Ready

Chapter Three

Lance

Lance took a deep breath as he looked in the mirror and fixed his hair for what seemed to be the sixth time in two minutes. He hated to admit it, but he couldn't deny what he was feeling.
  He was nervous.
  It was mostly about Zayden. The last time he saw him was when he was 16 and their views had clashed more than ever. It ended in a fist fight that Lance was not proud of. Zay had always been stronger than him.
  He couldn't imagine what Zay is like now. Was he different? Two years is a long time. It was definitely enough time for him to start hating Lance.
  Lance shuddered in fear at the idea of a 20 year old Zayden standing over him, spitting profanities and throwing punches as they rolled around.
  "Wow, I guess I have that effect on everyone, huh?"
   Lance jumped and looked to his right, only to see a grinning friend of his.
   He broke out into a grin himself.
   "Hello there Cassidy Phar."
  She looked as vibrant as ever, her smile even more so. Her natural hair was free from her classic braids, but Lance could recognize Cassidy anywhere.
He looked at her, taking in her appearance and peppy attitude. He thought that maybe if he stared long enough, he could take on that attitude himself.
"Uhh.." She started with a slightly uncomfortable laugh. "Are you just gonna look at me and...you know...not give me a hug?"
He broke out of his trance with a smile and sprang onto her, wrapping his arms around her and squeezing.
"God I missed you," He muttered into her hair.
Cassidy squeezed back. "I missed you more."
Lance let go of her, feeling a little emotional. He didn't realize how much he needed to see her face till it was right in front of him. Now, he didn't want to look away, for the fear of it disappearing again.
"Gosh, I feel like it's been forever since I've seen you. How long has it been, 8 months?" She said, her eyes searching his face.
His heart slightly dropped. 'I guess she didn't see this as a big deal.' Lance thought to himself.
"Two years." He said.
"Oh my gosh, wow. Really?" She said.
Lance nodded.
"I guess time's moving quicker than I thought."
"Indeed it is, Cassidy." He said with a sad tone.
Lance couldn't help but feel the disappointment flow into him, but he couldn't understand why. So what if she didn't keep track of the time? It wasn't exactly a normal thing to do. Besides, she's been busy. Her Region is the most powerful for a reason. It's because of her work. They both needed to keep their focus on the reason they were here. It's for their Regions. Their people.
That's all that mattered...

Right?