KING OF HEARTS and QUEEN OF SPADES

CHAPTER X. MEMORY LANE

20 years ago in the downtown bar

Simone Lightbourne, Russell Lightbourne, Hannah Green, Jake Griffin, Abbigail Griffin, Aurora Blake, Titus Lightbourne, Mr. Franco and Mrs. Woods, Mr. Woods and John Blake, Marcus Kane, Indra Forest and Nia Whiteman alongside with Jacapo Sinclair were in the same bar. It was one of those high school reunions where everyone was pretending that everything was great in their lives, and smiles were the new fake.

On one of the bar stools was Abby Griffin, talking to John Blake. She seemed too friendly for a field agent who was extorting information from her ex-high school colleague. John was a primary suspect in the ongoing investigation upon the Woods &Lightbourne Corp. regarding money laundry and fraud. Jake was having a conversation with Mr. Woods over a glass of expensive whiskey. For the rest of world he was Mr. Woods, but for Jake Griffin he was just Gustus. When they used to play football, Gustus was the jammer and Jake was the gunner. The duo was unbreakable and over the years, they kept the combos until they got married and had kids. Gustus married Jake's crush from senior year, Amanda, and he married the med student with a huge ambition – Abbigail.

They graduated and pursued their dream careers, but every fairytale needs a villain – the Lightbournes and Franco took care of that. They built the technology empire and exploited every inch of tech markets as much as they could. The Griffins 'graduated' Quantico, while the Woods family moved to Europe, trying to set up diplomatic liaisons with their government. The Francos decided to separate themselves from the Lightbournes because they started to practice unethical methods and jumped the pond for spacecraft and space technology. Titus kept his pharmaceutical industry up and running but the path wasn't exactly all flowers and sunshine – that's why Jake and Abby were investigating them.

Nia Whiteman had children and, unfortunately for her, they had different fathers. She did pursue her fashion passion, and now she has her own design house. John Blake left Aurora because he couldn't be around her when she was using drugs or she was violent. Indra Forest, their former PE teacher, is preparing to open her first clinic in town, supported by Sinclair who, surprisingly, was still single. Hannah Green pursued her botanical career and now owned pretty much every damn piece of farming land near the city, and she was trying her love charms with a few people. Kane was a young, ambitious politician – that guy loved school, now he wants to help others, still such a big heart, was Jake's thought when he saw Kane going up on the small stage to deliver a speech.

- Thank you for being here today. I feel like just yesterday we graduated and tomorrow we'll leave hometown for university. Isn't it a bit nostalgic? I raise my glass for the lessons we've learned, and for everything we accomplished so far. To Arkadia High! To my wolves!

A general howling was made like back in the days before the football team was entering the stadium. They loved the game and somehow the girls loved the players.

- So....John took a sip of whiskey for courage...Abby, how is your life with a kid and the busy medical career? Does Jake tag along or he is the stay at home dad?

- Oh, John...Jake is the one working harder. I am trying to be a mother and a doctor, sometimes the line is blurred, but I manage. How are you with...how many again?

- Two! Two crazy kids. Bell is a good help, because he is keeping an eye on Octavia, but Aurora is a lost cause...after she had Octavia everything went sideways.

- John, please let me help. I can recommend you a good doctor, a good place to send her. She needs medical attention. I heard from Indra that 2 out of 7 days the police is at your door.

- Abby...I don't want to –

- Please, John, I insist! I know women can struggle after childbirth and after she lost her family in that fire – partly ... I can't blame her.