Excerpt: Dark Center of the Universe

"You used to be friends with Mia, didn't you?" The girl asked, smoothing down her black pencil skirt.

Reluctant to answer, Stella muttered, "Yeah. At one time. We were at one time."

"I thought so. Does she know you're back in town?" The girl raised one of her penciled on eye brows.

"I suppose not," Stella mumbled. She shoved her shaking hands further into her pockets.

"I'm probably going to see her this weekend. Do you want me to say hello for you? I'm sure she'd be interested to know you're back, don't you think?"

"Thanks, but its okay. No no. Thanks though."

The elevator jerked as it reached the ground floor. Stella was excited to be out of the elevator. The girl was making her anxiety about the whole situation even worse.

"You're the one that...um...The girl that had that thing with Parker James, weren't you? Am I right? That was you?" The girl seemed to be forcing back her grin. She knew more about Stella's life than Stella wanted her to.

The elevator doors opened so slowly.

"I don't know who you're talking about," Stella said, squeezing out the doors before they had fully opened. Before the girl could say anything else, Stella made her way across the lobby and out the main doors. She kept herself together as she walked down the street, away from the hotel. At the first alley she turned down, rested against the wall and tried to catch her breath. Her chest felt like it was closing up on her, no longer letting in air. She had made a big mistake coming back from Los Angeles. As much as she had thought she was, she wasn't ready to face any of it. She tossed her head back, hitting it against the brick wall. A pain shot through her skull, but she ignored it and thought hard about what to do next.

"Fuck it," she whispered to herself. Smoothing over her hair and wiping the tears that had started to brim over, she stood tall and walked out of the alley. Even after eleven thirty at night, there were still plenty of people around. She hoped and wished that she wouldn't bump into anyone else she knew before facing Mia. She wouldn't be able to take another situation like that. Especially not before the bitching of a life time she was going to receive when Mia laid eyes on her. She hoped there was some chance Mia would just be happy to see her despite how unrealistic it was.