Such was Life

Lena anxiously twirled her ginger braid as she listened to her friend chatter on about how ‘great’ high school reunions were and how they were going to have ‘ so much fun and reconnect with old friends’. It was at times like this that she somewhat regretted having an incredibly extroverted best friend who saw the best in everyone and every situation...no matter the circumstances. If Claire would take her birhgtly coloured optimistic glasses off for half a second she would remember how high school really was...the reality of it. 

Although it was nearly 5 years since they graduated Lena still remembered as if it was yesterday. Who in their right mind thought it was a good idea to lock hundreds of hormonal immature mini adults in a formal institution for 8 hours a day and stress them out? Was this some sort of sick and twisted social experiment? Was it some ‘ forged through fire’ trial before adulthood or the full time workforce?

It was only as Claire persistently kept tapping her shoulder did Lena snap out of her daze and back into the present where her closest friend was currently trying on all her fanciest dresses in an attempt to pick the perfect reunion outfit.

“ Lena I want to look the best I can as first impressions count, as do second and third impressions as well. Remember this is a networking session as well, a chance for the universe to give us a second chance with people that are perhaps meant to cross back into our lives again.”

Lena smiled a little forcedly but kept silent as her friend barely stopped for air as she continued her ‘ get Lena to accompany her to the reunion’ lecture. 

To stop her rising anxiety about the fact that she was probably going to be forced to attend an event she had absolutely no interest in attending she focused on things she’d rather do than go to a reunion. She would rather hang out with the emotionless, personality lacking engineers that made up her uni mechanics and IT classes...and she despised pretty much every one of them. 

SHe would rather go clothes shopping with Claire, a full day excursion that involved copious amounts of coffee, judging and complaining on all accounts than see people she went to highschool with. Hell, she would rather work back on IT help desk...dealing with technology illiterate people who didn’t even try to learn about their devices than go to the reunion. She didn’t want to see the bunch of idiots she hadn’t seen since she was a teenager, she had stayed in contact with whom she wanted to. Time was linear for a reason, there was no time for looking back or reminiscing. Life was about moving forward, looking to the future and whatever it may bring.

That’s why when she was seriously doubting her sanity and ability to say ‘no’ as she found herself 2 hours later seated next to Claire at their town’s only semi formal restaurant...folded napkins and all with non sticky tables. The ‘function’ room which had been hired by the local highschool for the class of ‘09’s’ 5 year reunion was packed full of the classmates she had spent 13 years holed up with and the last 5 years avoiding.

Nothing seemed to have changed a whole lot from her initial read of the room. The same cloques hung together, their nearly identical clothing and cookie cutter personalities a dead giveaway that not everyhting changed after school. The same people seemed to be avoiding the same people, even the same couples seemed to be attracted to one another yet again...despite the addition of new partners which was always a recipe for disaster. 

The only good thing about this evening so far was the heavy handed bartender who must’ve seen the look on her face and had obviously been giving her double shots in her JD and cokes as an act of goodwill. The associated buzz was probably the only reason she hadn’t walked out in disgust at the whole occasion, in particular the behaviour of her friend seated next to her.

While she loved the rose coloured optimism her friend walked around with, it was at times like this that she worried. These people had openly bullied and ridiculed Claire in school, ripping her positive personality to shreds which resulted in many lunchtimes comforting her in the ladies. How could she just pick back off with these people like nothing had happened? Like they had all been best friends for years and hadn’t stopped talking as soon as they weren’t forced to spend time together? It was ridiculous. 

The disturbance on the seat on the other side of her had Lena turning to the side, biting her tongue to keep the curse words that threatened to spill out of her mouth at the sight of the man next to her. Exes were always interesting to bump into again, let alone that first childhood love...the first love that actually crushes you when it ends...the first proper heartbreak.

Vivid blue eyes that looked at her with a famililarity that sent shivers down her spine as memories threatened to flood back. 5 years really wasn’t enough for physical looks to change to a significant degree, especially looks that she had once been attracted to. 5 years later and all that held back the potential flood of emotional memories was the knowledge of what she had accomplished since now and graduation. The knowledge that she could do whatever she set her mind to, she paved her own way...she could do anything, as cliche as it sounded.

Perhaps it was these thoughts, perhaps it was the alcohol...perhaps it was the fact that she was simply too tired to care about the trivial happenings of the past, the events of adolescence. All she knew was that she wasn’t going to let any of them even so much as get a glimpse back into her life. So with a brief nod and smile she raised her 3rd or 4th JD and coke in his direction as she sipped at her drink once again and focused her gaze on the Bistro TV she had a distant view of through the room’s glass walls. She knew it was obvious how bored she was when she would prefer to watch the NBL than talk to any of the other occupants in the room...but such was life.