Chapter One

Fall 2008

Time seems to go by slower every time I look at the clock, I said to myself as I counted down the minutes until I was out of this place. I work at the Sewickley Cafe, and boy is it a bitch. I work my ass off for a lousy paycheck. But sometimes, we get some good tippers that stroll in here every once in awhile. But that is rare, and only happens on a good day, not like today. Anyway, let me introduce myself...

My name is Miranda Delmore, but my family and friends call me Randi, and I recently turned 21. I just moved here over the summer to transfer from New York University to the University of Pittsburgh, and started at the end of August. I am majoring in the Pediatric field of medicine. It has been my dream since I was a little girl to give back to the sick and unfortunate children who have not been as lucky as me. I can't say that my childhood was the best, but I can't say it was the worst. My parents, Jake and Penelope, were never married, and never planned to have me at the time my mom conceived. I was born on July 7th, 1987. When I was 2, my dad left the both of us stranded and never came back. I have not seen him in nearly 20 years, and I frankly don't care anymore. When I entered the first grade, my mom found someone and married my "dad," Brad. I call him my dad because he was, and still is, the only father figure I ever had. My middle school years were ok, but it was a struggle for me to find a friend. I never had a real friend until 8th grade. Paula Kennedy and I bonded instantly our first class, and we were inseparable. We also frequently hung out with her brother, Tyler, who now is on Pittsburgh Penguins' roster. Paula and I were unfortunately separated 2 years ago. Our plan was to go to the same college, but that didn't work out until this summer. She got accepted to Pitt and I chose NYU. We still managed to see each other every 2 weeks during the school year, and hung out for most of the summer. My decision to pursue pediatrics in New York was wrong in my opinion. There wasn't as much opportunity in New York as there was here. And at least I had Paula. So it was perfect. My parents weren't happy at first about the decision, but they grew to understand that I was an adult and could now make my own decisions. So, here I am, living with Paula and attending Pitt.

My work day was over, and I was free. I quickly flipped to the current date in my calendar on my phone to see what was on the agenda:
Dinner Party with Paula-7:30 PM.
Le Mont Restaurant.
Oh, shit. I forgot about this.

Two weeks earlier...

"Randi!" Paula squealed with excitement.

"I'm on the phone!" I shouted.

"But this can't wait! Get down here!"

I trotted to the living room from the bathroom. "What is sooooo important?" I questioned.

"This!" She handed me her phone to scan over the text message she just received. "Tyler invited the both of us to dinner in 2 weeks...WITH THE WHOLE PENGUINS' ROSTER!"

"...Ok. Why are you so excited?"

"Because...I need to find someone! And so do you."

"But there are many fish in the sea. Why does this 'someone' have to be on the Penguins?"

"Well, other than the fact that quite a few of them are GORGEOUS and have a pretty pay check."

"It's not all about money. And plus, I don't need to find a guy right now."

"Yes you do! You need to find a cute guy to take up some of your time. I mean all you do is sit here or work when you're not studying. That can't be too much fun. A guy would be a perfect solution."

"Well, maybe I want nothing to do with guys at the moment. School just kicked in and it's gonna get heavy. I don't know if I will have the time to commit to a relationship."

"You don't have to commit! Just have some fun."

"I don't really roll like that."

And now I have to stress over finding an outfit for this fricken event. Oh, the joy...