Chapter Four

MAKING A DECISION

News of their breakup spread amongst their mutual friends quicker than Sierra would have liked, when the first call came all she wanted to do was crawl in a hole and hide away, everyone had heard what happened, though it was Brent’s skewed version of how they came to a mutual agreement, she figured it best to let them believe she hadn’t been dumped, it soothed her heart a little. 

Sierra wasn’t by any means a loner, she made friends quite easily and had a few close friends, those being the only ones she felt comfortable telling the truth to so when Macy finally heard the news and decided to round up the girls for a weekend of cliche ice cream and movies, Sierra gave in, she needed to get out of her head and having the four crazy women over would do just that. 

Cutting the call with Macy, Sierra caught sight of the portrait she had of her parents and her at her graduation on her wall, telling them would be the hardest, but she knew they needed to hear it from her, and knowing her mother, she would insist on coddling Sierra till she felt she had gotten over Brent, so putting off the inevitable for a little longer, she headed to have a shower before the girls arrived. 

Sierra was drying her hair when she caught sight of the manilla envelop on the pedestal beside her bed, with all the drama that ensued the night before she had long forgotten about the offer Mr. Pierce gave her. 

Switching off the blow drier, she walked over and picked up the envelope, with a heavy exhale, she tore open the seal and unloaded the contents. 

Flipping through the booklet, she learned more about the plant in testing and its origin as well as how it was discovered to have medicinal properties. As she got deeper into the text she felt the wheels turning in her brain, already formulating ideas for testing and ways to understand the full potential of the plant. In any research project, there was a step-by-step process to follow, she was holding the history of the plant in her hand which was the very first step complete. 

Skimming through the travel brochures that showed what the city was like and a general overview of the facility she would be working in which was usually given to guests, she found herself becoming intrigued by the idea of living there for six months. Apart from the obvious reasons why she should accept the project, she enjoyed the idea of being in a place she could explore and enjoy as well. 

So far the only thing that had been stopping her from going had miraculously removed itself from the equation, there was nothing standing in her way and after seeing what she’d be doing, she only had one answer in mind and she didn’t need to think further. 

“Mr. Pierce, my answer is yes,” Sierra spoke as soon and Arthur answered the call. 

“I’m very glad to hear that Sierra, you will not regret this. I will set the wheels in motion first thing Monday morning.” Sierra could feel her heart beating in her chest. 

“Thank you, sir.” Arthur greeted her goodbye and cut the call leaving Sierra staring at the screen with his name on it. 

“It’s time to go on an adventure.” She commented to herself and a slow smile spread across her face, the first smile she’d conjured up since last night, that’s when she knew that things would get better even if they weren’t in that moment. 

***

Sierra’s friends were spread on the plush fur carpet in her living room with bowls of unhealthy snacks passing between them as they binge-watched Harry Potter, she wished she had the ability to concentrate on the movie, but all she could do was think about the night she forced Brent to have a Harry Potter Marathon with her. She’d heard that breakups ruin songs and movies and places for people, but she didn’t understand the magnitude of that till now. 

The scene reminded her of their days in college, while they all studied different things in different years they remained tight-knit even after graduating. Macy and Elena were already married, Susie had a baby on the way with her fiance, and Lou who was the oldest of the bunch at thirty-one was divorced and enjoying her freedom. 

Thinking about their lives made Sierra wonder if she hadn’t put pressure on herself to get married because when she looked around her friends were all starting their own families. She felt a little bad for dragging them away from their partners and kids, but she was grateful they supported her, she just wondered how they would take her leaving for six months. 

“It feels good to be young again.” Lou sighed, sipping on her champagne with her eyes still beneath the cucumbers. The satin pajamas she wore made her look elegant and posh, she was always the more sophisticated one of the group, though it had everything to do with her rich upbringing, it was very fitting for the tall woman. 

“You mean it’s nice to pretend you’re young.” Elena shot back, smirking when Lou lifted a cucumber to glare at her. 

“Oh darling, I am young, just ask your brother,” Lou smirked, knowing it would strike a nerve. Lou and Elena’s brother hooked up shortly after her divorce and had been seeing each other on and off, much to Elena’s displeasure. 

“Take that back.” Elena glared at her friend. 

“Elena, I’ve said it before, I’m not going to apologize for my relationship with your brother, he’s a grown man who can make his own decisions and it’s time you accept that.” Elena’s ears turned red, a sure sign that she was angry. 

“You think this is about Evan! I don’t give a shit who he dates, as long as it’s not my friend!” Elena was obviously displeased by the situation, but this was the first time she ever expressed such blatant anger towards it. 

“What difference does it make, Elena?” Lou sat up, removing the cucumbers to look Elena in the eye. 

“What happens when things go wrong between you two? I’m going to get caught in the middle, but neither of you cares about that, all you care about is yourselves and satisfying your damn libido.” Elena’s voice rose before she stood and stormed off.