The night air feels colder, crueler even.I know this is merely my mind playing tricks.Coming here was always going to evoke these feelings of helplessness and loneliness, but seeing those friends, it hit hard that that could have been Dandy and me.
I miss him.
I always have.
But coming back here has opened that wound back up, and before I can question what the fuck I’m doing, my feet are leading me toward the last place I should be.
The Hurricane, the ice creamery I once worked at, looks stuck in time.Nothing about it has changed, and that’s not a good thing.The sickly-sweet smell lingers in the air and thecaneportion of the wordHurricanestill flickers, alerting patrons tohurrithe hell out of here.Dandy and I used to say it was a sign from above.
We were so silly and carefree.
I stand in the shadows, looking into the shop window.The usual clientele still frequents the place.Cheerleaders and jocks.Some things don’t change.The young girl serving the quarterback in his ridiculous jacket is clearly unimpressed.Knowing his kind, he’s probably trying to swindle a free milkshake.
It’s a billion degrees outside, so wearing that jacket is just a statement piece to show off to those who may not know who he is.
The sight reminds me of Rebecca and her friends.They were so mean as kids.I can’t imagine what they’d be like now.I wonder if she and Bobby are still together.I honestly haven’t given them much thought until now.
During my teenage years, they were always present in my life.Now, those times feel far away and almost forgotten.
“Lucky he’s good-looking, right?”says a familiar voice.
Turning, I feel the color drain from my cheeks because who stands before me, in uniform and holding a garbage bag over his shoulder, is none other than Dandy.
He still works here?
Why does that fact make me sadder than I already am?
We had big plans to get the fuck out of here.Yet here we are, returning to the place we vowed to leave.
My tongue is heavy, and it feels as if I’ve forgotten how to speak.All I can do is stare at my once best friend and assure myself this isn’t a dream.
Dandy’s hair is a washed-out black.His lighter roots show.He has a silver hoop in his nose, and both ears are pierced.His face is gaunt.His eyes are hollowed, haunted.But something sparks behind them when he looks at me.He doesn’t just look, he studies me, and I see the recognition.
“Hallie?”he questions, but he knows it’s me.
To hear my name after hiding behind an alias for so long almost brings tears to my eyes.I can be me again.
However, I should leave and never return, but I can’t abandon Dandy—not again.
I can’t, especially when it’s apparent that he’s in pain.If he suffers from the same illness his father did, then he needs love and support.He needs to know that even though I left, he never left my heart.
We stand staring at one another, both in shock.
We have years to catch up on because I remember the Dandy he once was.This Dandy, I don’t know.And the same goes for him with me.
I knew he would recognize me.He was my best friend.We spent almost every day together for so many years.That bond is one you don’t forget.
“I-I—” He fumbles over his words.“Are you a ghost?”
Sounds dramatic to some, but I understand.I disappeared, only to reappear like this.Of course he thinks something supernatural is at play.That’s far more probable than me standing here, of my own accord, after disappearing without a trace.
“I’m sorry.”It’s all I can say.
Dandy shakes his head before bursting into hysterical laughter.“I don’t see you for years, and the first words you say are you’re sorry.Sorry for what, exactly?”
He’s angry.
He has every right to be.
