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Rebekah was bright, chipper, and seemed nice. Like, genuinely nice. Which of course, is the polar opposite of what she'd been back in high school. She'd been the stereotypical mean girl – sugary-sweet to your face, and then she'd stab you right in the back a moment later.
Back then, it had been easy for me to see through her forced bubbliness. But standing there with her, I didn't get a sense of that mean girl she used to be. She'd either gotten really good at hiding it, or she'd actually changed. If she had, it might be the very first case of a tiger changing its stripes in human history.
I scratched my head waiting for the other shoe to drop when, all of the sudden, I realized that everyone was looking at me. Or at least it felt that way. The knots already in my stomach constricted painfully and I grew increasingly uncomfortable beneath their scrutiny. Almost as if operating of their own volition, my eyes darted this way and that, looking for an avenue of escape.
But I took in a breath and let it out slowly. Forced myself to calm down and act like an adult – and was barely able to manage the feat.
“I’ve been living in California for the last couple of years,” I managed to croak out.
“Oooh, how exciting,” she beamed. “So, what brings you back to Black Oak? Why would you leave a paradise like that?”
My stomach dropped. The dreaded question.
“It was time,” I said and shrugged, forcing a smile onto my face I hoped looked more genuine than it felt.
“C'mon, I need the details, girl,” she said, her smile as wide as her face. “You married? Any kids?”
I clenched my jaw tight, cursing my stomach for leading me over to that damn food truck to begin with.
“No. To both,” I said, my voice barely more than a whisper.
“Ah, well you're a pretty, young thing, I'm sure one of these fine Black Oak men will be linin' up to snatch you right up,” she said, scrunching up her fast as she squeezed my hands. “You should come into my daddy's church next Sunday, we'd love to have you. Maybe, we can even introduce you to some of our eligible bachelors.”
She looked at me with wide blue eyes that – unlike when we were younger – didn't hold a trace of malice in them. She looked and sounded like Rebekah Henderson, but it was like I was talking to a completely different person. Had the body snatchers visited my hometown?
It was completely disconcerting, and before I could stop to think about it, an entirely inappropriate, maybe even cruel, question came flying out of my mouth.
“Umm, Rebekah?” I asked. “Why are you being so nice to me? You were always so mean back in school. It's not like we were friends or anything.”
We'd been the exact opposite, in fact. Bennett McCormick had taken her to homecoming, and when they found me walking home alone – after my date had ditched me – Bennett kindly offered to give me a ride.
Rebekah was clearly furious that I'd intruded on their date and had glared and made spiteful comments to me the entire ride home. It was about the most uncomfortable I'd ever been in my life and she just kept piling on, making me feel like absolute garbage. From that day forward, she would only glare at me when we walked in the halls and whisper about me behind my back. She acted as if I had been the reason the two of them split up.
Staring at her belly, I couldn't help but wonder if that child was Bennett's. They were the perfectly beautiful high school couple everyone assumed would get married someday. It had been shocking when they split up. But, looking at her belly again, I wondered if maybe they'd gotten together again at some point.
“A lot has changed, Hailey,” Rebekah said, stroking the cross at her neck. “I've found God. Back then, I thought I knew Him, but now – well, now I really do. And I can't even begin to tell you how ashamed I am for how I behaved back then. I know I'll never be able to take it back, but I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me.”
Her eyes glistened as she spoke and she rubbed her swollen midsection like it was an unconscious reaction.
“I'm happy for you,” I said, motioning to her stomach.
And I meant it. As much as I hated her in high school, if she was willing to turn her life around and be a better person, good for her. Maybe, it was a lesson I could stand to learn from as well. Again, my eyes fell on her belly.
“So, you're married then?” I asked.
“Oh no,” she laughed nervously.
Suddenly, there was an awkward tension in the air and it was as if our positions had switched. She was no longer eager to keep talking to me, her eyes flitting around wildly like she was looking for an escape route. She quite obviously didn't want to talk about her pregnancy.
“Listen, it's been great seeing you again, Hailey, but I really should get going.”
She hurried away just as I made my way to the front of the line. Of all people to greet me, Bennett McCormick smiled down at me from the food truck window. His chocolate brown eyes crinkled at the corners as his smile was brighter than the moon.
“Hailey Roberts, huh?” he said. “Decided to come back to Black Oak after all.”
My heart skipped a beat. I couldn't believe he not only recognized me, but remembered my name after all this time.
Bennett's face was masculine, chiseled, and beautiful beyond perfection. High cheekbones and a strong jaw dominated his face, but his eyes – a rich brown that reminded you of milk chocolate drizzled with caramel – softened his otherwise rugged face. His hair was short on the sides, long on top, and he'd obviously used plenty of product to give it an actual style.
