"Awww thanks Mace." Alex smiled sunnily, genuinely proud of herself. "It was a lot of crazy stress, but I'm so glad it's all over now." She grinned as her best friend ordered drinks. Macy knew her so well. She gave a grateful smile to their bartender, who winked at her, and took a sip of her drink, savoring its sweetness.
"The talent show was great!" Alex enthused. "You did such a fabulous job with it." She enjoyed another sip of her drink while Macy continued, her eyes widening at the news. "Katie Baker's in a wheelchair? Oh no! I really haven't been paying attention! I should send her a card." A worried expression replaced her smile, deepening when Macy began to talk about her troubles with Jamie. "Oh no, Jamie's getting into trouble? That must be hard for you." She took another contemplative sip of her cosmo and looked at Macy sympathetically. "And your parents, too. Is there anything I can do to help?" There it was, the sentence that Alex could never seem to stop saying. She never minded, though, especially when it was for Macy. One of the best things about their friendship was how fully and completely they always came through for one another.
Reaching across the table, Alex put a hand on top of Macy's. "No offense hon, but wasn't Noah always a bit of an ass to you? Disappearing's what he does whenever stuff gets hard or emotional. Maybe it's better that he's left you alone. Especially if he was trying to get you angry. No one should do that to you."