Page 9 of Jackpot Joker

Jasmine

That's definitely an ethical violation.

Skyla

Lame [sends GIF of Adam Sandler giving a thumbs down]

Anna

How else are you going to meet people if you don’t do anything but work?

Jasmine

Do you really think you’re one to give me dating advice, Mrs. I-Don’t-Know-My-Husband’s-Last-Name?

The messages cease after that comment, and I toss my phone on my bed, frustrated by my low blow to my sensitive friend. I can’t stand the way Anna and Skyla push the love bullshit. Penny seems to be my only ally in that department since she’s been strongly oppositional toward the male species for years now.

I throw myself onto the bed, face down, immediately regretting it. While the provided furniture is functional, it’s not particularly to my taste with its overly floral design. Also, I have the mattress from hell. The sooner I can find a reputable mattress retailer and get a new one, the better. My phone begins to buzz, and I groan as Penny’s name dances across it.

“Hello?” I grunt.

“That was pretty fucking rude.”

I groan, “I know. I didn’t mean it.”

I mean, I kind of did. She seriously marries a random man she met on a plane, then refuses to speak to him after he tries to apologize for being gone the next morning? What advice could Anna possibly give me?

“You need to tell her that.”

“Fine.”

“Now,” Penny demands.

“Fine!” I say again, only this time I shout it and hang up. I don’t exactly care for being told what to do.

I find Anna’s name under my favorites and hit “call.” My stomach flips as I consider that maybe this time I lashed out too hard and she won’t accept my apology. These women are everything to me. Sure, I still have my parents and my moronic brother, but they don’t understand me like my girls do.

“Hello?” Anna’s sweet, twangy voice answers.

“Hey, Anna. Listen, I’m so sorry for what I said. It wasn’t okay.”

She sniffles, and I curse myself for making my best friend cry. “Maybe not, but it was true.”

I sigh, hurting for my friend. “Anna, you may not have known his last name, but you knew how he treated you. You knew how you felt about him.”

“I know I’m a poor judge of character.”

“Which I’m so grateful for,” I tease. “Who else is going to put up with me?”

She laughs, and it eases the tension somewhat. “I love you, Jaz, and I know some strong man is going to find you one day and love you, too.”

“I don’t need a man.”

“No,” Anna agrees, “but I bet some man needs you.”

“I love you, Anna. I really am sorry,” I say, feeling a tug at my heart that only my closest friends seem to manage.

“I know you are, Jaz. I love you, too. Goodnight.”