The Collision Of Chances

Chapter 05

His grey eyes soften. "Hey Aces."

"Aces!" Leo snorts, and I flush red at the memory of the nickname all of them gave me freshman year of highschool.

"I can't believe you guys still remember that." I chuckle, leaning back against the seat of the booth and getting comfortable.

"Now, now." Naya interrupts. "So sorry to break up your reunion, but I'm so confused."

"Me too." Alex chuckles, resting her head against Hunter's bicep. "You all went to high school together?"

"Yeah." Hunter replies. "We were close."

"Until I moved to California for college." I say, ignoring the dull weight on my chest, leaving out the exact reason why I moved. I see a shift in Hunter, Nessa, Leo and Kiara's expressions as I say that.

Because they know. They know everything.

Thankfully, Kiara pipes up with another question. "What brings you here, then?"

"The program at CSU wasn't the best." I sigh. "And they had a transfer program to NRU, so I took it."

Conversation starts to flow from there, all of us catching up lightly. I realise how much I'd missed them, and even though it's been years since we saw each other, they talk to me as if we never parted ways. There's no awkwardness whatsoever, and I feel fitted right into their little group, just like we used to be in high school.

They don't mention him, and I'm too nervous to bring him up either, so it goes unmentioned.

I'm relieved that nothing that happened had changed their feelings towards me. I always knew deep down that they never blamed me, I knew they would've been there for me if I let them.

But I didn't. It was too much, and I left without a proper goodbye, and yet here they are welcoming me back with open arms.

A tinge of guilt tugs in my chest.

You were young. You didn't know better.

As if Nessa senses my thoughts, she nudges me with her elbow, tilting her head in a silent question asking if I'm okay. I nod, touched by her concern.

The heaviness in my chest eases. They clearly don't blame me, or hate me for it. If they did, they wouldn't be acting like this.

It's okay. I'm okay.

Alex turns to me a few minutes later, after the conversation takes a turn towards the boys' upcoming soccer games. "Luna, did you take notes during class today?"

I nod, tugging my bag off my shoulder and leaning back in my seat, getting comfortable. "Yup, you want them?"

"That'll be lovely, I didn't understand much to get notes down."

"No problem, we can go over them together if you like?" I say, pulling out my wallet from my bag, and Alex's pretty green eyes light up as she nods enthusiastically.

"Thank you!" She gives me a quick side hug, which I return, smiling.

"I'll grab something to drink and be back," I tell her, and she nods. I get to my feet, my eyes on my wallet in my hands, focused on getting a few dollar bills out as I take a step in the direction of the cashier.

I don't make it far because I headbutt straight into someone's very firm and hard chest, and I jerk back a step from the impact, my hand flying up to rub my forehead as I start spewing apologies at whoever it is.

My eyes lift, colliding with the brilliant blue eyes I encountered at the masquerade party. It takes my brain a moment to register the rest of his face, and the blood on my veins turn to ice, and I feel my eyes widen as I blink once, twice, thrice, unable to comprehend what I'm seeing in front of me right now for the second time today.