Status: Old.

 ‘I need to cancel Sunday.’

Bonnie narrowed her eyes. This was not good. This was not part of her perfectly constructed plan to have an excuse to remain in this small, backward town till the end of her days. If what she thought was about to happen was happening, well that would mean she was back to having no reason to stay, and no reason to stay meant having to consider the possibility that her current state was not making her happy and that had the potential to lead to the need to move somewhere, and that would mean needing to access a motivation that she really didn’t want to have to arouse.

This was not good at all.

‘Why?’ Sure, she could’ve made her voice sound friendlier, but really, she just didn’t want to and Bonnie wasn’t into doing things she didn’t want to. Particularly not with men who were about to hurt her delicate feelings. Or perhaps not her feelings, but her plans at least.

‘Well, I, uh, I met someone.’

‘When?’ Bonnie’s voice was cool. It was happening again and as much as she was used to it, she was far from impressed.

‘Last night.’

‘You met someone on Valentine’s Day? That actually happens?' 

‘Yeah, I went out for a drink after work and she was there. We started talking and, uh, well…’

‘Ew. No need to get graphic.’ It was surprising to Bonnie just how little emotion she was feeling about her current predicament, other than being annoyed at having to now remember to cross Darren off the whiteboard when she got to work on Monday morning.

‘I’m sorry about this, Bonnie. I know you were really looking forward to it.’

She raised an eyebrow. That was the thing about men. They always assumed that if they didn’t want you that there would be hysterics, tears, and a theatrical performance once they delivered the news. ‘Mostly I was looking forward to having an excuse to stick around this town. Now I need to get a new plan. Maybe I should message that guy I dated…’ Bonnie’s voice trailed off as if she had forgotten Darren was on the other end of the phone.

‘Sorry?’

‘What?’ Bonnie snapped back to the conversation with a blink.

‘You said something about some other guy?’

‘Oh. Did I? Just thinking out loud I guess.’

‘Well, I mean, don’t go writing us off just yet, I mean if it doesn’t work out with this chick I might give you a call sometime-’

‘Ugh.’ But Darren didn’t hear her because Bonnie had hung-up on him. He’d already screwed with her plans, she wasn’t about to also let him make her a second choice.  Besides, this wasn’t the first time that Bonnie had been in this situation. It also wasn't the first time she was probably going to get called into work on a weekend because of such a thing.

It was fine though. She had a plan. There was still a front-runner on the whiteboard who could turn out to be her one true love, thus securing her status as a local girl.

Though it was beneath her and she instantly felt dirty for using such a tacky messaging platform, Bonnie delicately let her hands flutter across the laptop, versing a quick message, something straight to the point.

Dinner tomorrow night?

Sipping from the ever-present glass in her hand, she smiled. Ball now firmly in play, she placed her hopes in the last real contender on her list. He wasted no time in replying.

Hey! Sorry, should’ve told you sooner. I’ve started seeing someone. How’s things though?

Jaw wide, eyebrows high, and frozen in terror at the worst possible turn in events coming true, Bonnie Martin could no longer deny it: at thirty-two she had officially reached that point in her life where she was no longer as desirable as she once had been. Bonnie was officially out of options.