We Grew Back Together

2: Lovers Point

Harper went around the house to the backyard, as instructed by the text sent to her upon arrival.

She saw the group sitting around a fire pit at the back of the yard, talking and laughing.

"Harper, hey!" Her coworker, Alice, waved her over.

"I brought some snacks and stuff on the way," she held up the shopping bag as she entered the light of the string lights over the area, "I hope you guys like them..."

She sat next in the lawn chair next to Alice's and placed the snacks between them.

Alice turned to her and told her, "Alright, so going around the fire we have Liam, Evan, Stella, and Jay."

Harper turned to the group, who were all now staring at her. She shrank back in her seat a bit and gave a small sheepish wave.

"Everyone, this is Harper, we work together at the Salon. She just moved here."

"Hey," she felt the need to follow up. Seeing everyone's curious eyes she fidgeted in her seat and tried to fill the silence, "I used to live around here back in elementary school... so it's weird being back but between school y'know?"

The group all looked at each other, as if they were telepathically speaking.

Stella asked, "Which elementary school did you go to?"

"Sycamore."

Most of the group had no idea what that meant.

Harper looked to Alice. Alice shrugged and said, "I moved here in middle school, so I'm just as lost as you are."

"I went to Stonebrook," Stella grabbed Harpers attention. She gestured toward the others, "So did Evan, but Liam and Jay are from different towns. Our highschool was four different towns together."

"Oh," Harper looked at the others as they nodded in agreement.

"Didn't Nic go to Sycamore?" Evan asked Stella across the fire.

"Yeah."

The conversation changed back to their gossip from before, Harper didn't know any of the people they were referencing but her best guess was people from their highschool who happened to go to the same college as some of them.

Sure Harper could just go hang out with her old highschool friends, but honestly she didn't talk to any of them after leaving for school. She wasn't sure if she wanted to.

She didn't feel above them or past them, it's just she didn't feel like a part of their group back in highschool. She was but it didn't feel like it after grad.

"Where do you go, Harper?" Liam pulled her from her thoughts, his gaze crossing the fire to meet hers.

"Oh uh-" she stammered, "Newton Tech."

"All the way by Boston?"

"Yeah. It's pretty up there." Harper chuckled, "Cold in the winter though..."

"I almost applied there but it was too expensive for me," Jay added, "but it really was nice up there. Good school too."

Next to Harper, Alice's phone rang. She picked it up and asked, "Oh are you finally going to show up? Yeah, fine. Don't take too long though. You're already late as is! The fire is done and there's no more wood left. Actually we're all gone. It's all over, you missed your chance."

Harper looked around to see the whole group snickering to themselves. They all must know who Alice was talking to.

Alice took the phone away from her ear and let her finger hover over the end call button as the other end rambled back at her. Alice quickly spoke, "YeahwhateverIhateyouseeyouneverbye."