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Business is slower than usual today, and I spend the first half hour of my shift with way too much free time to think about Grant. I’m almost grateful when the door opens and a group of people comes inside. I need to keep busy…I need more tables to serve. But then I see who the people are: Madison Bianchi and some other people I recognize from high school.
Seriously?
It’s been five years since I left Chester High. Things were okay most of the time, but as a plus-size girl with nerdy hobbies, some people were assholes, and Madison Bianchi was one of them. We were friends for a while until she went full mean girl. In sophomore year she wrote a note asking me out on a date and signed it from Cody Norman, the most popular guy in our grade. Luckily, one of Madison’s friends took pity on me and told me it was fake before I embarrassed myself. But damn, I still remember the way Madison would snigger at me when we got changed for gym class, as if my plus-sized body offended her just by existing.
I watch the group sit down at a table, my eyes fixed on Madison, when suddenly my heart sinks to the floor. I was too busy staring at her to notice the guy sitting opposite her.
Josh.
I feel like a bucket of ice water has been thrown over me, rooting me to the spot. What the hell is he doing here? Josh was in my grade at Chester High too, though we didn’t really know each other back then.
Since when was he buddies with Madison?
I watch them sitting at their table talking animatedly, all of them poring over a bunch of papers and notes that I can’t see. They look like they’re planning something.
What the heck is going on?
Before I can duck back into the kitchen, Madison looks up and our eyes meet. Crap. She gets up from the table with a quick word to her friends and heads toward the counter, raising an eyebrow at me.
“Hey there, what can I get for you?” I ask in my chirpy bistro voice. Maybe if I pretend not to recognize her, we won’t have to go through any awkwardness.
“Three diet cokes, a sprite, and a lemonade.”
I nod, making a quick note of her order. “I’ll get those to you right aw—”
“You’re Esme, right?” she cuts in, looking me up and down, clearly unimpressed. “Josh’s ex.”
“Uh…yeah, that’s me.”
My palms are sweating. I can see Josh looking at us from the table, and I want nothing more than to run back to Grant’s house, back to the safety of his arms, the warmth of his bed. I feel so trapped under the weight of their eyes.
“Well, that’s a match I never would have predicted,” Madison says with a little fake laugh. “He’s actually dating one of my best friends now. Hannah. She’s the pretty redhead over there.”
I look over, and sure enough, there she is sitting next to Josh: the girl he dumped me for. I didn’t recognize her at first—I’ve only ever seen her on social media—but she’s even more beautiful in person, and I feel my self-esteem crumble a little more. But I won’t let Madison see that.
“Okay. Good for him. Can I get you anything else?”
She glares at my curtness and reaches out to hand me a bright pink card. “Here.”
Confused, I scan it quickly.
Five Year Reunion
Class of 2017
Chester High School
Saturday October 15th
Starts at 7PM
“It’s $5 for a ticket,” Madison says. “All proceeds go to the school. There’s a Facebook group if you have any questions. My fiancé set it up.”
She emphasizes the word fiancé with a glint in her eye. I wonder how long she’s been waiting to get that into the conversation. Swallowing my bitterness, I look down at the card, thinking that I’d rather gouge my own eyes out than go to this thing. But I keep my cool.
“I’ll have to check my calendar. I’ll get back to you on Facebook.”
“Fine,” she says. “I assume you won’t be needing two tickets.”
