You didn't want to go, you didn't have to go. Your high school had sent out invitations to previous alumni.
You were in the middle of a contract in Japan, it would have been impossible for you to go, that was until you ended up finishing early and had nothing to when you returned back home stateside.
Why not go? You know why, but maybe...
You were surprised, the whole gang was there. Your previous crew were doing alright, Gabe was a professional writer, Arkive became a programmer and Fluff apparently transitioned.
Everyone clamored for you, you were voted the person most likely to succeed and apparently they were right.
"Whoa! Looks who's here." Arkive announces with gusto, your eyes wander and stare down at someone familiar.
She was wearing a snuggly black sweater dress, holding back a massive bust that you still recognize after all those years.
Her lush black hair neatly arranged around her ears, ribbon earrings framing a gorgeous face. Her blue eyes staring at you, emotionless at first before shifting to something mischievous.
Your heart sinks to your stomach, you hide it by drinking a shot of whiskey and eating a mouthful of school cafeteria lasagna.
Ouro Kronii joins in the group, everyone regaling stories about highschool life. You're nervously looking around, incredulous that the same people who tormented the bespectacled Autisronii now chatting up and offering distorting narratives about what happened.
Everyone is starting to get drunk as the function continues. Your old teachers come by. there is ceremony and a video played on the old projector in the auditorium.
You learned that Kronii was now a successful executive in a media company, she had a major makeover. She wasn't the frumpy loser you used to torment back then, you can feel your collar suffocating you.
"What about you anon? What're you up to nowadays?" She tents her hands on her dainty chin, your spine crawls as you feel her heel sliding down your leg.
"F-Finance." You say simply, nervous. You're getting a little tipsy.
"Oh?" There's a dangerous edge to her voice, you can feel she was hoping you'd have grown up to be some failure in a trailer park.
She encourages you, adding more and more whiskey to your shot glass. She indulges in the drink too.
Unfortunately for her your alcohol tolerance was superior.
The reunion was about to be over, everyone was planning to go for an afterparty. You however were being lead around the school hallway. Kronii wobbling all over the place as she spoke about everything that triggered her nostalgia.
"Hey I remember that room! It's still the same!" She excitedly says, your eyes narrow. The janitor closet. You and the gang would lock her in there.
She shoves you in, you didn't put up much of a fight.
She locks the door behind her, her blue eyes narrow as a pit viper. You're sitting there, with flushed cheeks.
"I remember, being here for hours. Alone and forgotten. While you and everyone else just continued school." She starts slowly, anger creeping in as she continued.
"I worked hard you know, after I graduated from this hell hole. I promised myself I would never be the loser you fuckers treated me as." Her knees start to fold, her back slides across the door. She's sitting down, arms crossed. Her eyes watering.
"Why then do I feel so shit...looking at you...seeing you living life as if everything I went through didn't happen." Her voice breaks, her hands are on her face. It wasn't pretty looking at someone breaking down because of alcohol and emotional turmoil.
She stops, blinking.
She sees you prostrated, your forehead planted on the floor.
"I didn't want to come here tonight, because of you." You say simply.
"I knew in the back of my mind I was going to meet you again if I came." Your heart is pumping, you've been thinking about this moment for the longest time.
"In the end, I decided to go." The concrete floor was pressing against your forehead hard, you wouldn't stop even if your cranium caved in.
"I'm sorry." You say finally, you feel like a weight was lifted.
You can hear her sniffles, then a laugh. A happy and relieved laugh,
"Hey anon, did you know I've always had a crush on you?" Your head is lifted up, her soft hands cup your face. She's staring at you, her reddened blue eyes so gentle, your heart felt like it was being stabbed.
Crush?
"Among all the others, you treated me the worse, but even then...you were also the only person who said bye to me when we graduated." You remembered, Kronii never was popular. You decided to be nice for once, being the only person who signed her graduation book.
"I noticed it you know, you were the only one who didn't lie about what happened back then." Her face comes closer, you can smell the stench of whiskey intermixed with Jasmine perfume. It was intoxicating.
"Thank you." Your lips meet, they touched for the longest time. Your mind goes blank.
What the fuck was going on?