Half to Death by Robin Alexander

her shoes. “You need more time with your gift before you go any further with her. You need to back away.”
    “Gift! This isn’t a gift. It’s a penance! A blight.” I hopped off the stool, and it clattered to the floor. “A gift is something you can use, something that’s good to receive.” I rounded the counter and kicked at the wall. Miranda let me huff and puff until I regained control.
    “This is going to sound trite,” she said forcefully. “But if you keep looking at it that way, that’s all it’s going to be. Quit running from something that is obviously a part of you and grab it by the balls. Learn to use it. Master it, make it work for you instead of against you.”
    “Okay, balls? Ew.”
    Miranda grinned and pointed at me. “Don’t try to make me laugh. You know I’m right. If Mom were here, she would’ve already jerked some sense into you.”
    She was right. Momma Donahue would’ve popped me upside the head. “Give me time to adjust.”
    “No. You’ll just talk yourself into circles like you’ve been doing the past two months. You’re gonna get back into normal routines. You’re gonna stop avoiding our friends. Tonight, Marty’s boiling shrimp, and everybody’s coming. You’re coming, too.”
    I shook my head. “What if one of them touches me?”
    “You didn’t ask yourself that when you went out with Jade, and you won’t use that as an excuse with me. The probability that you will be touched is high. I’ll be right there with you. Try, Sloan, try hard to control it.”
    “Control it, right.”
    *******
    Miranda hung around the store until I closed. I was certain she did it to make sure I wouldn’t back out. When we walked in, I could see Marty on the patio dropping the seasoning into the boiler. Her blond hair was in a ponytail, but the loose pieces were already curling from the steam rising out of the pot. Miranda and I were like stomping bulls, Marty was all poise and grace. She looked up when she heard us banging around in the kitchen while mixing drinks and waved.
    “I told her not to hug you,” Miranda said softly. “Actually, I told them all not to hug you. They think you’re an emotional basket case right now, and the least bit of affection will make you cry, and we all know how you hate to do that.”
    “Well, thanks.” I rolled my eyes.
    “You had a better idea?” Miranda put her hands on her hips and looked at me.
    “No, fresh out.”
    “Well, hey stranger.” Deb walked into the kitchen. Neither Miranda nor I heard her and Angel come in. Deb looked at me with a wide smile. “You’ve lost weight. You look good.”
    I’d just started my diet and exercise program, and I knew for a fact that I’d gained two pounds since the last time I’d seen her, but I took the compliment anyway. Unlike me, Deb had lost weight. Her wedge hairstyle ran along her jawline accentuating how sharp it had actually become. She’d lightened her brown hair a shade, which made the shadows beneath her eyes look darker. I looked around to see if anyone else was affected by the change in Deb’s appearance, but no one seemed to be as taken aback as I was. Then again, they’d seen her more often than I had and perhaps for them the change had been gradual.
    Angel’s blond braided ponytail flopped over her shoulder as she grabbed a beer from the fridge and offered one to Deb who waved her off and grabbed a bottle of water instead. Angel’s blue eyes twinkled as she took a swig of her beer and asked, “How are the workouts going?”
    “A nightmare from which there is no escape.” Miranda tapped her glass with mine.
    Angel and Deb laughed. “Miranda told us that a trainer from hell has written up a program for you to follow,” Deb said. “She sounds like Attila the Hun in spandex.”
    “There are days when I would agree,” I said with a laugh.
    Marty walked into the kitchen and looped an arm around Miranda’s shoulders. “As soon as Lonna and Paige get here, I’ll put the