Page 9 of Keep My Heart
‘Yeah, well, I got a family to support. I gotta hustle if I want to pay the bills. Going back to the reunion, just think about it. It’d be a good chance to catch up with people.’
‘People I have no desire to see again,’ I say, checking my phone. I see a message from one of my clients and text him back.
‘Why wouldn’t you want to see them? You’re a big success.’
‘I’m not going there to brag. And I really don’t want to go backand relive high school. Once was enough.’
‘It’s not reliving high school. Everyone’s old now, or 15 years older than they were back then.’
‘Yeah, and they’ll go back to how they used to be. That’s what happens at reunions. Everyone goes back to their old roles. The cool kids are still cool. The smart people are still nerds. The jocks are still jocks, or pretend to be.’ I reply to another message, feeling my stress level rise as I see how behind I am at work after just a few hours of being gone.
‘I wonder if that’s why Lyndsay is here.’
When I hear her name, I look up from my phone. ‘What was that?’
‘Lyndsay. She didn’t say why she was in town. I wonder if it’s because of the reunion.’
‘Probably. I’m sure Chris insisted on it. It wouldn’t be a reunion without the quarterback and the cheerleader,’ I say, fighting an eye roll. I still can’t believe Lyndsay married that jerk. I look back at my phone and finish the text I was about to send.
‘They’re divorced.’
I stop typing and look over at Matt. ‘Who’s divorced?’
‘Lyndsay and Chris. She said it’s official as of yesterday.’
Lyndsay and Chris are divorced? I shouldn’t be surprised. I’m sure Chris cheated on her, but he cheated on her in high school and she still stayed with him.
‘She told you that?’ I ask.
‘Yeah, when I was waiting for you. I’m surprised they made it that long. It’s gotta be like, what .?.?. ten years they were married?’
‘I don’t know. I lost track of her after high school.’
But I always wondered what happened to her. I could’ve looked her up online, but I didn’t want to see pictures of her with Chris. It’s not like he bullied me or anything. He was just a pompous jerk who thought he ruled the school and everyone in it.And senior year, he snuck into the orchard one night and took an axe to ten of our trees. He claimed he didn’t do it, but I know it was him. He did it to send a message to Sawyer, my younger brother, who Chris claimed was hitting on Lyndsay. Sawyer had a girlfriend at the time. He had no interest in Lyndsay. He just gave her a ride home one day after school when her car wouldn’t start. But Chris, being the jealous prick that he was, decided Sawyer helping her out meant he wanted to date her and so he hacked up our trees.
‘I don’t know why you were friends with that guy,’ I say.
‘You know how I am. I’m friends with everyone. And I was on the team with him. I had to at least pretend to be friends with him.’
‘What’d he end up doing? Do you know?’
‘Not sure. Last I heard, he was trying to start some kind of rock-climbing business in LA.’
‘I can’t see Chris running a business. The guy couldn’t stay focused except on the football field. I can’t imagine him trying to run a business.’
‘I’m sure it didn’t last. You’ll have to ask Lyndsay what he’s up to these days, although I don’t think she wants to talk about him.’
‘When am I going to see Lyndsay? Those couple minutes at the airport will probably be it.’
‘You could go to her mom’s house. I’m sure she’s staying there.’ He pulls off at the road that goes into town. ‘You know what’s funny?’
‘What?’
‘I used to think you and her would be good together.’
‘Me and who?’
‘Lyndsay.’
