See You Soon

Chapter 18

We meet a new person! I'm excited about where the story is going, I thank you all for reading this far, and I hope you'll stick with me to the end. Feedback is always appreciated:)

“I think I’m going to explode,” Aaron said, holding his stomach.

“Your eyes are bigger than your stomach,” James said.

Usually being the hotspot, Applebee’s was scarce of people for a Friday night. Our food was brought to our table minutes after we ordered and we all started digging in. It felt weird being here, all too familiar in a discomforting way. Already our young waiter seemed to have recognized me, right now she was looking at me from across the room and I squirmed in my seat.

  “So what’s the plan Stan?” Aaron asked, directing the question at me.

“I’ll show you guys around the magnificent town I used to call home. That way you’ll have a generalized idea of where you are in case we ever split up.” My stomach churned, but I didn’t think it was because of the chicken.

  Once outside I led them left, trying to be somewhat poetic. Nothing I ever did felt right.

  We were standing by the gates of the gardens when I noticed James turn his head around for the third time in under a minute.

“What is it?” I asked.

“Don’t worry or anything, but I think someone might be following us.” He whispered. I almost laughed at his paranoia, but managed to hold it in.

  “Who?” On the contrary Brooklyn didn’t look too amused by the statement.

“The girl about ten feet back holding her phone. Blond hair and sunglasses.” He said. “She’s been trailing us for the past twenty minutes.”

“Oh no. No.” I brought my hand up to my forehead. “It can’t be.”

“Skylar it’s okay.” James said and took my other hand in his. But it wasn’t okay. I knew this girl; I used to know her more than she knew herself. She used to know me that way too. We hadn’t talked since even before I left, it was my entire fault and now she was ten feet away.

  “I know her.” I said. “It’s, was, um my best friend. She’s not a stalker, not really.”

“Can we meet her? I’d love to talk to one of your friends.” Brooklyn gave me an excited glance.

I looked back and spotted her trying to look nonchalant with her phone. I didn’t know if I was ready to face this, her, right now. So far I had shown them the bowling alley Justin had brought me to for my birthday, the road to my old school, the main outlets where my friends and I had gone shopping on the occasional Saturday, and finally these gardens, where my first date had taken me. I didn’t see these places for what they were, concrete and grass, cut-outs and material. I saw memories in them. I saw my brother, even my best friend who stood only feet away.

  “Melissa?” I turned around and met her eye.

“Skylar.” It wasn’t a question. She started walking this way as if all this time she was waiting, patiently, for me to give her that permission. Her arms wrapped around my shoulders and squeezed tight. “I missed you so much girlie.”

“I missed you too,” I told her.

She took a step back and took in the four of us at once, I thought of how weird we must look. “So these are your friends?” She asked.

  “Yeah, this is Aaron, Brooklyn and James.” I pointed each person out.

“Last but certainly not least,” she muttered for only me to hear and gave me a wink. My cheeks took no time in getting red.