Year 2015
Rella's POV
Allow me to provide some background information on ‘the trio’. Consider me your most (and only) reliable source. The three humans that go by the names of Veronica, Robert and Keith used to be the talk of the town in the past. By town, I’m referring to our previous school in Connecticut. They were pretty popular. The reason I ever even noticed Keith was because he was this good looking, dashing young man and was a part of the “popular kids” at school. But Keith to me was a prince-charming among countless other princes.
The three were childhood friends. They were inseparable; hence, kids called them ‘the trio’. Normies like me would use that term in sentences such as, ‘look, the trio is coming’ or ‘look, the trio is so cool’ or ‘look, the trio…you get the point.
We were young and our nomenclature lame.
Robert and Keith’s parents were business partners. Veronica’s mother was a family friend. They had a pretty compact setting right from the start.
Veronica moved schools during the fall of 2013. Only now I know it was due to her mother’s marriage to Nancy’s father. Remarriage is a huge deal. Starting a new family with your already existing one, is no small joke. It’s a big joke and only some get to hit the punch line. So, kudos to both parties involved in this case.
With the advent of 2014, Robert and Keith left town as well. Their parents stayed behind. They had their already established businesses to take care of afterall. But the two sons were granted the liberty, fraternity and freedom they desired. And they ended up following Veronica’s footsteps all the way to NY.
This was big news in school back then. People who knew less or almost nothing, were busy speculating.
I deliberately stayed out of loop and never even cared to ask ‘where Keith went’, ‘which place’, ‘which school’.
I choose not knowing.
2012 was the year my Papa died. The years following that incident were tough on me and my family. It was difficult both financially and emotionally.
Keith’s departure did come as a shock but by then, I had received far greater shocks in life to care about a cute boy I had a little crush on, disappearing from my line of sight.
I ignored all the gossip at school. I turned a blind eye to anything remotely related to Keith. I chose to forget snippets that I heard about his whereabouts. Blocking him out of my mind was hard but not impossible. It was my way of killing feelings.
It worked. It eventually worked. My first crush slowly dissipated into empty air.
Life moved on.
It had to.
My family underwent healing, not complete healing but enough to help us live. Soon the world entered 2015 and I graduated 10th grade.
My mom made the wise decision to move us near to our aunt. Both sisters wanted to live next to each other. My mom needed a change of place and people. Coming out here turned out to be a healthy choice for her. Uncle, who is aunt’s husband and Ben’s father, helped my mom get a job in his pharmaceutical company. With that under our sleeve, we turned over a new, fresh green leaf.
****
I reach home from school to find Cindy lazing around on the couch, eating popcorn, watching a Disney movie on T.V and painting her toenails, all at once. Multitasking is her speciality.
Mom was out for work.
Contrary to my burning heart, the house was cold.
“How was your day?” Cindy asked upon seeing me enter through the front door.
“I met Keith today.” My heart thumped faster when I heard myself take his name.
“You met what today?!” Cindy jumped out of the couch and rushed towards me. She knows my history way too well.
“Yeah, he goes to my school.” I laugh at the face of coincidence.
“Really? Did you talk to him?” asked Cindy.
“Talk? A little. He shook my hand and welcomed me. At lunch, he kept looking at my lips constantly. I felt so shy and self-conscious. But the reason he was doing that was because there was some stupid bread sticking. Can you actually believe that?” I inhaled with my open mouth and exhaled simultaneously.
“Wow you did a lot today.” Cindy giggled, losing interest and crawled back into the comfort of the couch. I too followed suit and sat down.
“I don’t like him anymore.” I tell her after a short pause. It sounded more like I was reminding myself.
“Go take a shower.” Cindy ordered like our dear mother would.
