2. BEATS ME

There were no lies I didn’t try telling that night, but none of them worked. These sneaky bitches knew what they were doing when they asked me about my plans previously before I came around to visit them.

The foolish me, oblivious to their plans, had blabbered about how I had nothing in my plans for the weekend since I got fired from my job a few days ago.

That was another story I didn’t want to remember. I worked my butt off for this company only for them to drop me like a hot potato in the name of restructuring. I felt so betrayed and ripped, but what else could I do?

Cry all I want, wipe them off and look for another one, of course.

“Can I not just go?” I pouted, trying to bribe them, but they shook their heads in unison.

Irene crossed her arms to her chest tightly, “Petals, there is no way you can escape this” she declared.

I sulked.

“What if I run into him? I have been trying all my best to avoid crossing his path and you both know that. You shouldn’t be pushing me”, I argued.

Monica crawled to me. “I already told you Stanley doesn’t attend the school reunion and even if he attends, you just have to ignore him. Are you trying to prove to him that you are still tied down by his actions? You are no longer a high school student! It’s been years, so grow the fuck out of it”

Her words were meant to be advice, but they were on a harsher level. It was indeed a bitter truth. I wasn’t supposed to be tied down by what happened years ago.

“If I don’t deal with it now, I will never get out of it” I assured myself, and agreed to go immediately.

Irene flashed a victorious smile. “Now that’s my baby.”

We all dressed up in our various outfits the next evening and got ready for the party. Irene was in a peach braless gown that stopped right under her firm buttocks. Her silky blonde hair was flowing down her bare back as she dazzled in her shiny eye shadow. Monica, on the other hand, was in a white dress that was woven from the top to the bottom on the left side. She didn’t put on anything underneath and just flashed her milky skin through the visible spaces. Her hair was wrapped in a large doughnut, her long neck accompanied with a shiny silver necklace.

“You girls are something else” I heard myself remark and they giggled.

Since I was the conservative type, I was in a green turtle neck but arm-less gown. My gown was a little above the knees and a silver belt ran along my waist. Half of my hair was hanging on my shoulder and the other on my back.

“I can’t believe I am looking at myself” I remarked, checking myself in the mirror as a pretty image flashed at me.

A beep on Irene’s phone alerted her “Our ride is here, let’s go”, she announced, and we marched into the car.

As we passed through the small café downstairs, we could hear the men whistle and check us out as we went to our car.

“Horny bastards” Irene giggled, entering the car last and the car kicked off.

A twenty minute ride and we were at the venue, which happened to be another hotel around the city.

“Welcome to Madison Hotel”, one of the employees at the door greeted us and ushered us in respectfully.

We were led to the large hall where the reunion was taking place and, wow! I met what made me speechless. The memories in my head were total lies. These boys and girls had surely grown into men and women, they were reeking of money.

I suddenly felt left out, below standard and not fitting in, but as time went on, I became relaxed and stuck by my bitches’ side.

No one believed I was the one whenever they saw me. My outfit must have made them believe that I had also leveled up in life, but I was not ready to have them look at me like a loser. I had no choice but to play along.

“Hey Petals!” someone called me from the back as the tip of my champagne glass kissed my mouth.

I turned back, “Steve!” I called out in excitement.

He was my seatmate back in school and had always protected me like a friend. He was the only guy I was comfortable with and, sadly, I had forgotten about him totally thanks to my cloudy life.

“You never texted back even though I was diligent in getting in touch with you”, he dropped out of the blue and confusion etched on my face.

“I never texted back?”

“Yes, you never did. I messaged you on the blue messenger app but you never for once opened it”, he insisted.

After a brief memory test run, I was finally able to figure out what he meant by that. “I never got the chance to retrieve my password after I forgot it, so I abandoned it. I am so sorry for that.”

“No it’s fine” smiled Steve.

I was about asking how he had been and sparking a conversation when a slender lady popped out from the side. She was unfamiliar, but at the same time, I felt I had seen her somewhere.

Steve caught on and introduced “Meet Diana. She was in the other class back then in school.”

My brain booted and my finger snapped suddenly. “Oh! That was it! It’s nice seeing you again”, a sudden smile flashed through my face.

“Same here” she waved her long finger and snatched Steve by the arm.

Her hand clutched him tightly as she said “I came to retrieve what belongs to me.” 

I almost scoffed but cautioned myself. “Sure, it’s not like I am holding onto him”, I answered.

She was pained, but who cares?

“See you later Steve”, I added, and walked out of their presence.

The party started and everything was going fine. I was so happy that the person I was avoiding didn’t come as said. No one also remembered the incident, as we all caught up with how our lives had been.

“I work as the senior manager of the oil milling company, I only flew in for the reunion and I will be leaving tomorrow”, one of them introduced.

“The stress of having to manage the hotel is not a small one, but as long as the cash rolls in, who cares?” another flexed

“You should know me as the most sought after lawyer.”

The testimonies were great but they didn’t have to introduce themselves to their jobs. What am I supposed to say when it’s my turn? I was thinking hard until I got the idea of visiting the restroom when it was a few minutes to my turn.

I was getting ready to carry out my plan when the atmosphere became tense. They suddenly kept whispering to one another, their eyes glued to the entrance as if they were waiting for someone to come in.

I leaned towards Irene. “Is someone coming?”

She shrugged. “I don’t know.”

I became anxious for some unknown reasons. It felt as if something was about to happen and I wouldn’t be able to handle it. The door opened to reveal whom I had dreaded all this while. He was in a black suit and tie and his shoes were radiating through the LED lights as they bounced on it.

My mouth parted, “What is he doing here?” I turned to Irene, my eyes becoming teary.

“Beats me” she remarked, her hand hanging midair.