and you definitely don’t want to ride off into the sunset with her.”

  “Be quiet.”

  The bus jerked to a stop, and I waited for everyone else to file out before getting off. Neeta went ahead of me, scampering up to the women she’d been eyeing. Silently, I wished her luck. Hopefully at least one of us could get what we wanted tonight.

  This bar was bigger and brighter, not that I particularly cared anymore. I’d only come for Poppy’s sake, and here she was surrounded by crowds of people. She didn’t need me here. She never had needed me the way I needed her.

  She caught me staring and gestured at me to join them. Trying not to grimace, I edged into the circle beside Mary and Lloyd. I was pretty sure we’d already exhausted our potential conversation topics – there wasn’t much to say after “yes, I’m the one you saw on TV” – but still, they looked friendlier than the girls who’d hated me in high school.

  “Leah, you have to stop being so antisocial,” Poppy said way too loudly. “You’re not a teenager anymore.”

  My jaw clenched. She’d always had this thing about how people would like me if I just smiled and was friendly. She refused to admit her popular friends just didn’t like me and it had nothing to do with my behavior.

  “Take a shot,” one of her friends said, returning from the bar and pressing a glass into her hands.

  Without even asking what it was, Poppy threw a glare at me and threw it back. Her expression barely showed any distaste, which made me think she was already wasted. When we were teens, she couldn’t even drink a cooler without wincing.

  Passing the glass back to her friend, she grabbed my arm and weaved us through the crowd, finding a quiet corner to talk. “You have to stop being such a downer!” she said, still talking much louder than usual.

  “I’m not trying to be. I just don’t know many people here.”

  “That’s why I introduced you to people!” She clutched my arm, her hands clammy – and yet still somehow warm. “You know you’re, like, the only person here who hasn’t tried to buy me a drink?”

  “Poppy, you have cases and cases of beer on the bus.” I sighed. “But i
f you want me to buy you a shot, I’m happy to.”

  “I don’t want a shot! I just want you to want to buy me one.”

  Sure, and I wanted her to want me, but that wasn’t going to happen. “I’d be happy to buy you one,” I said, and she perked up. “But you’ve had more than enough.” Her face fell.

  “I’m not drunk,” she said, crossing her arms. “And even if I am, I’m fucking thirty!”

  Someone cheered, and then more people cheered, and then a guy was lifting Poppy onto his shoulders and piggy-backing her around the bar. I pursed my lips, feeling like the world’s biggest wet blanket. She was clearly having an amazing time, and despite wanting her to have fun, all I seemed to be able to do was kill the mood.

  Promising myself I’d be more cheerful at the next bar, I headed back to the bus. I was the first one back, and I welcomed the chance to sit alone for a few minutes. I grabbed a beer from the back and chugged half of it in one go, hoping it’d lift my spirits. A dull ache set in behind my temples instead.

  Why had I even bothered to come here? Standing around awkwardly while Poppy tried vainly to include me was the best-case scenario. I was just lucky she hadn’t started dating anyone. I could just picture her obliviously rubbing a new boyfriend – or girlfriend – in my face, because of course I was like a sister to her.

  I was staring out of the window angrily when Neeta climbed back onto the bus. “No luck flirting up those girls?” I asked.

  “Nah, they’re all straight. Nice people, though. You should talk to them.”

  “Sure, maybe.” I didn’t feel like talking to people I already knew, never mind strangers. In fact, with my mood getting progressively worse, I wondered why I was even still here at all. “I might just go, actually. Do you mind if I get an Uber back?”

  She put her arms around me, her face pressed into my hair. “It’s that bad, huh?”

  My body stiffened at first, but then I relaxed into her familiar embrace. “I just…”

  Footsteps creaked on the bus steps, and we jumped apart. Guilt spiked through me for no reason – and that was before I saw Poppy.

  She paused at the head of the bus, her face inscrutable as she blinked at us. “I didn’t realize I was interrupting something.”

  “No, it’s fine.” My cheeks were hot.

  She had the whole crowd behind her, all forty-something people – maybe more, because I had the impression we were picking up a few random good-time-seekers at each bar.

  “Sorry, guys, we need to give them a minute!” she yelled at the top of her lungs. “Leah and her girlfriend are just hooking up, so we’re going to give them a little space and time! To have sex!”

  I jumped up, my face burning hot now. Dragging Neeta behind me, I brushed by Poppy. “I’m sorry, we have to leave.” I gave her a quick hug, barely more than a squeeze. “I hope the rest of your party is amazing.”

  “Oh, you two are going to your hotel? To fuck?”

  God, why was her voice so loud? “I’ll see you later, Poppy.” I was already ordering the Uber.

  Seven – Poppy

  My head throbbed with every beat of my heart. Oof, oof, oof… every pulse felt more painful, and opening my eyes was even worse. The daylight spilled through my eyelids as I blinked rapidly, and the gentle rays turned to stabbing spears as soon as they met my pupils.

  Groaning in misery, I flung an arm over my face. Along the way, my arm rubbed against something unfamiliar and leathery. I squeezed my eyes open again, this time examining my surroundings. This small, hard surface I was on definitely wasn’t my bed, and the crick in my neck proved it. Apparently I’d passed out on the bus.

  I sat up slowly so as not to make my head hurt worse. A few other people were still here, spread out over the seats, with one couple on a blanket where we’d had the dance floor. My throat was parched, and I looked around for water, but the only drinks I saw were empty beer bottles.

  Last night had been a rager. I hadn’t partied like that in ages. Well, I’d never had a party bus packed full of people celebrating my birthday. What would my fourth-graders think of me now?

  Bits and pieces of the night came back to me. Waiting for Leah, her showing up with her girlfriend – a jab went through my heart, making me wonder why I cared. Good for her, for finding someone who made her happy. I must’ve just felt strange because I hadn’t even known about the girlfriend… but clearly we weren’t BFFs anymore, so what was the big deal?

  I remembered people buying me shots – first one friend, then another. I usually kept count of how many drinks I had, but this time I’d lost track early in the night. I’d mixed so many alcohols, it was a wonder I hadn’t gotten sick.

  A gust of nausea coasted through my abdomen, and I doubled over. I wasn’t going to puke. If I’d kept the liquor down last night, I could keep it down now.

  More memories returned to me. Talking, dancing, flirting… I’d sat on a straight friend’s lap and promised I’d blow her mind. I cringed – and then I remembered what I’d said to Leah.

  God. She’d flown in just for this party, coming all the way to Wyoming when it was her own birthday too, and I’d acted like a five-year-old when I caught her and Neeta in a private moment. Why had I even reacted like that? I couldn’t recall the rationale behind my actions. Probably because there was none.

  Tiptoeing off the bus, I looked at my phone. It was past one in the afternoon, and the bus needed to be returned. What’d happened to the driver? Had we gotten him drunk, too? God, I didn’t even know what town we were in.

  And yet somehow the most urgent matter was calling Leah, because her flight left at eight. I couldn’t let her leave without seeing her again. Her last impression of me would be a drunk, obnoxious mess – and that’d be her last impression forever, because she’d certainly have no reason to come out here and see me again.

  When she picked up, she agreed to meet for coffee – even if she sounded reluctant about it.

  “Let’s meet at three,” I said, and looked at the pitiful souls on the bus in front of me. “There’s just a few things I need to sort out first.”

  *

  “Where’s your girlfriend?” I asked at the dot of three.

  Leah set her coffee on the table before sitting in the armchair across from me. The airport Starbucks wasn’t too busy, so I’d been able to get us a pair of comfy chairs. “Neeta is still at the AirBNB,” she said slowly. “She wanted to rest up a little longer. And we’re actually just friends.”

  “Oh.” Realizing I was staring at her, I quickly looked away. “I thought…”

  “Yeah, I know it’s a little weird to bring a platonic friend on a trip like this, but she was curious about my hometown, and since I’m not the most extroverted person, I figured it’d be nice to have her at the party, so we killed two birds with one stone.”

  “But you two…”

  She looked embarrassed. “We did date briefly, years ago. We’re close.”

  The strange emotion in me that’d almost disappeared flashed through me again. Was that jealousy? I cleared my throat. “Well, it was great to meet her. She seems nice.”

  “She is.”

  We went silent, and not a comfortable silence, but an awkward one. I’d run out of things to say – something that’d never happened with Leah before.

  “I’m sorry if you didn’t have a good time here,” I said softly. “I know you flew in just for this, and then I turned into a drunk mess and didn’t even spend any time with you.”

  “No, Poppy, don’t say that.” She looked legitimately concerned. “You were having a good time -it was your birthday! I’m the one who should apologize for being a wet blanket.” She paused, then snickered. “Although the part about me and Neeta hooking up on the bus was a little over-the-top.”

  “Fair enough.” I laughed. “So you’re glad you came?”

  “For sure. It’s been great to see you, and managing to go a few hours without thinking about SpotBot was a nice bonus.”

  �
�How is that little guy?”

  “He’s all right.” She rolled her eyes. “I spent half the morning working on code updates and responding to media inquiries. I try to delegate, but I can’t shake the feeling of needing to do everything myself.”

  “Damn.” She sounded so official, and here I was – my most urgent work-related concern what kind of craft fourth-graders could do without destroying the classroom. “They never give you a rest, do they?”

  “It’s been a busy time.”

  And yet she’d made the effort to come out here for me. “I appreciate you being here.”

  She sipped her coffee, tucking back a strand of brown hair. “It was interesting to meet your friends. And to see the ones I used to know.”

  “You caught up with Julie and everybody?”

  “No.” She snorted. “I didn’t have to talk to them to see they’re the same as always.”

  I fidgeted in my armchair. “Twelve years have gone by, and you couldn’t even say ‘hi, how are you’?”

  “They didn’t talk to me, either. Just stared and whispered to each other.”

  “They’re my friends for a reason, you know. They’re good people, even if you never happened to click with them.” Leah’s face was hardening, so I decided to let it go. “It doesn’t matter.”

  “I thought I might see your parents, actually. I was a little disappointed they didn’t come.”

  “Yeah, they weren’t invited. Can you imagine how different that party would’ve been if they were there?”

  “Oh, please. Your parents are cool.”

  I shrugged. Her mom was nice, too, although I’d never been as close to her. Either way, I couldn’t imagine either of our parents coming to something like that party. “They were talking about how they missed you, too,” I said. “That means you’ll have to come back another time to see them.”

  “You’d really want me to come back?” She looked into my eyes curiously.