Like You: A Nice Girl

She leaned over the desk and wrote: Today, I decided to be difficult.

For the first time in her life, Lucy didn't check her watch. She didn't think about her five-year plan. She looked at the blank journal in her hands and realized it wasn't a mistake—it was an invitation. "What do I do first?" she asked.

She found the entrance behind a rusted iron gate obscured by ivy. The key turned with a click that felt like a heartbeat.

Lucy gripped the pen. She thought of her boss, who took credit for her work. She thought of her mother, who insisted she marry the local dentist. She thought of the beige walls of her apartment.