She loved New York, unable to think of anywhere else she’d rather be. For the briefest of seconds, she wondered what her parents were up to out there in the featureless Midwest, but then she decided not to worry about them. They were never coming back, and she was destined to spend the rest of her life in loneliness, so what was the point of thinking about them? They’d never done anything for her anyway.
She opened the door to the city hall, slinked inside, and headed towards the little conference room she’d so often visited. Cracking the door, Julie peered inside. Jay Landing had his back to her, and none of the others in the circle noticed her. She slipped into the room, carefully making her way to the refreshment table.
Julie saw Beattie – probably a couple more beers deep than
