5 Years and One Right Turn

Reunion

Five years. I told myself that couldn't be accurate, but alas it was. I looked down at the folded piece of paper that held the invitation to my fifth high school reunion and sighed. High school, what a time. There's no real way to describe the ups and downs of my high school years. Do you want to know why? Because there are no ups, only downs, and I prefer not to think about them. So that meant that I definitely shouldn't go. Why on earth would I want to bring back all those memories when I'd just spent five years trying to repress them? I was pretty sure I'd have plans on the day of the reunion anyway. Just out of curiosity, I went over to check the calendar stapled to my apartment wall. April 30th was blank. Damn. I glanced down at the pencil on the table, debating whether or not to jot it down, just in case, when the phone rang. I picked it up and heard the excited and annoying voice of my friend Alexis.
"Did you get it? Did you get the mail? Dear God, I'm excited! she exclaimed, I held the earpiece away from my ear as to avoid a burst ear drum.
"Excited about what? Seeing all the kids that made life hell and that have probably still not grown up yet? Yeah, count me out; I'd rather do something for fun. Like die for example. I replied, hearing an almost exasperating sigh from the other end of the receiver.
"It was not that bad, Ivy. Sometimes I think you're too overdramatic, high school was not a jail, and don't you want to see who got fat?
Not a jail? Are you kidding me? No windows, freezing temperatures and locked doors. Oh no, that doesn't sound like a jail at all. It's more of a containment room in an insane asylum to be more accurate. Except they didn't put you there because you were insane, they put you there to insure that one day you would be. You see, we're in school for a total of 720 days, give or take a few. I think this is some sort of new age torture. I am actually pretty positive that after being "institutionalized for 721 days, that is when you go completely insane. Seven hundred and twenty only leaves you damaged, which you will realize in later years, say when you get your invitation to your first high school reunion. The appearance at the reunion is like a drug addict's relapse. You're fine, until you get one more taste. That's my theory anyway.
"Ivy? Are you stoned again? Pay attention to me! We're going to the reunion and you're going to enjoy yourself so help me God! She triumphantly finished. I blandly replied,
"No, I crashed hours ago, and to tell you the truth, death is definitely right before the reunion on my list of things to do at the moment. But I'll tell you what, you buy drinks afterwards and I'll go. Maybe. And that was my final offer.
"ALRIGHT! I knew you'd come around. You just wait, it'll be fun and exciting and oh my God what am I going to wear? I have to go shopping I'll call you back later, love ya bye. And with that I heard a click and then the tone of a dead line. Great. If there was ever a time I wasn't looking forward to school, it'd be now. It'd also be every single day of school for that matter, but this was a real get-you-downer. This time, instead of a summer, I only had a week to decide what to wear and who to piss off. With the reminder from Alexis about what to wear, I hesitantly walked over to my poor excuse for a closet and yanked open the door (it got stuck sometimes).
Flailing my arm aimlessly, my fingers came upon the rough texture of the string that turned on the dim light bulb carelessly hung from the ceiling. I yanked on that, similar to the fashion of yanking that the door required, except for the string breaking, which was unlike the door. I tossed it nonchalantly aside and stood back looking at the selection of clothes I had, which was very unimpressive. I saw my ripped up jeans, black t-shirts, more jeans, and more black t-shirts. Mixed in with that homogenous solution was a lone red shirt that read "All my black shirts are dirty. I laughed at myself. Below the vast array of outfit options, were a few boxes of dressier clothes. I hauled them out and plopped myself down on the couch with one box between my legs.
I tore open the first box and picked up a gorgeous red dress that I remembered from prom. I also saw the dirt stained bottom, which reminded me of how I walked home after seeing my date and boyfriend at the time sucking face with some whore from Hustisford. Ah yes, prom, what a magical night. I threw the dress aside and reached down into the box again, this time pulling out a broken heeled shoe, again from the glorious night that was prom. I decided to fold this box right back up and place it back in storage, coming back with another box. This one contained less memorable items of clothing, most likely ones that I was forcibly made to wear when I needed to be presentable at family gatherings. The first shirt I pulled out was a black collared one that buttoned up the middle. I took off the shirt I was wearing and pulled this one on over it and wandered over to my full length mirror. Not bad. My boobs still didn't fill out the top as I would have liked it to, but I unbuttoned the top button to give the illusion of cleavage. How clever am I? The answer is very, I'm very clever.
Digging deeper into the box I felt a rougher material and discovered it to be a tutu that was dyed black. I remembered this, it was a Halloween costume to begin with but I did indeed fall in love with it. Attached to it was a pair of fishnet stocking. Excellent, I loved those things. Now all I needed to do was find my boots and I'd have a mood appropriate outfit, and one that would also irritate Alexis. She never enjoyed my macabre mindset, but then again, I wasn't too fond of her pink and lace bubbly thing she had going on. Yet we still loved each other. Opposites attract? I think so.
I was rather sick of thinking about the impending doom that was the reunion, so I tossed the outfit into a laundry basket and kicked the empty box back into my closet. I walked into the kitchen and began to boil water. I was in the mood for Ramen Noodles. But then again, when was I not in the mood for Ramen Noodles? In order to escape the dark high school thoughts that were rampaging in my head, I figured a good college meal would cheer me right up. Delicious.
With a glance to the pile of books awaiting me on my coffee table, I quickly decided against doing anything productive for the rest of the night. After a hot shower, I walked about five steps until having to jump from my door to my bed, my floor was rather messy. You know what they say, creative minds are rarely tidy. I fell asleep and dreamed about a prison where my old principal was the executioner.
The next week was a blur of classes and homework, semester's end was approaching and I decided to kick it into gear, like I had every single year in college. Slack off until a week before semester, then cram and hope to not fail the classes that I was paying for. It worked rather well, a fail proof system one might say. I was never in a good mood during those cramming weeks, but that was to be expected I suppose.
Friday came and so did my final exam. My nerves were shot and I was loaded up on caffeine from a last minute late night cram session the night before. I drove backt o my apartment and fell on the couch, hoping to sleep for the next 12 hours. I dozed off but awoke to the sound of my phone ringing, fell off the couch and smacked my head on the coffee table. Letting out a string of profanities, I went to answer the phone.
"G'morning sweetheart! yelled Alexis when I answered. I cringed at the volume of her voice and once again held the receiver away from my ear.
"What do you want, I'm exhausted, I complained into the phone.
"I'm coming over, we're going to have a sleepover, just like high school so we can get in the mood for tomorrow, Oh, right, the reunion. That had completely slipped my mind and had gotten lost somewhere between lack of sleep and exams.
"Can't I come over there? My apartment's a mess, I don't know where we can sleep, I asked her, hoping that she might just change her mind about the whole sleepover plan.
"No, I'm already half way there, so just hold tight and we can party in about 10 minutes, by! I hung up the phone and looked around my apartment, it was indeed a mess. Clothes everywhere, half unpacked boxes and books scattered across the floor. I debated whether or not to try to clean anything up, and decided against it. I did Alexis and myself the liberty of making my bed and kicking some stuff out of the way on my bedroom floor. She had this thing where she hated to sleep on couches, so that meant we were going to be sharing my twin bed.
After my extensive cleaning I sat down on the couch and grabbed the remote to my stereo, turning it up and waiting for Alexis to burst in (she didn't like knocking either). Just as I was getting up to change the CD, I was startled by the door slamming open and Alexis running in to tackle me right back on the couch.
"AMY! She yelled as I fought to get out from under her, "I am so excited! I haven't seen you in, like, forever,
"A week, Lex, it's been a week, remember? We're in Psych together¦still I said as I finally pushed her over so she was sitting next to me. My head was starting to hurt from the brief lack of oxygen to my brain and the thought that in 20 hours I'd be on my way driving to my old high school. Twenty hours until I'd have to see the people I thought I'd left behind forever. At least it didn't seem to faze Alexis; perhaps if I just hung by her the whole night, she'd do the talking for the both of us. Then again, maybe I'd get lucky and just die or go into a coma before having to go at all.
With a burst of genius, Alexis decided that another outstanding way to high school-ize ourselves was to watch the first two seasons of The O.C. and crack open a case of Miller. Of course I'd never object to either, so I decided to try to enjoy myself. I was doing a pretty decent job of doing just that, and also enjoying the company of Alexis. I have always gotten rather lonely during exam week, most likely because I completely isolate myself from human contact and rely solely on the ever-so-wonderful company of Psychology 203 and Introduction to Novel Writing Skills.
Hours and 12 pack later, I was starting to yawn. After about the sixth one in a row, I promptly received a smack on the head.
"What was that for?! I asked after smacking her back.
"You're making me tired knock it off! Said Alexis as she attempted to stifle a yawn of her own. I laughed at her and stretched my arms out. After another half hour of The O.C., I'd had my fill of pretty rich girls for the night.
"Are you ready for bed? I asked Alexis, and grinned when she jerked her head up and said in a groggy voice,
"I'm awake!
"Yeah, I know, but I'm getting tired, would you like to call it a night? We've got a long day of torture tomorrow, I said, and ignored the way she rolled her eyes at the torture comment. She did however agree to calling it night, it was after all three in the morning. We both got up and headed on over to my bedroom.
"Wow, good thing you cleaned up so well, Alexis said sarcastically when I turned on the lights. I stuck my tongue out at her,
"Well, fine then, if this isn't pleasing to you, the couch is open, I said and waited for a reaction.
"No, no it's fine, she said and leaped on the bed. That's pretty much what I expected. I set my alarm for noon because we'd probably sleep until then and we'd have to leave by around two o'clock. I turned out the lights and got into bed, yanking away some of the blankets Alexis had already stolen from me. With a final yawn I fell asleep and had yet another dream about the prison I was about to face after I had left it for five years.
What woke me in the morning was not that of the sound of my alarm clock, but the sound of the shower that was directly across the hall from my room. I turned over and my back and winced at the sunlight coming through the window. I saw that Alexis had already gotten up, and it was only nine A.M. I groaned and pulled the sheets over my head. Judgment day, I thought to myself as I finally put my legs over to one side and stood up, feeling the wrath of the few beers I had last night. I yawned and walked out into the kitchen, pouring a bowl of cereal. I was groggily munching away on the couch when I heard the shower shut off. Twenty minutes later, Alexis walked out in a cloud of steam.
She looked gorgeous to say the least. Her straight brown hair was pulled up in a simple bun that still looked delicate and intricate. To fit her tall, curvy figure she wore a pink sweater and a pair of tan pants, with black heels that mad her legs look like they went on for miles. Her eyes were dusted with a light colored powder and she was just stunning. I silently envied her for a second before saying,
"Wow, nice, I bet the whole football team will be all over you, not that they weren't in high school. Is it my turn in the bathroom?
"Oh shut up, they will not be. Besides I'm sure none of them could read the invite, it was in that fancy cursive writing, she laughed and continued, "but yeah the bathroom's open, she walked over to the kitchen and got herself some cereal as well. I got up, dropped my bowl in the sink, and headed into the bathroom. I got in the shower and in about half the time it took Alexis, I was out again.
I looked in the mirror and wondered what to do with myself. Saving my hair for last, I wrapped it in a towel, grabbed my eyeliner and went to work. I always loved to be creative with makeup and that's why I loved liquid eyeliner. With a few swoops of the brush and some mascara I was finished with that. I took the towel off my head and dropped it on the ground. My mohawk was dyed purple this month, my favorite thus far. I took some hair glue and pulled it through my hair until it stood up stick straight. I grabbed my razor and some cream, and shaved the sides of my head until they were nice and smooth. I wrapped a towel around myself and headed into my room to get dressed. I pulled on my tights and skirts, then buttoned up my shirt and walked out into the living room.
Alexis whistled and said, "Well aren't you looking sharp! You know, if you put on a white shirt I think that¦
"No, I cut her off. "You know if you put on a black shirt¦
"You know what, never mind, I like the black on you, she said quickly. She smiled at me and I smiled back. My smile faded as I remembered the horrible truth that was the reunion. I did realize that it was only a few hours at my old school, but that seemed like more than enough. Now who do I want to see first? The girl who ratted my drinking out to my parents? The guy who cheated on me during prom? Even better, the school board that I frequently challenged, I'm sure they'd love to see me. Alexis clapped in front of my face and brought me out of my back flash of unfortunate events.
"Let's go! she yelled and turned to walk out the door. I grabbed my boots and took a minute to lace them up and then reluctantly followed, turning off the lights and locking the door behind me. I clomped down the stairs and waited for Alexis by the elevators. I prefer the stairs for a little exercise but that's never been the case for Alexis. I patiently waited until the little red light above the doors halted at the first one. The elevator beeped and the doors slid open. She jumped out and grabbed my arm as she walked by. I laughed to myself as I wondered what other people were thinking as they saw this scene. The Blonde Bombshell dragging the Bride of Frankenstein behind her like some sort of rag doll. If I was on the outside looking in, I'd probably be at least mildly amused. But I've always had a darker sense of humor.
As much as I desired to be on the outside looking in, I was most certainly not. I was on my way to the place that had held me captive for four years of my life, and I was far from excited. We got into Alexis's car and pushed the button to lower the top on her convertible. As usual, I supplied the music and she supplied enough happiness to count for both of us. We set off with a squeal of tires and two sighs, both of them varying in emotion. Hers was like a warm breeze on a summer morning, full of fun and hope, and then there was mine. It was more of a "Let's get this over with¦quickly kind of sigh.
I leaned my head back against the seat, being careful not to squish my 'hawk. My head was aching a little from the slight hangover I was suffering and the anxiety over the dreaded reunion. I was going over a list of pros and cons in my head, and so far the cons were far outweighing the pros. Now, I never could help being a natural born pessimist, but in this case I was really trying to flip the switch to optimism. Trying, and failing. We had over two hours to kill before we arrived at HUHS so I initiated a game of Alphabet. That's when you find the letters of the alphabet consecutively using only road signs. Alexis is quite the scary driver to begin with, and distractions turned out to not be such a good idea. After a near head-on with a semi, I forfeited the game and we drove the rest of the way only listening to music.
It wasn't long before I started recognizing my old home town of Hartford. I saw thirteen bars and one library when I finally knew I was back home. The realization of that hit me somewhat like how I assume being hit in the face with a brick would feel. We drove slowly past Gib Mahr and then the softball fields, as we neared the intersection. Alexis seemed to be getting even more excited as we turned right at the stop sign and into the school parking lot. I, on the other hand, started to get nauseous. I saw the old, yet familiar scene of a herd of people walking into those glass doors. Alexis shifted the car into park, unsnapped her belt and turned to look at me. I was still slumped against the seat, and apparently that scene was not pleasing to her because she poked me hard in the side and gave me a stern look when I squirmed to face her.
"Cheer the hell up, Amy. This will be fun. I will make it fun and you will not hinder my fun-making abilities! she said, in a fashion similar to a way a mother would discipline a two year old child who had scribbled on the walls.
"Let's get this over with, I said and got out of the car. A flood of emotions clouded my head as I turned to look at the giant brick building of torture. I started to crack my knuckles and bite my lip.
"Nervous? I heard someone say, I turned around apprehensively to see who it was. "Remember me?
"Oh my God, I breathed as I turned to see my old friend from band, Mark.
"No, Mark, close though! he said and smiled. I ran at him and gave him a huge hug. Maybe this wouldn't be as bad as I thought it was going to be. I hadn't seen Mark since the day of graduation when I was crying in his arms, listening to him promise we'd see each other again. So much for that one, I guess. I put that in the back of my mind once again and focused on the fact that my heart was about to burst from how much I had missed him. I stood back and looked at him. Now that I look back, I guess it wasn't so much looking as it was admiring. That boy had grown up. I'd say he was about 6'4 with dark brown hair, falling just below his ears. I wonder if he knew I was a sucker for guys in suits, because wow, he was pulling his off marvelously. Not in a literal sense, I disappointedly thought to myself. I blushed and smiled at him.
"Wow, Mark, it's been a while, how have you been? I've missed you so much, I asked him, trying not to look like an idiot in front of my extremely attractive long lost friend.
"Well, things have actually been pretty good for me. I'm actually working as a band director up in Eau Claire, it's great, and I really love it. What about you? God, it has been a long time, I've been missing you too, he cleared his throat and shifted his feet rather awkwardly.
"Oh, me? I'm still in college, Lawrence University actually. I'm majoring in Psychology, thinking about becoming a school psychiatrist, believe it or not, I said and nervously laughed. God, was I retreating back to my old high school self, nervous and chatty around cute boys? Stop embarrassing yourself, you idiot! I thought to myself as I once again tried my charming smile on him.
"I do not believe it, but way to go! Who would have thought, you, the most anti-establishment girl I know would be working for The Man? he said playfully, and I felt myself blush even harder,
"Oh, I'm still very anti-establishment, don't you worry. This is merely my way of fighting The Man from the inside, you silly boy. But this conversation never happened or I'll have to have you taken care of, you understand, I finished in a harsh whisper. He made a zipping motion across his lips and winked at me. It was at that point in time I decided that if my cheeks turned any redder than I could feel them turning, I'd probably explode. I heard someone clear their throat behind me. Oh, yeah, Alexis. I had forgotten about her in the midst of making a fool out of myself.
"Hey Mark! she exclaimed, and they exchanged a friendly hug, "Now that you two are done flirting, can we go inside? I gave her an angry look but she just stuck her tongue out at me. Ah yes, the joys of high school.
"Of course, ma'am, I'll even give you two lovely ladies the pleasure of getting me as an escort, he said and held his arms out, obviously intending for me to take one, and just as I was going to, I was pulled away by Alexis.
"No thanks, Mark. We can handle it! Keep up if you can, Alexis said, whispering to me, "Don't get distracted so early, you can chat with him later, I want to go catch up with the girls. Oh, right, the girls, I had forgotten about the girls. She dragged me inside, where our hands received our red "H stamps upon entrance to the field house. I looked around and immediately noticed a few familiar faces, and thus decided that I needed to use the bathroom. I told Alexis that I'd be right back and rushed out to the bathroom. I walked in and looked in the mirror. What I saw was a teenage version of myself, wiping mascara that had run down my face. I was crying because of Drew and that girl from Hustisford at prom.
"I thought vampires didn't have reflections. Hmm¦I guess I was wrong. There's a first for everything, or so I'm told. What's it like to still be a freak when you've been out of high school for five years already? asked a cold voice from behind me. I snapped out of another one of my flash-backs and looked behind me, only to see Nikki. I hadn't even thought of how I'd confront the inevitable sight of her.
"Oh, hey Nikki, I said in a very friendly voice, "Being a freak out side of high school is great. It's called individuality. See, I never changed who I was to fit in, unlike some people; I'm like this because I'm myself. Speaking of being ourselves, how's being a stripper working out for you? How many dollars did you get in your g-string last night? Enough to buy a gram of coke? Hopefully, otherwise you'll have nothing to do in the stall, I don't see any football players or pregnancy tests anywhere as second options either. Look it was really nice seeing you again, but I've got to run, I have friends waiting for me. I said and turned to walk out after seeing the satisfyingly horrified look her face possessed. I gave myself an imaginary high-five. I'd been waiting for that moment for years.
Instead of heading right back to the field house, I decided to wander around the halls for a few minutes, reminiscing. I walked down the global hallway, remembering all the hours I spent there. I must have had around 12 English credits, so this was where I spent most of my hours. Down the science hallway I remembered how I had passed out in Human Anatomy when I had to dissect a cat. I giggled out loud when I recalled the look on everyone's faces when I woke up. I glanced up the stairs and decided against journeying up there. I left math behind as well when I left here. I made my way to the band room and stood outside the door for awhile. I'll admit it, band was the only thing I did miss about high school. There were a lot of good times in the land of the band geeks. I felt myself start to tear up, so I decided that it was time to head back to the field house.
I walked in and glanced around, trying to find Alexis, but instead saw Drew with his arm around some girl's waist. I recognized her from prom. My moderately improved mood was shot to the ground as I saw him laughing with one of his moronic friends. I tried to trot past him unnoticed but failed as I heard him excuse himself from the bimbo he was with and the cave man he was chatting with. I kept walking, ignoring his calls from behind me until I was behind the bleachers. He came up to me, out of breath from trailing behind me.
"Didn't you hear me? I was calling your name! Oh well, how have you been? I haven't seen you in so long, he said with a stupid grin on his face.
"Yeah I know, why ruin the perfect record? Go back to your trophy girlfriend, I don't want to talk to you, I said, and turned around to face the wall.
"C'mon Amy, you know I never meant to hurt you that night, he said, as I felt his arms being wrapped around my waist, "I never got a chance to make it up to you either, I felt his breath on my neck and suddenly felt the urge to throw up. I instead turned around and looked him in the eyes. I put my left hand on his neck and moved in close. When I saw his eyes closed, I got close enough to whisper in his ear,
"You know what? I never got a chance to do something either, I said, and pulled away a little bit. Just as he re-opened his eyes to see what was taking my kiss so long, I held my left hand firm and brought my right straight across his face. "Thanks for the offer, but you had your chance, and with that, I left him with a confused look and rubbing his red face.
I walked back out to find Alexis. She was chatting away with some of her and my old acquaintances. I walked up to her and said a casual hello to them and Alexis looked over my shoulder to see Drew walking away, still rubbing his cheek. She looked at me questioningly.
"What? There a bug on his cheek, a big lying, cheating, ugly bug. I took care of it though, I said with an obvious smirk on my face. Alexis gave me a quick congratulatory hug. I excused myself again to go get something to drink. Coincidentally, Mark was also at the refreshment table. I cautiously approached him and got some punch. I took a drink and winced.
"Did you spike it already? Wow, just like old times. I'm proud of you, I brought my own flask for that same purpose, but you've beat me to it! I joked and drank the rest of my glass. He shot me a devilish grin and said coolly,
"I have no idea what you're talking about. Now if you excuse me I'm going to walk away very inconspicuous-like. You are welcome to follow, as long as you are equally as inconspicuous as me. He winked for the second time tonight, and for about the trillionth time that night, I felt myself turn a glorious shade of magenta. We both snuck out side and started walking out past the parking lot. We crossed the street and headed towards Gib Mahr. I hopped over the fence like the old pro that I was. Mark, however, tried, but tripped and fell on his butt. Instead of helping him up, like any decent person would have, I called him a ditz and started running.
"Not fair! You're more¦uh¦limber than me, you're a girl! he yelled and started running after me. I laughed back at him and yelled in return,
"Oh, whatever! I'm wearing tights and a skirt! You and your lame excuses. Own up the fact that I'm just much more awesome than you, I ran up the ramp and up to the top of the bleachers, where I waited for him to catch up. When he finally managed to climb up the bleachers without falling, I patted the spot next to me, "Calm down, take a rest, don't pass out on me. I can't carry you all the way down these, I said, as I rolled my eyes at him. He sat down next to me and when his heavy breathing subsided, he turned to me and said,
"I really have missed you, a lot. You were the first thing to go through my mind when I read the invite. I've beaten myself up every day for not calling you after graduation, and I'm really sorry. I just didn't know what to say, I just¦ he started rambling, until I put my hand over his mouth and replied,
"It's alright. Here, I pulled a Sharpie out of my shirt pocket and wrote my number down on his arm, "You probably just forgot my number. Now, this is permanent ink, so you'll have no excuses if I don't hear from you again soon. Don't you look at me weird, I always carry a Sharpie. You never know when you'll have to write something unforgettable on something¦or someone for that matter, I smiled and clicked the cap back on and returned it to my pocket, "Remember when we did half-time shows here? Man, those were some good times, actually, the only good times. Sitting up here with you almost makes me miss it. Almost, I said, and leaned my head on his shoulder.
We sat there for maybe a half hour, before the sun started to disappear and the light in the sky followed it.
"We better get going, I don't know how well I can maneuver down these at night, Mark said, nervously. I knew just how well he could, and it was definitely a good idea to start heading back. I had to find Alexis too; I assumed it was time to leave. When that thought crossed my mind, I was surprised to feel a little bit of disappointment along with it. As we walked back towards the school, Mark grabbed my hand and laced his fingers between mine. I smiled in the dusk as we approached the doors again. Before I could get close enough to grab the handle, the door flew open and Alexis flew out. The first thing I noticed was the red stain on her pink shirt.
"Lex, what happened? I started, but she only said,
"We're leaving, now, bye Mark, she grabbed my arm and pulled me along with her. I held on to Mark's hand as long as I could, but our fingers were pulled apart. I saw his face drop, but I mouthed call me, and for the first time tonight, I winked at him, and he was the one to blush furiously.
All the while back to the car, Alexis was mumbling about how I was right and we shouldn't have gone in the first place. Apparently her and her old friend Kelsey still had some things to discuss, and it didn't go well. She floored her car out of the parking lot and didn't speak again until we were well outside of Hartford.
"So, Amy, how was your night? Was it as terrible as you thought it was going to be? she said, seemingly much calmer.
"Yeah, it wasn't bad, I bitched out Nikki, slapped Drew, and Mark fell over a fence, I finished. Alexis looked at me in awe, almost swerving into oncoming traffic.
"You better tell me everything when we back to your place, she ordered.
Oh, I will, but remember, you still owe me a drink, you promised! I said, and listened to her list off her excuses for why she can't buy tonight. I laughed and leaned my head back against the seat, careless to the condition it put my mowhawk in. I wonder what our tenth reunion will be like, I thought to myself, I guess we'll just have to see.