Wildfire

Five

The alarming shouting from outside the room erupted her eardrums as she couldn't face the fact that she actually came to the small reunion of twenty plus old classmates...so much for a small reunion...
The enticing nails on her fingers seemed like a very good option at the time to end the fast beating of her heart as it continued to make her hands and arms shake. Her breathing quickly became heavy. This was unnatural for her in the past. Things in her life changed over the years. Twenty-two-year-old Elizabeth wasn't the same as she was a few years ago.
She seemed so out of it, like if someone came up to her and brought up bad memories... The loud bursting of the bathroom door frightened Elizabeth half to death. She quickly held on to her small, pink purse, hurriedly exiting the club's bathroom. The place was so huge, even the crowd. The small reunion didn't exist anymore.
Far away from Elizabeth's location, there was a table with EJ and Asha standing around it. They greeted each other, but mostly they were so happy to see each other. It's been a year since EJ has been around.
"Mr. Celebrity," she grinned as she released him from her hug, "you're like that clown that only shows up a few other years or so...right?"
"I come back every year," he laughed at Asha, "I will never forget home...I will never forget y'all. How have you and the fiancée been?"
Grinning and blushing as she couldn't control all the feelings she had for Tahlia, Asha playfully fist bumped EJ's left shoulder. It was amazing that she was feeling happy instead of angry, that's what Tahlia always brought out in her. That's why she loved her so much.
From the corner of one of her eyes, she could see Eli going over to chat with some of his old classmates. It bothered her a bit, which remained questionable at the time. She was easily getting upset that he acknowledged them and didn't think about coming over to acknowledge her or EJ.
"He doesn't have to talk to us if he doesn't want to," EJ acknowledged the noticeable angered Asha, "it's been years...he just probably wants to act like we never existed to him."
Slowly, Asha simmered down, listening to EJ as if she was listening to Tahlia. The way he made her calm was so similar to Asha's fiancée, she missed that calmness from him. He was just like Tahlia, but as a guy. She remembered how younger her had a small crush on both him and Eli; but mostly EJ. Her attraction with Eli was mainly because of his looks.
Pale as a sheet, Elizabeth walks over to Asha and EJ's table, mostly trying to have a conversation with Asha.
"Asha, um, Reina—..." she spoke to Asha before being interrupted by a pleased EJ.
"Elizabeth, hey...it's been a while..." he admitted to her about his year going invisible.
She looked over at him, not really realizing that he was at the table. It's been a while since they all reconnected, but it's been a long time since she reconnected with EJ.
Not knowing what to do after her awkward silence, Elizabeth grabbed EJ tightly, hugging him as if she didn't see him in a year. Elizabeth hasn't seen EJ in three years. The conversation that she was about to have with Asha completely went away like a poof, as if the topic wasn't even that critical to be discussed right away.
While Elizabeth and EJ dreamed into each other's eyes, Asha stares back at a far away Eli who is now accompanied by a woman of Native American race. Must be his fiancée, she assumed as she heard about him being in an open relationship. She hasn't actually met the woman in person. This was her first time seeing Amina.
Spooking her a little, Renee taps Asha's shoulder from behind. She finally wasn't paying attention to Eli anymore, thankfully; she probably would've had a mini-heart attack after witnessing someone she once had a crush on be with someone else, but why should she care? Isn't she engaged to Tahlia?
"I thought this was a reunion for past high school students, not past high school students and their plus ones..." Asha became a little jealous for no reason.
"Are you still not over the thing between you and Eli," Renee went on, hoping that Asha would cool down, "and Amina did graduate with us. You were too busy flirting with the whole football and basketball team to even notice."
Asha didn't even respond because she didn't want to look like an idiot in front of Renee. Renee was the one listening to her whole Elizabeth and EJ were in their own little world having a conversation with each other; or that was until Reina showed up at their table...
"Hey guys..." Reina placed her purse at their table.
EJ and Elizabeth's conversation grew silent. You could see the fear in their eyes, but there was joy in Renee and Asha's. With huge smiles, they both hugged the woman as they were real comfortable with her.
"I know that I already asked Elizabeth earlier, but are you two coming to my party at Lovelies?" Reina asked Renee and EJ.
With no hesitation, Renee agreed. It took EJ a whole minute to even open his mouth. He hasn't seen Reina in so long; and he was hoping to never see her again.
"EJ, don't be rude. Speak to the girl..." Asha trying to snap EJ out of his trance, not wanting everything to look awkward in front of Reina.
After hearing Asha's voice, EJ woke up from his fear. Not knowing what to say to her or not the others, he shook his head slowly up and down. Reina took his head shaking as a yes, but who knows what EJ was really agreeing to? He could've been agreeing to not going, no one would ever know until her party commences.
Reina left the four alone to think about what she just said, but really just Elizabeth and EJ.
"How w-were y'all just nonchalantly talking to Reina like that?" EJ questioned both Asha and Renee.
While EJ and Elizabeth remained in a trance of shock and fear, Renee and Asha laughed it off as if nothing was wrong with having a normal conversation with Reina. There was a lot not said during the night. There was a lot that was kept a secret...from Reina... It's been that way for years, but what was that secret?