The Reunion

1

It has been such a rough day at school. I'm tired, and I'm starting to have an itch in my throat and no matter how much water I drink but doesn't go away. Walking mindlessly home and working up the courage to face my annoying roommate who doesn't shut up one second, I see the postman dropping some publicity in our mailbox. I huff, even more paper, we don't need, to recycle later. I take it out, sift through it looking for anything interesting, when a red envelope with my name written on it in gold calligraphic letters draws my attention. I check from whom it might be, but there seems to be no return address. Deciding to look at it later, I head upstairs, finding Elsie already in the kitchen 'cooking' something horrendous. She says she likes to cook, but then she does things like this everyday. Dry pasta without any sauce, potatoes out of the freezer, baked (not fried) spring rolls, just peas. I mean, I would not eat it. I drop my heavy bag unto the floor and put my headphones and the publicity on top of the other junk on the table next to the couch. I really want to keep my headphones on and fall in the couch, but I'm not inhumane, and I was brought up better than this. I cannot ignore her, she is still my roommate. So I just start to cook, while she is babbling about all her boyfriend-troubles. It is always the same. In the beginning I listened and gave her feedback which she just throws in the bin because my only feedback for her is to dump him. He's such an asshole, but he's her first love, first boyfriend, her first everything. And that's already much further than I have been getting lately. There is zero action in my life and believe me, I'm on the apps, but it doesn't help. It just makes me feel worse about myself. I've been on dates, kissed a few frogs, but that's about it, actually. My mind is wandering places they shouldn't be in at this moment. Bringing myself back to the present where I'm cooking, and Elsie sitting on the table telling me all about her life like I haven't already heard it a thousand times. I remind myself that the pasta has already been in the cooking water for a while. Draining it, my eye catches the red envelope on the junk table. I totally forgot about it, and I am so curious. What would it be about? Is it an invitation to some chique dinner party? Or an opening to an art gallery in the neighbourhood? I grab the envelope from the table, causing a few things to fall off, but I don't care. It will be me anyway who cleans up everyone's mess, so what's a bit more. Fumbling for a knife in the drawer, I can hear Elsie changing her subject to asking after the letter.
My God girlie can you not see i, myself, do not know yet.
I can feel my inner rage coming to a boiling point. Where is the fucking knife?
"If you are looking for a knife, I've put one in the washing machine"
For God's sake!
I yank the machine open and I almost cut myself on a broken glass. Why in hell would she put that in the washing machine? It's not like she is going to drink out of it, is she? I hurriedly open the letter, and immediate disappointment kills my rage.
It's an invitation to a school reunion.

Can you believe it? We haven't heard from these people in like 15 years. How did they even come up with the idea? And who is organizing this shit?
The invite requires a plus one. I don't want to go empty-handed, or at least not without a date. These people are like sharks for information. Like a competition, partners, studies, way of living, salary.
Taking my way to hot food upstairs, I try to dial Rosalie to ask her whether she has already seen the invite, but she doesn't answer. I huff. She'll call me back later. I plop down on the bed and start to eat my pasta. It's way too hot, and I know what you must be thinking. She is eating pasta in her bed?! Hell yes, I am! I cannot handle Elsie babbling any longer than necessary. Scrap that, it makes me sound heartless. I just need some quiet time.
I open my laptop to see if I have any deadlines coming up when Rosalie's name pops up on my phone.
'I'll call u l8er, getting some action x'
I cringe, too many details.
I skip the schoolwork and go straight to watching Gossip Girl, i need to relax. My neck is so tense lately. It doesn't help that I am watching Netflix right now with all those deadlines. But I need something to get my mind off the red envelope on my desk.