AllFreeNovel
Share Us
She reached out and hugged Margie—who looked startled but pleased. She turned back to glance at me with raised eyebrows.
We entered the house, and it turned out that a lot of people knew Margie’s name. She introduced me to several people, some of whom were familiar faces around campus. But I didn’t know anyone here personally, which was a new experience for me.
I was starting to suspect that the EAC people weren’t that cliquey—it was just that Margie hadn’t had the confidence needed to break into the group.
We got paper plates and loaded them up with food, all of which looked fantastic, and then sat down. There were about twenty people in the house, so some people sat on the floor of the living room, while others sat on the sides of the couch, because the couch itself was stuffed.
A few people trickled in, but still, no one that I knew.
And that was when I saw her—Nicole!
My jaw literally hung open, and I turned around quickly so we wouldn’t make eye contact. What in the world was Nicole doing here, so soon after I’d discussed her with my mother? Today was turning out to be a da
y of coincidences.
My heart started to pound. It wasn’t a big deal that Nicole was here—it wasn’t like we’d left on bad terms, and honestly, she was a decent person. It was just weird. I didn’t like getting this blast from the past, especially when I was so close to escaping Beasley forever.
I couldn’t keep sitting in this room, pretending she didn’t exist. I had to face her at some point. And I probably should inform Margie, too. I wondered how she’d take it. Was she the kind of person who was weird about exes?
I took a deep breath. Looked like I was about to find out.
12
MARGIE
Brianne stiffened where she was sitting next to me, and I wasn’t sure why. I looked around, but I didn’t see anyone familiar. She was staring at her plate, her eyes slightly wide, and a small frown on her face.
I nudged her. “Hey. What’s the matter?” I asked quietly.
“Oh, um…” She paused to pull her phone out. “Check your texts in a minute.”
I picked at my food, intensely curious. Then I saw my phone’s screen light up and I scrambled to read the text.
> BRIANNE: The girl in the dark blue striped sweater is my ex from freshman year, Nicole. We’re cool but we haven’t talked since then so I just feel weird.
“Oh,” I said, unsure of how to the navigate the situation. I wanted to do whatever Brianne felt comfortable doing.
But on the other hand, Nicole was ridiculously good-looking and apparently popular with all the people here. In fact, I remembered her from the EAC parties I’d been to, the ones where I’d felt intimidated. I’d seen her hanging out with other people, easily chatting and enjoying the vibe, and I’d felt like I could never be a part of that.
And to think she was Brianne’s ex… that made me feel even worse. How could I ever compete against someone so socially graceful and beautiful? Especially someone with whom she’d had a clean break up? If they were still on good terms…
I tried not to think about it and instead replied to Brianne.
> MARGIE: I’m okay with whatever you want to do.
It would be up to her. I continued to eat my food, even though my nerves were getting the better of me. I’d feel even worse if I didn’t eat.
Bringing Brianne to this potluck hadn’t been as good of an idea as I’d hoped. Of course, I loved the idea of bringing her to things, but bringing her hadn’t made me feel more confident, even though she seemed to be able to talk to the other EAC members just fine. I wondered where people learned conversational skills like that, since I never had.
“I should probably just say hi,” said Brianne quietly next to me, adding a sigh. She stood up. “Want to come with?”
“I guess,” I said, standing up with her and heading to the kitchen, where another group of people was standing and eating.
And Nicole was there, surrounded by a bevy of people, looking carefree and popular. How in the world did people end up in situations like that, like they were the quintessential college student enjoying life? I felt like I always looked downtrodden, quashed by the weight of my backpack.
“Hey,” said Brianne, approaching Nicole with a confidence I couldn’t even fathom.
Nicole’s attention turned to Brianne, and some of the bevy floated away. “Hey,” said Nicole, looking Brianne up and down. “Haven’t seen you in… years.”
