Page 31 of Indigo Sky

I laughed at the irony, remembering my conversation with her earlier. If I hadn’t lived with Nate, I’d still be with her now.

“Nah, I live with my roommate. Actually, my apartment is right over there.” I pointed toward the window. “Right above the Chinese place.”

“Oh,” he drawled. “Right by where I ran into you.”

“Yep.”

“Oh, nice. It’s funny I hadn’t bumped into you sooner then. Beck and I always get our Chinese food there.”

I tipped my head. “Beck?”

All of a sudden, Joe was uncomfortable. He shifted in his seat as a waitress brought over coasters and asked what we’d like to drink. We put in our respective orders, and as she left, he said, “Yeah, um, you remember Becky?”

I nodded. How could I forget my first real crush?

“Well, she and I started dating in our senior year of high school, and we’ve been together ever since.”

Wife. Kids.

“Wow. So, you’re, like, real-life high school sweethearts.”

There was a hint of pride in his smile as he replied, “Yeah. It’s crazy, but … it’s good, you know? I didn’t wanna say anything because I know you liked her, but—"

“Joe,” I interrupted, offering a lopsided smile, “that was, like, way over ten years ago.”

Even as I said it, I couldn’t believe that much time had passed since then. So much time, and what the hell did I have to show for it?

“Nah, I know.” He sighed and relaxed. “Anyway, how have things been otherwise?”

We chatted for a little while, going back and forth, sharing different tidbits about our respective lives. He had two little girls. He and Becky were both teachers in the elementary school we had gone to. They’d just bought a house not far from where my parents lived. The shit I was putting into the conversation seemed to fall flat in comparison, even though he didn’t seem to think so with his smiles and questions and enthusiasm. The guy acted like he was genuinely happy to be with me despite the differences in our lives, and it was strange to remember that this was a guy who had once made fun of me for losing my fucking eye.

As if he could read my mind, he glanced at me as he sipped from his bottle of beer. Then, he lowered it to the table and said, “I was a real piece of shit to you when we were kids.”

“What? Nah, it’s fine. We were kids, man. Kids say fucked-up shit.”

He closed his eyes and shook his head. “No. I was yourfriend, and I treated you like shit when you needed me.”

I couldn’t deny that, so I didn’t say anything.

“I’m sorry I did that to you,” he added, staring into the open mouth of his bottle.

“I don’t hold any grudges against you, Joe.”

He nodded. “You still hang out with Nathan?”

I huffed a short laugh. “Actually, he’s the roommate I mentioned.”

Joe’s good-natured grin dropped as he spun his empty bottle on the table. “Ah, okay. I was just wondering.”

“Why?” I asked, a little defensive. I might’ve been mad at Nate, but he was still my friend.

“Well, I knew you guys were tight, and, uh …” He lifted a shoulder and diverted his gaze to something other than me. “Fuck it, I’ll just say it. I have no love for that guy. He was a real piece of shit to Beck—"

“The thing at the dance?” I asked as it all came back to me in a flood of disjointed memories. Her throwing herself at Nate. Her accusing him of lying.

Joe looked absolutely pissed now. “Well, that was part of it. He made her life a living freakin’ hell for weeks in high school.”

Weeks? That didn’t sound right.

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