“I still think you should say something. You look like shit. That’s not cool.”
Guess I look like shit. What are sisters for?
I decided I’d stay in my room for the rest of the day. My head continued to pulsate. And I didn’t want to give my mom the chance to study my face. She would be the one to question the uneven tan. It was safer in my room.
I grabbed my notebook and a pen, skootched myself up the bed and rested my head on the pillows, then reached into my bedside table to grab my iPod from the drawer. Loud sounds probably would have bothered my injured head, but I didn’t care. I needed my music. The ambient and trancey beats were the only thing that would put me at ease, besides Frankie.
“What?” I anxiously dissected the drawer. The iPod wasn’t there.
No. No. No. It’s at his house.
27
THE REUNION
Where am I?
I look around the room and realized I zoned out. Every face is pointed in my direction—blind stares and open jaws. Some with tears in their eyes. What happened? What’s going on? A voice continues to talk at the head of the room near the entrance.
“My dad shoved him into a wall and knocked him out. And I did nothing. I did nothing to protect him, out of fear that some of you didn’t want to be friends withus.” He points to the table where his old friends sit. Heather is eying me. But this time her look is much softer.
Oh my. That’s where I am.
Thad is standing at the podium in front of the mic, his swollen blue eyes emitting a few tears. “I’m sorry Étienne,” he calmly says from above the mic.
I know why he was apologizing. It’s not for what his dad did to me. He’s apologizing for his behavior all those years ago. He regrets that he never responded when I reached out to him. I did, the night after. And even the day after that. I called him. I wanted to assure him that I was okay and that I still wanted to be with him. But he never answered. He wouldn’t even look in my direction when senior year started.
I felt nothing that year. I dropped out of my sports teams. My grades fell. All of my anxieties and insecurities returned as I pushed myself further into seclusion. I needed him the most during that time, and I’d hoped he needed me. But his life looked like it went back to normal. I envied that.
I look to the left of me. I’m still standing at the bar, drink in hand. Somehow it hasn’t fallen. Dana is standing by my side. I have no idea when she arrived, but I’m happy to see her there, and immediately notice her blond hair, its natural color for the first time since we were kids.
I knew you wouldn’t ditch me.
“I’m glad I got here in time.” She smiles then hugs me as my eyes start to swell.
I look up from behind Dana as her arms are wrapped around me. Thad left the podium and is heading toward the two of us. My heart thumps—I’m not prepared to talk to him. We haven’t spoken since that last night at his house eleven years ago. It began so wonderfully, then ended so violently. I really missed him. It’s not often in life you’re able to meet your other half at such an early age. He was my perfect match. I’ve compared him to everyone over the years, even when I was trying not to.
I let go of Dana as he comes closer.
He reaches into his front right pocket. “I have something for you,” he says, then pulls out a small, weathered iPod.
“You kept it?” I look up at his teary face, my gaze meeting his. Time has been kind to him—his icy blue eyes and silvery blond hair are virtually unchanged.
“This little thing still works. I even listen to your playlist sometimes. Well, all the time. Especially the last song.”
I remember that song— “Ride (Tiësto Remix)”by Cary Brothers.
I never really did lose you, did I?