The Reunion

Chapter 3

Cherie sat in Skylar's bedroom and it was everything she imagined it to be; a typical teenage girl's room with posters of shirtless teen heart throbs on the wall, pink accents and teddy bears on the bed. It was sickeningly cute and she felt out of place in the room but tried to make herself comfortable on the huge bean bag in the corner.

"Why do you look so nervous?" Skylar asked, entering the room with a bowl of chips.

"I'm not." She was.

"You look like you want to throw up or something."

"I'm fine, I promise." But Skylar's eyes stayed rooted on her. "Fine, I'm a little nervous being here."

"Why?"

"I've just never had a friend in school before and no one has ever invited me over to their house or introduced me to their mother as their friend. It's just a lot of work to put in for a cruel joke."

"Cherie, I wish you would trust me. You are my friend and believe me when I say that you're the only person I like at our school."

Cherie didn't respond, she didn't know how to without confessing her hidden feelings she'd developed for Skylar over the months. A smile would have to do and that's all she gave as Skylar settled next to her as the movie began.

***

Cherie was brought back to the present day by her ringing phone. It was Eddie and she excused herself as she answered the call.

"Did you make it out alive?"

"I did but I'm not home."

"Where are you? Please tell me you're not outside Sophia's house."

"I'm not." It bothered her that he thought she would be there but she couldn't blame him for thinking that. She had done it before. "I'm out with a friend." She sent a smile to Skylar, who returned it. "We're going to get something to eat so I will talk to you later. I'm safe and I will be safe."

"Okay. I'll call you in the morning."

"Night." She ended the call. "Sorry about that. It was a friend of mine. I told him I was going to call him once I got home from the reunion."

"It's still early," Skylar commented, looking at her watch, "Were you heading home when I saw you?"

"Not exactly. I mean I was going to leave but then I saw you and well, here we are."

"I don't want to keep you if you were going home."

"I'd rather be here with you if that's fine. There's nothing for me to go home to."

Skylar gave a look that said she understood and she linked their arms together, pulling Cherie towards a restaurant that was a few feet away. Cherie watched as Skylar strayed away from anything healthy on the menu, while she settled on the limited plant-based options that were there.

"You don't eat meat?"

"No, I've been plant based for a while."

"It works for you." Skylar eyes traveled her body again and it felt intrusive but she welcomed it. "Does it bother you when other people eat meat around you?"

"No. My ex-wife was a meat eater." In more ways than one, she thought to herself and started to laugh.

"What?"

"It's nothing," She said with a laugh and realized that Skylar never accepted that response of it being nothing, even in that moment she waited for the truth and Cherie gave it to her. "It was just a stupid thought that crossed my mind and made me laugh. Thinking my ex-wife ate meat in more ways than one."