Old Friends and New Stories
June 21. Fifteenth High School reunion. The gym in which it was taking place wasn�t the school�s gym. Rather it was their softball home field gym. School of the Ascension was notoriously cheap. Being so, their gym was far too small for the occasion.
The girls ran through the gym giggling as they did in high school. Friends of old finally reunited. Justice had been dealt, however. The skinny cheerleaders could now profit from losing a few pounds, and the others, well, let�s just say that they were far more beautiful than they once were.
On the top row of bleachers, sitting next to a large partition was a black figure. As of yet no one had noticed the person. It was just what she wanted; just how she was treated back then. She leaned against the wall surveying all that went on around her. She could hear them, yes, but she tried her hardest to block them out, unless, of course, they were talking about her. Then all her energy was focused on them. She knew that they would pay if they dared say something bad about her. They better watch their mouth.
Down on the dance floor Camilla moved her body in the same sexual way she did fifteen years ago. Nothing can change too much in that amount of time. She was always the pretty one. The sporty yet somehow still sexy type that everyone wanted to be. For some reason she remained the same. She made her way over to the refreshment table to get a martini and catch her breath. She ran into Morgan, one of the smart nobodies, and decided to spark a conversation. No social classes now.
�Hi Morgan!�
�Camilla,� she said monotonously.
�So, what did you do after you got out of this glorious school?�
�Went to college, became a lawyer, and am now the state senator.�
�Oh, I didn�t know that. I�ve been in L.A. I�m a model!�
�Go figure,� she said under her breath.
�So, have you kept in touch with anyone from school? Val, perhaps?� she said smugly.
Camilla and Val were arch enemies in high school. Val saw her for what she really was and she didn�t like the reality.
�What�s that supposed to mean?� Morgan snapped.
�It means whatever you want it to mean. I�m just trying to be polite.�
�You�re being a bitch again.�
�Don�t you even start with me. I�m just asking how your precious friend is.�
Morgan narrowed her eyes and walked away.
�Fine! I didn�t want to talk to you anyway!�
The figure on the bleachers leaned forward and stared down at Camilla. She had crossed the line and would get her just reward. Too long had she acted like she controlled everything. Too long had she been perfect.
The figure stood up and glided down the bleachers, still unnoticed. She made her way across the room to Camilla and those she was currently talking to.
�Do you remember what she said before she left?� she said about Val. � �You�ll see. You�ll all see.� Ha! That fat cow�s never going to lose weight or get any prettier. And do you know that she called me a hypocrite? If she were here right now I�d� I�d-�
�You�d what?�
Camilla turned around and saw Val standing at her shoulder.
�Where�d you come from?� she asked with a hint of panic in her voice.
�I�ve been in the bleachers.�
Camilla now took the opportunity to look Val over. She had fulfilled her words. She was beautiful. Camilla sneered inside. Now was the moment to insert her foot in her mouth.
Val smiled with a knowing that they could never understand. She turned on her heel and walked away. Now she knew why she had come to this damned event.
She walked up to the front table, which she had managed to slip past when she entered, and picked up the last remaining name tag: hers. The woman sitting at the table simply looked up at her with mouth agape. Val smiled again and simply walked away.
Things hadn�t changed. The preps were still with the preps. The nerds were still with the nerds. The athletes were sill with the athletes. And the depressed loners were still with the depressed loners. She quickly found who she was looking for. In the middle of the loners and athlete circles she found her best friend from high school: Morgan. Quickly she ran to her and jumped onto her back.
�Morgan!!�
Morgan turned her head and looked at the person now practically choking her.
�Oh my God, Val!�
Val jumped off and they hugged each other the way only long forgotten friends do. Tears soon began falling from Morgan�s blood-shot eyes. They always would become irritated quickly. Morgan at last broke the embrace and looked Val over.
�Holy crap. You look great! I don�t suppose you�re walked past Camilla?�
�Oh yes I have. Quite interesting to say the least. She won�t be running her mouth about me again any time soon. Well, if she has common sense she won�t be running her mouth. You really can�t put anything past her.�
Morgan laughed and noticed something off about Val. Something just didn�t feel right. She examined her more closely and finally came to her eyes.
�Are you wearing contacts?� she asked.
�No.�
Her eyes were a light blue that seemed to glow; very different form the dark green she used to have. Morgan had never seen anything like it. They gave her the creeps. She shivered and broke her hypnotic stare.
�Is Molly here?� Val asked, changing the subject as best she could.
�Oh. Yeah. She�s getting something to drink,� Morgan said pointing to the refreshment bar.
Val turned around and walked that way with Morgan close behind her. Best not to dwell on her suspicions. Molly was standing at the bar holding two white wines and getting ready to turn around. Bringing one to Morgan, no doubt. She saw Val and stopped dead in her tracks. A smiled formed on her face and she sat down the glasses.
�Val! I was beginning to think you weren�t coming! Oh my God, you look great.�
�So do you!�
Molly was always the tomboyish athlete. Although drop dead gorgeous, she kept herself hidden from all. Her baggy clothes hid her figure, hid her personality. When college hit sports left her main focus and was replaced with boys. Then things changed for the better. She was gorgeous now.
She blushed and looked down.
�I don�t look that great. Anyway, I didn�t think you were going to be here. Your name tag was one of the only ones left when I got here.�
�I�ve been here since this damned place opened. I didn�t take the tag because I wanted anonymity. And I slipped in when no one was looking. I�ve been hiding on the bleachers ever since.�
�There you go again, being your sneaky self,� Morgan said.
Val smiled without parting her lips and looked across the room. Something set off an alarm inside her head. Something wasn�t right. She whipped around and looked to the entrance of the gym. He was standing there leaning against the frame, watching her closely. She narrowed her eyes and turned back to her friends.
�You alright?� Morgan asked.
�Yeah. I�m fine.�
Morgan and Molly both looked at her with unbelieving eyes but she paid them no attention. She was too preoccupied with the man standing in the door.
�I�m going to go mingle with the girls who cause me hell in high school. I�ll see you guys later.�
She turned around and quickly walked away from her two friends and was almost knocked onto the ground by another fellow classmate.
�Val! I�ve been looking all over this place for you! Where�ve you been girlie?!�
�The same thing I did in high school: hide from everyone.�
She turned around and saw Courtney, the funniest, most outspoken girl of their entire class. They were good friends, of course.
�Well, where are you off to now?� Courtney asked.
�Away.�
�Away where?�
She sighed.
�I don�t know anymore.�
Courtney raised her eyebrows but then smiled.
�Camilla�s been talking about you. Have you seen her yet?�
�Yes. She was threatening me as usual. So I told her not to fuck with me.�
�You said that?�
�Well� No. But I should have considering she is such a bitch. Lord, there goes my temper again. I better leave before I actually hurt someone. I�m in a much different disposition than I was in high school.�
She turned around and walked away, but not before Courtney yelled one last thing at her.
�So, I�ll see you later then?!�
She waved her hand behind her head to signal �yes.� Suddenly everything around her got quiet. She could still see the women�s mouths moving, but no sound, even the sounds that only she could hear, came forth.
Come outside.
She rolled her eyes and did as she was told. It was hot outside. She didn�t know how she knew, but she did. The longing for feeling at that moment was almost overwhelming. He was standing there, against a tree, staring at her. She slowly walked over to him.
�What do you want?� she asked crossing her arms.
�What are you trying to do? What are you planning on accomplishing by being here?�
�I�m just tying up a few loose ends. Like you never wanted to do it.�
�No, I didn�t. And I told you not to come to this.�
�If you want me to be semi-pleasant for the rest of eternity you�ll let me do this. You won�t want to be around me if otherwise.�
He sighed and looked sadly at her.
�Why do you put yourself through this?�
�Because. Listen, this is just something I have to do. Let me do this.�
�Fine, but don�t screw things up too much. Don�t tell anyone about us, for instance.�
�I�m not ignorant. Now please, let me make my own mistakes.�
She turned around and walked back into the gym where her past awaited her. Seeing those that she associated with her beloved past hurt her deeply, but like she said, this was something she had to do.