Ellie is Cool Now

Chapter 5

She pulls me into an unapproved, but not unwelcome, hug, and some of her wavy hair gets in my mouth. When she pushes back, her hazel eyes meet mine. They crease a little at the edges as she gives me another generous grin.

"You came! No one expected you to come."

Were people talking about me? Behind my back?

I bite my lips because they are edging up into a weird, maniacal smile. It makes me hate myself a little for caring what they think of me.

Still.

"I needed to make a trip home," I say.

"This is so unexpected, and I really wish I had time to catch up, but my daughter has a recital in twenty minutes. Ballet —" She makes a cringey face, but then quickly corrects. "It's mostly bouncing around in tiny pink tutus. So. Cute."

I used to assume Brie secretly sheltered a monster deep down inside. Like the Balrog in the Mines of Moria. I see a flicker of that in her eyes, but it quickly passes, and it makes me actually excited to get a drink with her at the reunion.

"We'll see each other at the reunion," I say. "And we can grab a drink." There I go, setting up for later.

She flashes a smile. "Or tonight! I think a few of us are going to meet at the Local for pre-reunion drinks. You absolutely must join us."

Ugh, I can't think of anything I want to do less, but it's a good opportunity to get the lay of reunion land, and maybe go ahead and start knocking items off my list.

"Count me in," I say, flashing her a toothy smile.

She makes a squee sound, then grabs me by the hand. I am officially back in high school. At least with Brie, it's not so horrible.

+

The Local sits on the corner of our town square, a small, dark building with leaded glass windows and a red door. I'd been a couple times with my mom when I visited during college, but I'd never gone on my own.

I adjust the top of my Little Black Dress so what little cleavage I have isn't spilling out. "Let's not give away the cow for free," my mom always said. I guess it stuck, because even as a full adult, I don't do overtly sexy. I don't knock people who do, but it's definitely not the Ellie Jenkins look.

I do love the subtle sultriness of an LBD.

I swing the door open, and step a black pump inside. It takes two point two seconds to find the old Stonybrook High crowd when Kyle Temple guffaws from a corner of the bar they've taken hostage. Still bigger than the average man, though less hard muscle and more soft dough, with stubble on his now not-so-chiseled jaw and a buzz cut to hide the male-pattern baldness already in effect, he's impossible to miss. I am so not hooking up with him, I don't care what the list says.

Brie waves as I approach. It's amazing how easy it is to pick everyone out. The bar is full of the most popular people, the fringe popular kids, and the ones who snuck into the party after everyone else was already wasted. There's Most Likely to Succeed laughing it up with Best Personality. By the bar, Class Clown cries on the shoulder of Best Dressed, who is sucking back a mojito and it looks like it's not her first of the evening.

And in the corner by the jukebox is Mark.

Fuck.

He's got a local brew in his hand and the whisper of his signature smile on his face as he talks to Most School Spirit who wears the same peppy high pony she sported all through high school. In this light, he looks younger and so much like he did when I was into him that I can feel my palms begin to sweat. Fortunately, I am an adult now, one who can purchase alcohol to help alleviate the threat of panic.