Identity Krysis

The next thing she knew someone was handing her her iPhone and Anna was picking her up off the ground.

“Is she okay?”

“She was fine until she was with you two,” Anna threw back accusingly.

Incredibly confused, Ava insisted she was fine, but Anna hailed the first cab they saw anyway. Sliding in first she looks down at her hands, one which hurt more than the other. Scraped and barely bloody. But it bloody well hurt. “I don’t know what happened. I was trying to call you and then you were there helping me up.”

Ava couldn’t remember the last time she’d fainted like that.

Upon arriving home, she realized the damage was worse than she thought. Both knees were ripped up, a hole clean through her skinny jeans, and blood down her leg.

She showered and hissed in pain as the hot water sears over the scrapes.

—————————————————————————————————————————-

Rescanning Jessica’s email on her phone, she confirms that the Radio Station was at Main and Hastings. Ava searches. Fails. Passed by people who ignore her completely as she investigates further on the internet. She stood semi-comfortably outside the Waves at Cordova and Main, thumb-tabbing through GoogleMaps.

Co-Op Radio actually resided a block over. Ava walks.

A man passes her who smells exactly like an ex boyfriend. She’s immedately more on guard than before.

Rounding the corner to Columbia there’s a crowd of people. Some are yelling. Some are shoving each other. She snakes through and finds herself at Hastings again.

No Radio Station. Ugh. Back to the iPhone. She’s officially nervous now. Because she’s almost late. Ava despises being late. Anxiety peaks. A man takes a step closer to her. Long black hair, big glasses and a trucker hat is all she focuses on.

“Are you lost?”
“I’m looking for 360 Columbia.”
“This is the 300 block.”
“It’s the radio station.”

“Oh! That’s right over here.” He leads her to where the group of people had been fighting. A man sat with his head in his hands right in front of the door with a frosted radio tower.

“See? There it is.”
“Thank you so much,” Ava replies, meeting his eyes. She moves to press the call button.

The man still sits with his head in his hands. His foot was shaking slightly.

Ava listens as the dial-tone sounds, shifting her weight from foot to foot and glancing, concerned, down at the man.

No one answers.

She can see the other co-host inside, Alicia, and Ava waves through the glass. Nope. Nothing.

A woman comes along, a high ponytail and very worn nike runners on her feet. She kneels down beside the man and he looks up at her, “Come’on Brad. We’re around the corner.”

They leave as Ava returns back to the iPhone. Ava finds Jessica’s phone number and finally secures herself inside the station.

Each of them claimed it was their first time in some way. First time teching, first time hosting, first time… on the radio. Strangely, Ava wasn’t that nervous. Despite the fact for the past two weeks, anytime she’d received an email from Jessica she felt like she was going to die.

They discussed the sequence and before she knew it they were sitting down before their microphones and the red light was on.

Questions.
Thoughts.
Answers.
Laughter.
Stories.
Music.
Giggling.
Questions.
Blogging.
Writing.
Stories.
Closing.

Done.

Hastings has a different feel after being on the Radio. All three girls stuck to their phones. Talking to friends, family and men.

“We’re going to Barney’s for a celebratory drink! You there?”
“No.”
“No! Damn. I was hoping you would be. Guess you don’t want to come by on your night off… Do you?”
“Well…”
“You should come by.” She pauses, “I’d like to see you.”
“I’ll see you there.”
Ava smiles, “Good! See you soon.”

The four of them chat. Small world as he’s got a Commercial gig for the company Alicia works for.

Ava sips her beer, listening mostly as all three are vastly entertaining. Her foot rests on the bottom rung of the stool he sits on. His leg bumps against hers by accident and he touches her knee, her scraped knee, Ava inwardly cringes in pain but also inwardly smiles, delighted.

Soon enough his hand remains on her knee and hers on his. A small squeeze now and then, as if saying: ‘Just reminding you that I have my hand here. It’s nice, isn’t it? I know, I think so too.’

Gentleman that he is, he gives Jessica a ride home. He watches to make sure she gets in safe and turns the corner only to pull up to the curb.

“I just want to do this,” he says before leaning for a kiss.
“Oh!” Was all Ava got out before she kisses him back.

Drive on.

Ava leans back and smiles. Contented she lets her hand linger on his leg.

“I thought about you today.”
“Oh yea? What were you thinking?” Ava perks up, grinning at him.
He doesn’t answer but half smiles, giving her a look that seemed to say, ‘What did I open myself up to?’

Arriving outside her home, late, he kisses her again.
And again.
And… “Can I meet your cat?”
Ava leans against the headrest, a hand stroking up and down his arm, “Sorry. I’m exhausted and I have to be up early tomorrow.”
“You’re just afraid he’ll like me too much.”
“That’s exactly it.”

An attractive, talented, hilarious man, who drives her home and… likes cats.

Impossible.

But then, so much had felt impossible as of late.
…and then she was proven otherwise.