Chapter 2 #2
“Of course, he would.” I laughed at my friend, because the object of my obsession and the man who broke my heart would recognize me in a heartbeat.
I had stood mere inches—well, feet—from his face.
I mean, he didn’t really look at me, but he saw me.
I was right there. Of course he would know me. I hadn’t changed that much.
She raised a dark eyebrow. “You had short, curly hair with chunky highlights, braces, a flat chest, and acne—on a much rounder face.”
“Hey!” I slapped her arm.
She reared back, holding her hands up. “I’m just saying, Rae…you looked totally different back then, and you’re definitely not flat-chested now.”
I rolled my eyes. “It’s the bra.”
“Okay, but what about your long hair, with all those flattering layers and highlights, and your skin? Bitch, you’re hot.” Nora suddenly leaned over to deliver a slap to my arm, but the banana was half in her mouth, causing the other half to fall.
“Nora, eww! Keep your banana in your mouth.” I playfully slapped her back.
She was laughing so hard now that she had to spit the remaining mouthful out. On a labored breath, she wheezed out, “That’s what she said!”
I rolled my eyes. “I’m not cleaning that up, and you realize that made no sense, right?”
She rubbed a napkin over the mess she’d made, giggling to herself. “I’m just jealous because we’re both single and going to have to pull from the very shallow dating pool of Mount Macon.”
Groaning, I laid my head on the table. “Don’t remind me.”
Maybe she had a point about not being recognized, and it wasn’t like he ever really saw me anyway. All my antics, and he never, ever acknowledged me.
Nora toyed with the placemat, softly offering, “You know I can ask my parents if he’s still around, if you want, just to be sure.”
I waved her off. “No, it’s fine… I would rather not know.”
“Great, then let’s not dwell on it, and even if he does still live here, it’s not like you’ll have to see him.”
“Yeah, you’re right.” We both stood.
“You’re going to ruin your curls if you don’t go home and take that off.” I pointed to the towel wrapped around her head.
“Oh my God, I totally forgot to put any product in.” She ran past me, and I laughed as she flew out my door, slamming it shut.
I walked over and opened it, calling after her. “I missed you, Nora-Bora!”
Holding her towel, she half turned and yelled back, “Missed you, too, Rae Bae!”
Securing the bolt, I sagged against the frame, allowing my forehead to kiss the wood.
So much had changed in the span of the past two weeks.
Once I gave notice at my jobs, I gave notice to my landlord and then packed all my stuff.
I didn’t have any need for any of the furniture I’d scavenged, so I asked Darrow if he wanted it.
Turns out, he had a sister who did, so he had moved all the large stuff out.
I packed my belongings in my suitcase, and then boarded a flight and left New York.
Slowly padding down the hall, I embraced the silence of the house and allowed it to cradle my tender heart.
This place held so many memories. It all looked the same, but different.
The living room had a new area rug, and the appliances in the kitchen had been updated, but everything else was the same.
I looked over each photo frame and ensured my parents had not snuck in any photos of teenage me.
They were still completely oblivious to the fact that I had taken all those pictures before I left and stashed them away.
I smirked as I took in the two steps toward the cramped staircase that led to the top floor, where my parents’ bedroom and the master bathroom were.
The narrow hall in front of me led to a guest bathroom, my mother’s office, and then—the last door on the left—my old bedroom.
Opening the door, I inhaled the faint smell of dust and a burst of something floral.
Eyeing my small desk, I saw a small air freshener propped up, which explained the fresh scent.
I stepped inside, the carpet still soft under my toes, the walls still filled with posters, awards, drawings, and pictures from different people and periods of my life.
My queen-sized bed was made up with freshly washed blankets, with a small pillow in the middle that said Welcome Home across it.
Suddenly, tears clogged my throat as the heavy burden of living alone began to slip away.
I knew why I had left, but my parents hadn’t.
Not once had I uttered a word about that night, or the years that had led up to it.
I had a feeling Carl had never let it slip, either, otherwise my mother would have called me, or at least gotten on a flight and demanded I return home.
In retrospect, leaving was a rash decision.
One that I had suffered for the past four years of my life.
Blinking away fresh tears, I tipped my head back and fell against the bed.
Peace was like concrete, filling in all the fissures and cracks that now outlined my life. Calm swept over me as I acknowledged I’d done the right thing by coming back, even if the humiliation burned like a soldering iron along my chest.