Tell It Like It Is

Chapter 12

"Lizzy. You almost ready?" Anya popped her head around the corner of the bathroom and smiled at Lizzy as she untangled another strand of hair from her curling iron.

"We can't leave yet," Lizzy muttered as she wrapped the next strand and coated it in hairspray.

Corey snorted from where she sat on the toilet seat.

"You. Shut up," Lizzy snapped as she watched her in the mirror.

"I didn't say a word," Corey replied clearly, with a twinkle in her eye.

Anya watched Lizzy as she wrapped her next strands of hair. She had a tight pair of jeans and her "lucky" brown stilettos. She wore a fitted brown leather button up that matched the hue of her shoes perfectly and had a small line where the light pink lace of her bra peeked out of the top and the rest of her chest went whichever way it chose. Her hair was in the process of being curled into perfectly cylindrical tendrils and her makeup was flawless. Lizzy, under normal circumstances, had fun dressing up and trying to look as she called it "not completely disgusting". Tonight the complete opposite had been achieved. Lizzy was immaculate and flawless.

"You look hot. Meeting someone?" Anya asked simply as she fixed the hairs that had fallen out of her black clip.

Corey snorted again and Lizzy scowled at her. "Just a friend," she replied to Anya although her burning gaze was still directed at Corey.

Anya watched the two of them meet eyes in the mirror. "Who is it?"

"I can't even bring myself to say it," Corey muttered as ripped apart a sheet of toilet paper and tried to hide a bitter smile.

"He should be here soon," Lizzy added completely ignoring Corey.

"I'm sensing some negative vibes here," Anya commented as she abandoned her makeup. Standing next to Lizzy when she looked like that made all attempts on Anya's part seem useless.

"When he breaks your heart again I think you should know you submitted yourself to this voluntarily and against the advice of those that care about you," Corey said clearly as she finally looked Lizzy in the eye with a glare as equally burning.

The use of the terms "heartbreak" and "Lizzy" in the same sentence left only one person in mind. Will.

"I'm not sixteen anymore. If I know what he really is then I'll be that much safer. Plus when was the last time I got really attached to a guy? I've learned how to keep men and hearts separate by now," she replied but it was obvious how she subconsciously broke eye contact with Corey and concentrated on her curling iron.

"Secretly you still love him," Corey pressed softly.

"Secretly I don't think I ever loved him in the first place." She shook out her curls a little to loosen the hairspray and flashed her teeth to check for plaque. "I was young. I wouldn't have known love if it hit me over the head."

Corey didn't look convinced of Lizzy's detachment. "Lizzy-"

"Corey," Anya cut in. "She'll be fine. She's working. I'll be there if she needs me. And she'll promise not to drink and/or impair her judgment in any way."

Lizzy smiled at Anya. "Thank you-"

"Oh shut it Lizzy. I'm only saying this 'cause I love you and if you fall into a depressing heartbreak you're ten times less fun to hang out with," Anya added passionately as she cornered Lizzy by the door of their bathroom, "but if you do anything stupid I will call you on it. Just because opportunities present themselves to you, and with the way you look tonight I'd say you're hoping they will, doesn't mean you have to take them. Just remember: HE'S ENGAGED!"

Lizzy smiled slightly. "Engaged. Got it. Just say no."

"He's late too." Anya added as she checked her watch-less wrist. "If he's not here in five, we will leave him."

Corey snorted again and tried to hide her laughter. "Will. 'Will leave him'. It's a pun."

Anya looked back to Lizzy. "And stop giving Corey drugs when I'm not looking."

Lizzy laughed along with her and Corey's freakish giggles. "We really should go soon. Where is he?"

"You're the one that invited him," Corey said shrugging and leaving the bathroom as Lizzy went to check the peephole to see if he was there yet.

"Well it's not like I was planning on it." Lizzy plopped down, slightly exhausted, on the couch beside Anya and Corey. "I mean I just bumped into him on the street and we were talking and it was just… so relaxed. I forgot how much fun I used to have with him. Did you know I once convinced him to get a tattoo?"

"Will has a tat?" Anya replied. "Where?" It's common knowledge that seeing Will Darcy naked was one of Anya's major goals in life before he broke Lizzy's heart.

"I wouldn't tell you that even if you forced me," Lizzy replied with a secretive smile as she got up to check her peephole again.

"I bet Melanie Slaide knows," Corey muttered and Anya shot her a glare. Tonight was not the night to have to put up with Pessimistic Corey, the worst creature to ever roam the earth.

"He's here!" Lizzy shouted as she shoved her face against the door.

Anya silently noted her excitement. Before Lizzy's normal dates, she normally lingered in her room with the door closed while Anya and Corey tried to prod her out. Tonight, she was jumpy and slightly smiley. No matter who Will was, or wasn't, he'd already gotten into the heart of Lizzy and even if she was as detached as worn out Velcro she was going to get hurt when she had to let go of him again. And this wasn't even supposed to be a date…

"Good you're here," Lizzy growled as she swung open the door before Will had even reached it or knocked. "We're going to be late," she muttered as she too checked her watch-less wrist.

"I'm really sorry," he replied with a sheepish grin as his eyes alit on her and he took it all in. The transformation of his face didn't go unnoticed by Anya as his dimples creased into a deep smile. He wore slightly tight jeans that Anya could clearly see would accentuate his rear. He wore a button up, striped Ralph Lauren shirt and had rolled the sleeves to stop just before his elbows and show his tanned forearms. The way he grinned at Lizzy, and the few seconds longer than what is normal that his eyes stuck to her, suddenly had Anya as worried as Corey was. Talking about Will offering himself to Lizzy was one thing, but staring at the real Will, in all his gorgeousness and who looked at Lizzy like that, was like staring her best friend's imminent heartbreak in the face. Before her doom had been a hypothetical, now it seemed inevitable.

Suddenly Anya found herself not praying for her usual hope of a fun night out, but instead for her last shred of hope that, no matter what happened, Lizzy would be okay.

"It's okay," Lizzy replied as she pulled him into the apartment for a quick minute. "Will you remember Anya," she pointed across the room to where Anya had recently lit a candle, "and Corey," she pointed to Corey who scowled at him from where she was curled on the couch.

"Hey." Will awkwardly lifted his hand in a pathetically awkward wave.

"You're such an idiot," Lizzy said shaking her head. "You're like socially handicapped."

Will shrugged his shoulders in defense. "What? I was just saying hey. When did 'hey' become socially unacceptable?"

Anya quickly blew out her candle and shot Corey a worried expression who returned it right back and nodded solemnly, then muttered quick goodbyes and went back to her room. "Liz, we gotta go," Anya said quickly as she rushed to the door and pushed past Will.

"Right. Where are we going?" Will asked as he followed the girls out of their apartment.

Lizzy smiled as she closed the door behind him. "To work."

Hey! Sorry this chapter took so freaking long. This girl at work quit and I've had to pick up all her fricking work and all her damn hours. Suckey!

Anyway! Anya! I so love Anya. Next chapter will be Will and Lizzy, alone mostly.

Before the suggestion even comes up I'd like to squash it. Lizzy and Anya are not strippers.

Okay. Anyaway. I'm glad that's cleared up. Not much else to say but, reviews faster updates (even with my crazy work schedual for the week)