Lies That Bind (on hold temporarily)

Chapter One

S A R A

"Krissy, I'm not going," I say into the phone for what seems like the twentieth time in the last five minutes.

"C'mon, Sara, you have to go! Think of how much fun it'll be seeing everyone again."

"Fun? Do you remember anything about high school?"

I hear her sigh through the phone and if I know anything about my best friend, it was paired with one hell of an eye roll.

"Of course I remember," she pauses, taking in a breath before saying, "But you can't tell me that there's not a single person you'd want to see from our class."

"Other than you, I can't say there is."

Lie. I want to see him.

"Then come for me. We haven't seen each other in over three years, Sara."

"I'll come visit you some other time and we can catch up, but there's no way in hell I'm going to the reunion."

"Why are you being so damn stubborn?!" she screams into the phone and I can picture the vein popping out in the middle of her forehead.

"I'm not. I'm just not interested in standing in the gym of our old high school listening to how everyone has this amazing, happy life with their wife or husband and how 'little Jimmy took his first steps when he was five months old,' while I have literally nothing other than my job."

"Now you're just being annoying, no kid walks before nine months and even that is-"

"Who gives a flying fuck?!" I pinch the bridge of my nose, trying to calm down knowing that it's Krissy I'm mad at, it's myself.

"You know what, Sara, I take it back, don't bother coming to the reunion. You're just going to be a miserable bitch the whole time you're here, so you might as well save the money."

"Kris, I'm sorry," I say meekly, as tears well in my eyes.

"Don't be. It was stupid of me to think you would want to come anyway," she responds with a hint of annoyance in her voice.

"Please don't hate me," I whisper as the tears I was so desperately holding back start to fall down my cheeks.

"I could never hate you. I just wish you'd tell me why you really don't want to come."

I wish I could...

"Look, I gotta go, the hubby just got home from work. If you want to talk about it you know I'm just a call away."

"T-thanks," I say before hanging up and tossing my phone onto my bed.

I slip out of my work clothes and make my way to the bathroom, turning the water on and letting it run for a few minutes to warm up before stepping in.

I stand there with my eyes closed, tears streaming down my cheeks along with the too-hot water as memories of high school flicker through my mind.

Love. Lust. Lies. Friendship. Heartbreak. Betrayal.

Alec...

Tyler...

"Sar, are you home yet?" Nat, my obnoxiously intrusive roommate, calls from the living room, snapping me out of my trip down memory lane. Which is probably for the best.

"In the shower, I'll be out in a couple minutes," I yell back.

Four...Three...Two...One...

The bathroom door swings open, Nat frantically runs over to the glass shower door and pulls it open and takes a step inside.