I immediately sat bolt upright and faced the screen. I guessed it had probably been longer than I thought since I’d paid attention. The pregnant girl, Juno, I guessed her name was, was sitting in the home of the potential adoptive parents, played by Jason Bateman and Jennifer Garner. They were relatively big actors, and wouldn’t have taken a role in this movie to be small roles, so I decided that they would inevitably be the parents. This rationale permitted me to zone out once more, fully confident that I knew the plot.

I carefully adjusted my vision so that I could watch Ashley again without being conspicuous. I watched as she laughed at all the right parts – I felt myself laughing along with her, despite the fact that I wasn’t paying attention to whatever witty dialogue droned in the background. Her laugh was so beautiful – so melodic and cheery.

            I was ripped from my reverie when an arm fell protectively across my shoulder. I whipped my head around to see a disgruntled Avery, staring hard once again into the screen. Her arm pulled me closer to her, but it wasn’t a caring caress – it was a restraining one. I allowed myself to fall into it nonetheless. Why was Avery doing this? She couldn’t have marked her territory more obviously if she had peed all over me. I internalized a slight annoyance at her. I wasn’t doing anything wrong, was I? Questions and thoughts buzzed through my head as the movie continued. I had pretty much given up, at this point, my hopes of grasping the storyline. I decided that seeing a movie was certainly not the right choice – it gave me too little to focus on, and with this space to think, my mind was going berserk.

            The rest of the movie passed quickly, my thoughts still running rampant. I didn’t look at Ashley again. I thought it smarter not to swim out into waters in which I couldn’t swim – and that’s exactly what Ashley was. Deep and ominous… and enticing waters. Kyla, unlike the rest of us, seemed consumed by the movie. Avery’s grip on my shoulder gradually relaxed, but I knew that wasn’t the end of her abrasiveness. I knew that I would be in for it when we dropped Ashley and Kyla off.

            We left the theatre and I felt as though I hadn’t even seen the movie. The drive home was filled with Kyla’s comments about the pithy dialogue. The phrase “What’s the prognosis Fertile Myrtle?” resonated. Both Avery and Ashley were quiet. When we finally reached the house, Kyla hugged both Avery and me, thanking us repeatedly. Ashley simply waved.

            The door shut, and I waited for the gunfire. Instead, a silence set in, but that turned out to be worse. I knew something was coming, and my stomach began to twist. Instead of feeling nervous though, I began to grow angry. It wasn’t fair. I’d talk to her and feel like we got somewhere on this issue, and then she’d be mad again. Why was she doing this to me? I didn’t do anything wrong. I couldn’t take this.

            “So did you like it?” I said softly, masking my frustration.