All The Way From Denver

This story was originally published in Day One, a weekly literary journal dedicated to short fiction and poetry from emerging writers.

A suburban mall may not be the best place to mend a broken friendship, but old college buddies Jill and Lisa are determined to give it a try.

As they stroll from store to store, Jill keeps up a steady stream of chatter about subjects her friend couldn't care less about—pop stars, man caves, hashtags.

She is avoiding the real issue: she had known about Lisa's husband's affair with one of his graduate students and had said nothing.

Soon Lisa realizes that the betrayal may have cut too deep to be healed.

And when she tries to find common ground in recollections of their shared past, she'll discover that they might have never really been the people that they thought they were.

Instantly recognizable to anyone who has regretted putting trust in another, All the Way from Denver is the story of how an attempt at forgiveness can sever a timeworn bond.