Page 18 of Sins or Secrets
Now we're here, ten years later.
She hardly looks any different, just more mature, but she still has that spark of mischief lurking in her silver-gray eyes that almost looks otherworldly in the moonlight.And that hair of hers is still salon perfect.
She’s here to see me?
“Quinn,” she mutters, bringing her hands together nervously.
“Hi,” I rasp.
“Hi there," she replies and I'm filled with the dulcet tone of her southern accent.I missed that. "I know you wouldn't have been expecting me.I wrestled with the idea of coming to see you, but I didn’t think I could let you leave town again without saying goodbye this time.”
I’m so touched to hear that, I don’t know what to say.
She was one of my sacrifices I dared not think about over the years.I wasn’t allowed to call or associate with anybody from Wilmington.
Despite the scandal,I don’t know if anyone would believe me if I told them what my father was really like.He was a man who wore a mask when it came to the public.
“Maybe it was a bad idea though,” she adds, mistaking my silence for not wanting to see her.
“No,” I blurt. “It wasn’t. I just wasn’t sure anybody would want to speak to me.But… you’re here. You really came to look for me?”
Her lips part and she steps closer.“Of course. We were friends once, and I don’t know if I could explain to anyone how much I missed you when you went away.”
“You didn’t forget me?”
She shakes her head. “Never. Did you forget me?”
“Never.”
It takes less than a second before we both rush to each other for a hug and we feel like the friends we used to be.
“Oh Quinn,” she gasps. “I’m so sorry.I don’t know what happened, but I felt that you went through hell.”
All I can do is nod.
“How are you holding up,” she asks and I shake my head, wiping away more tears.
“I’m not.”
“Do you want to talk for a while?”
Warmth spreads through me that I haven’t felt in so long I forgot how it felt.Only a real friend could understand how I feel right now.
“Yes, I’d love that. Come in.”
We go back inside, and I switch the TV off.
All I have is the bed, so we sit opposite each other like we used to.
“I wish I could offer you something to drink.All I have is that water jug over there.You’re welcome to some if you want.”
She giggles, reaches into her pocket, and pulls out two packs of peanut butter M&M’s.The past would see us huddled together in each other’s rooms, eating chocolate while we talked about boys.
“I bought these. One for you and one for me, or both for me if you didn’t open the door, or I got the motel wrong.”
She hands me a pack and I take it.
“Thanks so much. I haven’t had one in a while.”
