House Of Cards

1. "To what do I owe this pleasure, Lauren?"

"I can't believe you're back!" Normani repeated for the umpteenth time that day.

"I was just gone for the summer!" I reminded her once more.

"Yeah, but you were gone for four years before that." Normani nudged me just as the subway arrived. "You know, when you decided to leave me, your best friend, here alone while you went off to get your bachelors degree in New Orleans."

"Yeah," I nodded, biting my lip, and stepping up to the yellow line, waiting for the doors to open. "But I came back for law school."

I squeezed my way through the current of people pouring out of the cart, pulling Normani by the hand along with me. Once we managed to find a space that was way too small for the two of us, we grabbed onto the bar above our heads for support.

"Just because you're back in the state doesn't mean anything," The dark-skinned girl argued. "You spent your first year with your head in a book."

I let out a chuckle, having heard her speech numerous times before.

"I'm sorry I want to graduate on time." I teased her and she replied by sticking her tongue out.

As much as I may tease her about it, I'm just as excited, if not relieved, to be back home. I was lucky, when I decided I wanted to go away for my undergraduate degree, I decided very last minute, leaving most of my friends in the dust while I picked up and left. Normani, however, was determined to stay best friends and somehow, someway, we managed to stay constant through four years of change. Now, I was back home in Florida with one stressful year of law school under my belt.

"So why are you dragging me all the way back to high school?" I asked, clutching the metal bar as the subway came to a hard stop. This time, it was Normani who lead us out, pushing her way through.

Normani scoffed. "Like you're not excited to see everyone."

"Like who?"

"I'm talking about all the teachers and coaches." Normani and I exited the underground, immediately grateful for the slight breeze that was present. "Maybe a certain teacher who isn't your teacher anymore."

I watched unamused as Normani attempted to wiggle her eyebrows.

"You're hilarious." I deadpanned sarcastically.

"I think you were pretty hilarious when you spent a whole year hopelessly flirting with a teacher five years your senior."

I rolled my eyes.

"She was never my real teacher, she was a student teacher and then just another faculty member." I mumbled, as if it made a difference.

We began approaching the school. I always appreciated, especially when I was attending, how close it was to the subway stop. When we reached the doors, Normani turned around to address me.

"Look, Laur, all I'm saying is that if you're ever going to act on this high school obsession-"

"It was a crush!" I interrupted, making Normani laugh.

"Now is definitely the time to do something about it." She told me, pulling a folder out of her bag. I rolled my eyes.

"So what are we doing here?" I asked again.

"You, for one, haven't been back since you graduated." She pointed her index finger my way before opening one of the heavy double doors and stepped into the school. "But this," She waved the folder around. "Is my resume. I'm applying for a teaching job here."

My eyes lit up and a smile crept onto my face.

"Mani, that's amazing! Why didn't you tell me?"

"I wasn't even sure I was going to go through with it but I got my teaching degree for a reason, why not apply to a school I've already called home?" She explained. Normani loved high school, she was always so involved and happy throughout those years so this definitely made sense. "I'm just hoping they'll still consider me a few weeks into the year."