The message (Invite)

[snl2]

Lauren picked up her phone, she contemplated calling Scarlett for a few days now. The usual questions, where do I begin? what do I say? Will she even answer? Then Lauren tentatively pressed each button as she dialed the number, her fingers beginning to shake as she neared the end of dialing

"I hope I am doing the right thing"

Then Lauren lifted the earpiece to her ear and listened as the phone rang, once, twice, three times, and afther the fourth she was met by Scarlett's answer machine message. Lauren didn't like leaving messages but she thought Scarlett may have been screening calls, she waited for that beep that told her to leave a message. Lauren hoped that Scarlett might pick up if she was there

"Hey... Scarlett... it's Lauren, I guess you saw what happened at night one of Red, White and Bruised. It isn't why I am calling, I want to try and talk with you. You are one of my dearest friends or at least you were, I miss those days when me and you were tight. I hoped that coming to Toronto would bring those days back"

Lauren then lets out a very audable sigh

"You have my number Scar, please give me a call sometime..."

[Scarlett Rose]

Scarlett was laying down on her sofa, hands on her chest as she watched the ceiling, listening to Lauren's message echo throughout her silent home. The television on mute, ironically showing some "Friends" re-run on the local Fox network, Scarlett, feeling rather hesitant, pulled herself off the sofa and walked towards the phone as the message was coming to it's end. Should she answer? Yes. Could she answer? Absolutely. Did she want too? Not at the moment, Chandler was about to do one of his one-liners, and Scarlett, TV remote in her other hand, felt the urge to un-mute the television.

Letting out a sigh, she let the message end as she trotted back to her sofa, and plopped back on the couch, un-muting the television as the ending scene jingle echoed throughout her home. Placing her hand behind her head, rather comfortably, she took another glance at her dark blue telephone before focusing back on the television. "Lauren, Lauren, Lauren." She muttered to herself as the commercial break started, and she suddenly found herself looking down at a picture on her coffee table, sticking between the wedges of picture frame. It was of Lauren and Scarlett when they first started training years ago. It was wrinkled, and looked like it's had it's better days. Frustrated, she kicked the frame down with her bare feet, and re-focused on the latest incarnation of a popular Geico commercial. "I liked these better when the caveman never talked."

[snl2]

Lauren hung up the phone, the dissappointment evident on her face. She had hoped that her best friend since forever would have forgiven her by now. Lauren put her head in her hands as she wasn't sure what to do, she really missed Scarlett. More than she had missed anyone before, even more than she missed having a husband or the company of Angel Fyre. A solitary tear rolled down her cheek as she looked at the photo of them together on her wedding day

"Why did I mess things up?"