Listen to Your Heart

Chapter 24

I walk into the canteen and time moves slower than ever. Everyone is laughing, talking, and having fun. But all I hear is my heart beating.

Bah-bom.

Bah-bom.

Bah-bom.

I scan the room and spot her in the back, talking to Brian.

I rush over to them and say, "We need to talk."

She laughs and says, "no."

"It wasn't a question. We're talking now." I smile at Brian and say, "please excuse us."

Meredith and I walk outside.

"What the hell do you want Lauren? And what were you doing with Joey? Do you really want me to tell everyone the real reason you didn't come back?"

"Meredith when will you get it through your head that I didn't go back to camp because I hated this place. I spent so many summers counting down the days until camp was over. Almost every moment I spent here was living hell."

"How could you just leave me?"

I sigh and say, "I never thought of that."

"We were best friends, and you just left me. I didn't even know you weren't coming back until the first day of camp. Do you know how horrible that is? Coming back to your summer home and finding out that your best friend left you alone for two months."

"Look Meredith, I can't change the past, but me not going back to camp doesn't excuse what you did. You might have realized, but I'm not the same person I was when we went here. Just because Jaime pushed me around for six years doesn't mean you can push me around now."

"I'm sorry," she whispers.

"What was that?"

"I'm sorry," she says again.

"Say it louder."

"I'm sorry."

I smile and say, "good, but don't expect us to be friends."

I walk over to the admin and pray for Sarah or Matt to be there.

"Hi, I'm quitting. I'm going home."