Best Friends Forever

Chapter One

"Did you get your invitation?"

I looked up from my coffee, where I'd been zoning out, watching the cappuccino froth slowly becoming one with the rest of the liquid, to see Courtney staring at me with a curious smile.

"No...?" I said slowly before taking a sip from my coffee.

I had no idea what she was talking about, but by the way Courtney threw her long, chestnut colored hair over one shoulder and sat up a little straighter, I was sure I was about to find out.

"God, Dahlia. Do you ever check your mail?" Courtney asked with a long sigh, as if she couldn't decide if she should be irritated with me or just pity me.

I shrugged. "Not unless I'm expecting something."

Courtney rolled her eyes. "You're the worst. You know that?"

I took another sip while a slow grin pulled the corners of my lips up. "Mm-hm. You tell me every day."

This pulled a little laugh out of Courtney before she mused, "It's true."

"So," I drawled and set her with an expectant stare. "What's this about an invitation?"

Courtney hummed around her coffee cup before she carefully set it back down on the little saucer in front of her. "McElwood High is doing a ten year reunion for our graduating class."

I nodded slowly, to see if there was anything else significant beyond this bit of information–which I had no interest in at all.

"And?"

Courtney cocked her head to the side and considered me with a curious stare. "What? You're not excited?"

I scoffed out a laugh and shook my head. "Why should I be excited about seeing people I haven't talked to in a decade?"

"Boo." Courtney frowned and gave me a thumbs down. "You're no fun, Dahl."

"Whatever," I muttered.

Courtney hummed in her throat dismissively while I sighed and flagged the cafe server down to ask for a refill on my cappuccino. Once she had taken the old cup and assured me a fresh one would be on its way in a moment, I turned back to Courtney.

"I don't even know why you would be excited about going to some silly reunion party," I said with a gesture of my hand toward her. "Aren't you too cool for something like that?"

Courtney looped and unlooped a stray lock of hair around her dainty forefinger.

"Normally, yeah," she admitted with a shrug. "But this sounds kind of fun. They're renting a bunch of cabins and they have all kinds of fun events planned."

"Kinda sounds like summer camp for adults," I deadpanned.

"Kinda, yeah," Courtney agreed as a shy little smile played on her lips. "But we loved summer camp, remember?"

I remember you loving summer camp because you were good at everything and everyone liked you. You didn't have to worry about not acting weird all the time. Especially when you were sleeping so close to your best friend. The person you were crushing on so hard it hurt...

"I dunno," I muttered. "I think I've grown out of it, Court."

Courtney made another sound of disappointment in her throat while she looked up at me with big eyes and pouty lips. This used to be a look that could have swayed me to do just about anything, but over the years I'd become immune to the ways in which she used to sway me.

The two of us sat silently, with Courtney playing on her phone and me watching pedestrians pass next to our table while I waited for my coffee. After the server had dropped off my fresh cup with a smile that I returned easily, Courtney put her phone down and set me with an excited look.