The rest of the week flew by and before I knew it, I was headed to the airport to meet Taylor. Over the past week, I had talked to Sharpay twice, Ryan once, Zeke once, and Kelsi, another friend, once. That's not even mentioning the number of times I talked to Taylor, trying to iron out the details of the weekend. Part of me was exhausted, and couldn't wait for the weekend to be over. But another part of me was excited, excited to see the people that had meant so much to me all those years ago; even if I knew that seeing them again would hurt.

I had taken a cab to the airport, which was more draining than it sounds. The cabbie wanted to make small talk; while all I wanted to do was sit in silence and prepare myself for the reunion. At least I was going to see Taylor before anyone else. I knew that that reunion, at least, would be a happy one. After all, Taylor and I had become close friends before anyone else had entered the picture. That is, besides Troy. Troy and I had met before I had even moved to Albuquerque, at a New Year's Eve Party. We had been drawn to each other from the start. It was like fate had tossed us together. That's what I used to think anyway.

I made my way through the airport, fighting the crowd. I was a little early to meet Taylor, so I had plenty of time to just look around and make sure I was in the right place. I grabbed a seat across the aisle from the gate where Taylor was supposed to arrive, and settled myself in for some quality people watching.

A few seats down from me, sat a young woman and a small girl of about 5. The girl was squirming in her seat and the woman was trying to settle her down. "Darla, can you please sit still? Daddy will be getting in any minute. Aren't you excited to see him?" Her exasperated tone had caught my attention.

The little girl scrunched up her face and wailed, "I want Daddy now!"

I tried to hide a smile. I was glad I wasn't dealing with the little girl, who looked too tired and too whiney to have to sit in an airport.

My gaze swept around the immediate area. Across the aisle, a teenager had headphones on and was reading a magazine. Every once in a while he'd nod his head with the beat. Beside him sat an older woman who was staring at the gate and constantly checking her watch.

I glanced at the next gate over. There was a crowd of people; apparently that plane had just arrived. It was fun to watch the people step out of the gate and see them being greeted by their loved ones, big smiles and hugs all around. And then, out of the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of dirty brown hair on a tall, stocky man. From the side, I could have sworn he was Troy. I sunk into my chair; I was not ready to see him yet. He turned to face me. Right away I realized that it wasn't Troy. There were definitely similarities but the eyes and nose were all wrong.

Oh God! I was seeing things, imagining him in people around me. This was not good at all. How could I be so delusional? It was bad enough I was going to have to eat dinner with him tomorrow, did I have to start picturing him in a crowd?

"Gabriella!"

My thoughts were interrupted by a shriek and I looked up to see Taylor running towards me. I hopped to my feet and, seeing her arms out wide, got ready to receive the obligatory hug. She reached me and grabbed me a big hug and let out a squeal. And all of a sudden, I was squealing with her. And then the tears started, I couldn't help myself when Taylor started. I got caught up in the moment. And it really was great to see her again.

---

Back at my apartment, Taylor and I made ourselves comfortable on the couch with a big tub of ice cream and some hot fudge sauce. It was just like we used to do back in high school during a sleepover where we'd gossip about who was cute, who was dating who, and how we were going to do in the Scholastic Decathlon. What can I say? We were nerds, and couldn't be completely shallow even when we tried to be.

"I can't believe it's been so many years since we talked! Catch me up on the latest Gabriella news? Where are you working? What have you been doing to keep busy? Are you seeing anyone, engaged, married?"

I let out a chuckle at Taylor's enthusiasm. The cab ride back to my apartment had consisted of Taylor telling me funny stories about the journey here. A fat man who didn't quite fit in the seat on one side of her and the old woman who snored and whose head kept landing on Taylor's shoulder on the other side added up to a not so pleasant trip.

"Well, I'm working at an engineering consulting firm and have been since I graduated from Princeton. I really like it, everyday is a challenge, and I get to travel all over, which is nice. Work keeps me pretty busy actually, but I go out with my friends and I'm singing in a church choir. So that helps. And I'm not seeing anyone. Don't you think I would have invited you to my wedding if I had gotten married?" I looked up from my spoonful of ice cream and stared at Taylor intently. She couldn't possibly think that I wouldn't call her if something that important had happened. Then again, I was dreading this reunion a great deal. Would I have called her?

"Well, it has been a long time. And I don't know, you could have eloped or something." The perk and enthusiasm had left her voice.

"Taylor, no matter how little we have talked over the last few years. I still consider you a close friend. And if I were getting married, I'd want all my close friends there to celebrate with me." And as I said it, I knew it was the truth. I felt it deep in my heart that I sincerely would have made the effort, because it mattered, and she mattered to me.

Taylor shot me a big smile. I threw my head back and laughed until my stomach hurt. That happy laughter that feels like it's the only to adequately express how you are feeling. She must have understood what was going through my mind because she started to laugh too. It felt good being here and I was glad she had come. And for the first time in weeks, I had no thoughts, even remote ones, of the reunion or of Troy.