Betty's Reunion Story

Chapter Two- Being reactive

Chapter Two- Being reactive

My head started throbbing again and I felt the need for more oxygen. My heart was hammering and I was having a mixed reaction. I was angry at the same time happy.It’s the same Luke Matthews.

Suddenly I could not stop myself from hiccupping. I did that when things get out of hand. When I feel anxious and nervous, I don’t hiccup normally at all. It’s weird, I know but that’s what my body does instead of sweating or crying. Luke cannot…I cannot go. I cannot see him. I am angry at him for….I hate him. But it feels so fake saying that.  I also feel pleased but my anger has an upper hand over it. It shouldn’t be happening. My memory of him should have been long since buried.

“Betty?”  Kevin asked unsure. Kevin didn’t know my history with Luke. And I never told him. But he did know him. Not really as friends but as class mates. But that wasn’t the case with Nicole. Like I said, Nicole knew everything and that is why she is telling me about the reunion.

I couldn’t go. CanI? And look at him after he left….

I can’t go to that fricken Reunion! No way.

“I am fine, Kev”  I tell him without even glancing but I could feel him stare with scrutinizing eyes.it doesn’t help when I hiccup again.my hand takes the water bottle Nic is handing out, pull open the cap and drink the half left water in one whole gulp. Kevinknows my reaction and so does others. While my mom and dad don’t care the heck about, why the hell I am hiccupping wildly about, the guy next to me is.he is staring between Nicole and I for an explanation.

“Is the restaurant any near, dad?” I asked my dad who was oblivious to my reaction. He was just staring. And I know his thoughts are somewhere else. I wonder what’s keeping my dad so absorbed.Computerdebugging? He was a computer engineering head in Silicon Wiber.And that is one of the biggest companies in whole of Washington.

“We have arrived” mom answered for his sake. I looked out to see Harrison’s, our favourite family celebratory restaurant open.as soon as I saw their glass walls and the homely diner, I felt better. The television in there was still showing the highlights of our match and there were few waiters watching whilst scrubbing the tables.

I saw Jim,my favourite waiter carrying cutlery from the supply room and we piled out from our sedan. I needed to convince mom that I could NOT come to the reunion at any cost. I don’t know why I am not willing to go. But I guess I couldn’t possibly look at him in the face.

Only I knew how it felt.

“Order all you like”  my dad said as soon as we entered the restaurant. The sight of food menu and the fact that some waitresses were stumbling when they caught a glimpse of both Kevin and I made us realise how hungry we were and increased my mood a bit.

Jim grinned at me and came over.  “You guys rocked tonight”  he said smiling. I looked up at his brown eyes and smiled back. Jim had been a senior at our school when we were freshmen. He once tried to bully me and others since he belonged to the jocks gang and we were juniors. But poor Jim had to get his broken nose caused by me the great worked on by my own mother. But it turned out he was a real cool guy.

He even helped me with my studies and still does whenever he gets time. But as he couldn’t afford a scholarship and as his parents didn’t have money for his college, Jim had to become a permanent waiter at Harrison’s.

I really can’t help the pity from showing when the school topper had to end up working between tables and carrying cutlery but I was also proud that Jim, unlike others who retorted to crime and other activities, tried to be useful to his family and helped paying the bills.