I’m not really. Granted, the reunion probably isn't the place to talk about my painful memories, but I need to see myself as valuable among all their successes.
My life is not a failure because I’m not where someone else is at my age, and that doesn’t mean it doesn’t have any value or beauty.
“So Jade is dead?” Ronan breaks the shocked silence, and I look at him as he raises his glass. “May he rot in hell then.”
Isn’t it ironic that my relationship with Ronan is what started the unfortunate chain of events that lead to my self-imposed imprisonment and now we can sit here together and wish the perv eternal agony?
He couldn’t stand me having a boyfriend.
Plus I remember him tattling on Ronan to his father so he ended up in the hospital. He thought his son should focus only on football without any distractions.
Oh my God.
Is this what caused his shoulder injury?
“Why can’t our group ever be normal? Look at them!” Alicia sighs, motioning with her head toward another table that’s laughing nonstop. “This is why we all skipped prom, too.”
“You skipped prom?”
She nods. “Yep. After we heard about the fire, it didn’t feel right to celebrate without you. Add Ronan’s hospital stay and Valerie’s broken leg, and it seemed like we were cursed,so we skipped it. There wasn’t much to celebrate with you all suffering.” A beat passes. “That was also when I discovered I was five months pregnant and got kicked out by my mom.” She grips the tablecloth, sadness flashing in her eyes, but she quickly covers it with a smile. “She still thinks I wasted my life for nothing, and she won’t see my kids.” She finishes on a little whisper, her hands trembling slightly, and my heart breaks for her.
We used to be on the same cheerleading team, so I know how it hurt her when her mom never showed up for any of our performances.
We were the only ones without anyone cheering for us.
“We need more drinks here, please.” Maria waves at the passing server, and says, “Champagne, whiskey, vodka. Bring whatever and keep them coming along with snacks.” He blinks and nods, dashing off to the bar, and she drums her fingers on the table. “If we’re being totally honest here then I hate my job. The only reason I became a lawyer was to please my father who could never be pleased because I wasn’t born a boy, and as such, I’m useless to him.”
“Is our table going to turn into a therapy session now? Because I came here to unwind and have no desire to listen to everyone’s problems, no offense,” Bridget says, sighing and flipping the cigarette through her fingers. “I’m having an emotional affair.” She shrugs when Alicia gasps and gapes at her. “What? I thought we were sharing traumas here!”
“How is cheating on your husband a trauma to you?”
“It’s an arranged marriage, remember? Our families wanted to merge the fortunes. We hate each other. Besides, he’s been cheating for years, so it’s not like I’m a bad person.”
“I’ve never been in a relationship,” Thomas speaks up from the end of the table, adjusting his thick glasses on his nose,and blushes when everyone’s brows rise at this. “But I’m not a virgin.”
“Thanks for the clarification, dude, because we would have wondered,” Evan mutters, and they share a laugh with Alvin, who sits next to him.
Amazing that they are still friends, considering they used to both have a crush on Bridget, and she kept dating them both without choosing anyone.
“Sex is boring. Feels like a chore.”
“Have you slept with more than one person?” Bridget asks, and Maria elbows her, making her huff. “What? It’s the truth. Can’t come to any conclusions without proper data and research.”
“Of course I did research! Who do you think you’re talking to, affair lover?” Bridget rolls her eyes at his passionate tone, which makes me smile. Thomas was all about science back in high school, so I’m not surprised he’s a famous geologist. “It feels all the same.”
“Okay, this is getting out of hand.” Valerie clears her throat and claps her hands. “It’s a reunion, not a trauma dump meeting. We came here to have a good time.”
“Reunion for what? You guys were all dicks to me in high school. So hearing you all got your karma is a good time for me,” Thomas reminds us all, and most of the table winces since they called him a nerd and frequently stole his homework.
“Besides, have you noticed how we have all the cheerleaders and football players at this table? It’s because everyone else either sat with someone else or refused to come.”
“Were we that bad?” Alvin wonders as the server returns, carrying a tray heavy with drinks, which he quickly puts on the table along with snacks, and then leaves. “We never bullied you.”
That’s true. Ronan wouldn’t have stood by it.
“No. But you were a tight-knit group of friends who never allowed anyone else into your circle, which affected the dynamics of the English class. And my father called me a loser for failing to make friends with you all.” Thomas grabs a vodka shot and drinks it in one gulp, wincing and reaching for a strawberry. “I hated you all.”
“Sorry about that,” Evan says, and everyone nods. “Not our proudest moments.” He leans back on his chair. “I have nothing to add to all this. I left my parents’ world behind, moved to a small town where I opened my own mechanic shop, and married the love of my life.” His voice turns soft, and my heart does a flip because it reminds me so much of Levi’s. “We have two kids together, and I love my wife. We live an ordinary life, and this manwhore here…” He bumps Alvin’s shoulder, who chuckles, popping nuts into his mouth. “Is their godfather who brings them expensive gifts.”
