CHAPTER 1

"Isn't he cute?" Anzu asked me as she pulled up a picture on her laptop. She had been obsessing over a dating section on Craigslist for weeks and it seemed to be all she talked about at times. As I took a closer look at the picture I nodded in agreement. He definitely was a cute one.
Just as I leaned closer to get a better view of the picture, Anzu snuck more wine into my glass. It was Saturday night and Anzu and I had decided to get together for some wine and gossip.
"His name is Josh. He lives around here," Anzu said as she stared at his picture, "and I've been kinda e-mailing him."
"Are you gonna meet up?" I asked her.
"No." Anzu stated as she shook her head while I eyed her. She turned to me with a sheepish smile and said "I've been pretending to be you. I sent him pictures of you."
"Are you serious!?" I cried out in shock.
"Yes." Anzu answered nonchalantly. "He's really into your pictures."
"What pictures did you send him!?" I demanded.
"The ones of you in your bikini at Tristan's pool party." She explained as she showed me the picture on her phone. My gosh! She really had to pick the sluttiest picture of me and send it to a complete stranger! What a friend!
"Are you mad?" She asked me as she noticed my facial expression.
"A little bit." I answered as I downed my glass of wine.
"You should totally call him!" Anzu suddenly suggested as if she had not heard my answer. It was obvious that the wine was starting to get to her.
"I'm not going to call him! I don't know what to say!"
"Oh, come on! It'll be fun!" Anzu egged me on. "Have another glass of wine if you're so nervous."
"Anzu," I began with a cautious tone, "I really don't think it's a great idea."
"Life is short, Mai. Give it a shot. Besides, when was the last time you went on a date with a guy or a man?" Anzu countered.
"I don't know..." I answered as I began to think about it.
"Exactly."
It was true. The last guy I dated was named Seto Kaiba. There's a reason why I referred to him as a guy instead of a man. He was, well he still is, a handsome looking and wealthy guy. I had moved to New York City to be with him. I have to admit that things were fantastic between us for the two years we were together. At least they were for me.
However one night I caught Kaiba having sex with another woman. In that instant I told Kaiba to continue fucking his whore while I packed my belongings. Kaiba begged me to stay after he shooed away his whore. It wasn't until later that I learned that the person I caught Kaiba with was a stripper he'd been having an affair with for months.
I had bought the first ticket to Los Angeles and left without a second thought. I could never forgive Kaiba, but it was clear that he wasn't ready to let go. He followed me from New York and continually pestered my friends and family for information about where I was staying. He eventually arrived at my doorstep and begged that we remained friends. I granted him his wish to appease, but I never answered his phone calls nor read his e-mails.
"How long have you been doing this behind my back?" I demanded.
"Just yesterday." Anzu answered. "Oh don't be mad. I'm only trying to help. Here, I'll dial his number for you."
"No!" I exclaimed as I yanked her phone away from her.
Anzu burst out laughing. "Come on! Have some fun!" She said then she poured some more wine into my glass. "I love drinking wine. It makes me feel sophisticated."
It was my turn to burst out in laughter. "Sophisticated?" I asked, a wine fueled smile spreading across my face.
"Yeah! I feel like a classy woman when I have a nice glass of wine in my hand! " Anzu stated as she waved her glass in the air, causing the wine to swirl in the glass. "Look at us! We look classy!"
"Now let me dial his number." Anzu stated as she grabbed her phone out of my hand and began to dial Josh's number. I didn't stop her this time. Anzu handed me the phone as soon as it started to ring and I put it against my ear. I waited nervously for Josh to answer, but as soon as I heard Josh's voice I hung up.
"Oh my God!" Anzu laughed. "That was so pathetic, Mai!"
"This whole thing is pathetic!" I retorted.
"Oh whatever." Anzu sighed. "Hey, did you hear about the new bar opening up?"
"Yeah..." I answered. We continued our conversation into the night, though it was far from the most interesting topic that night...
The next morning I woke up feeling decently hungover. I reached for my cell phone and checked the time. The clock read 7:56 AM, but I had no recollection of when I passed out. I shook Anzu to wake her.
"What?" Anzu yawned.
"I'm going to start heading home." I told her as I started to get up.
"Ok..." Anzu said with a sleepy expression before hiding under the covers.
"Oh, by the way Anzu," I began as I got dressed, "It's Sunday morning and it's almost eight."
It took a moment for the information to sink in, but when it did Anzu nearly flew out of her bed. Anzu's mother was a devoted Catholic, some would say that she was too devoted, and would give Anzu hell if she missed the morning mass at 8 A.M. I watched with entertainment as my best friend rushed about the room getting ready for church.
"Where are my keys?" Anzu asked as she threw on a blouse. At this point was when anyone would notice most of Anzu'z features. Anzu's curves weren't that defined, but they were definitely there. Our efforts at the gym were decently obvious, but the blouse she was putting on would hide that. After all, she is going to church. Her straight short brown hair came no farther than her shoulders and accented her light skinned face nicely. Her eyes were a more than common blue, but some told her that they were the jewels that adorned her face. Honestly I think they were just guys trying to score a cute chick.
I pointed at the table next to her laptop and she grabbed them and dashed towards the door. Before she left she turned to look at me to deliver a message; "My mother says you're going to burn in hell if you don't start going to church."
We both laughed as soon as Anzu finished talking. We both agreed that going to church wouldn't grant you access to the pearly gates, but leading a good life and performing good deeds would. Anzu and I knew far too many hypocrites who preached the teachings of the church already.
Before I left Anzu's house I took a detour through the kitchen and took a couple of aspirin with a glass of water. I locked up her apartment with the spare key she had given me and left. Anzu also has a spare key to my house. We are best friends after all.

A/N: instead of having them lived in Domino City I had them live in Los Angeles. Hope readers don't mind. Leave a review if you like it! =)