The Deal Breakers

Part 43 | Reunion

NOVEMBER

I am completely overwhelmed the minute my feet hit the plush carpet in my old room. My mother has kept it tidy while I have been away but other then that, nothing has been touched. There is almost a staleness to the air. My eyes immediately run over all the pictures of me with Liam and I swallow hard. I move a few steps further into my room and dump my purse on my vanity. I run my hand over my old comforter and imagine all the times Liam and I laid in here, talking until my mother forced him to go home. And even then he'd become invisible and sneak back for a few more hours. The happiness I felt in this bed with him seems like a life time ago. My nostalgia is broken when I hear Teddy behind me, "Wow, you like purple."

I turn to face him and muster up a smile, "Yep. Lots of purple. Did my mom show you which guest room is yours?" He takes a few more steps into the room and I catch him running his eyes over my pictures, "Yep. She put me as far away from you as possible. I thought she was going to have me stay out in the pool house for a minute." I laugh as he stuffs his hands into his zip-up pockets. It's weird to have Teddy here but I know I needed to do it. The last thing I need is for Topher to show up in Highland Park and threaten my parents. I didn't want to come here alone.

"Well, thanks again for coming. You have no idea how much you are helping me out." He gives me a small smile and pulls the chair to my vanity out while saying, "So you mentioned to your mom that you were going to meet up with your friends. Is that still the plan?"

I nod to him as I plop down on the edge of my bed, "Yeah, you'll get to meet Harper and Lily. Maybe a few others. Harper is having a mini reunion at her house so I figured I'd freshen up and then we can leave." Teddy nods and pops up off the chair. He starts walking back out of my room but when he's at the threshold, he turns to me and says, "So all these people I am meeting tonight think I am your boyfriend?" I reluctantly nod, dreading Harper's reaction to all this. He raps his knuckles on the door frame twice and continues down the hall. My stomach is in knots because I know Harper and Lily are going to drill me with questions. Some I can answer but others I won't be able to. Lily is still clueless to my secrets and I don't need Harper barfing up my secrets if Topher comes around, which is why I haven't filled her in on the truth yet. 

I catch my reflection in my full length mirror and realize I don't feel like the same girl that looked into it right before she left to school three months ago. My hair is still short and dirty blonde and I notice I don't wear as much make up either. I've stopped dressing so revealing and blingy and started dressing more beachy chic. I no longer care about being at the top of the popularity totem pole and I wonder if I will still connect with any of the people I left behind in August. Harper and I still talk almost everyday but Lily is harder to catch. She seems to be connected to her new boyfriend's hip and if she's not talking about him it's because she's with him. He is the center of her universe.

I slowly walk into my bathroom and pinch my cheeks for some color. I can't shake my nervousness but I know I have to convince everyone that Liam is out of the picture. I rifle through my make up bag and lightly apply some eyeliner and lip-gloss. I flip my head over to get some volume in my hair and scrunch up my roots. I pull on some jeans and a flattering blouse and wonder if anyone is even going to recognize me. 

I saunter down the hall and knock on Teddy's door. A few moments later he pulls the door open and I notice he's taken a quick shower and pulled on some jeans and a Sigma tee. He runs his hands through his wet hair and stuffs his wallet and phone into his pockets before he tells me he's ready. I look to him and am glad that I am at least bringing home a handsome guy. He has sweet dimples, warm eyes and he gets along with everyone.

He follows me down the hall and my mother is disappointed that I am leaving so quickly, but I know she doesn't want to pick a fight in front of Teddy. I grab her Range Rover keys off of the counter and Teddy gets comfortable in the spacious car.