Stay Young Forever
Chapter 26
Beck and I were the first to arrive. We told them our names, and our waiter showed us to our table. After we sat down and got settled in I just stared out the window beside us, wishing I could be back in New York. I was beginning to regret this move more and more every day.
After about 5 minutes Robbie showed up, sitting beside me at our table. I didn't look away from the window, but I could see his shaggy hair in the reflection.
"Hey Cat, hey Beck." He said, and Beck said hi while I just nodded. Then they started to talk as I continued watching a flock of birds fight over a piece of bread.
We waited half an hour until Tori finally arrived with Andre. They weren't being followed this time, but a few people from other tables spotted them. They whispered the news to their dinner mates, and soon everyone in the area was watching us. Some even came from the other areas.
None of them came close, because the manager warned them they would get kicked out for disturbing us. But they watched us the whole time. I felt eyes staring at me while I ordered, and I felt extremely self-conscious. I eventually just decided to watch the birds outside again while we waited for our food.
"Oh my gosh, isn't this so lovely?" I heard Tori say as our big bowl of salad arrived. They asked us for toppings and we told them, and then after putting them on they left. Tori happily reached in to grab some salad, squealing with delight. Seriously, its a bowl of leaves topped with fat. Relax a little.
And while I stared at her, judging her girlish ways, the crowd marveled at everything. They laughed when she squealed, they smiled when she laughed, they stared intensely when she took a bite, waiting for her reaction to see if they should get that too. And she never complained about a thing.
This women was driving me crazy.
After we all had our salads in our bowls it was silent for a while, even Tori stopped talking and squealing to eat. I stabbed my lettuce, chomping on it as if it might come back to life and bite me if I didn't completely disintegrate it.
"Is it good?" Beck asked me from across the table, and I looked up at him. He was wiggling his eyebrows around, something he used to do in junior high when I was annoyed. I smiled a little, then stared back down at the salad, hoping nobody noticed.
"Yea, it's great."
"Isn't it? Oh my god, I swear they have the best salad ever." She said, making sure to raise her hands around in emphasis.
"Right? It's like the salad of the Gods." Robbie said, and Andre nodded while chewing. I stared down at my salad, wishing all of them would disappear. It would be so much better with just Beck and I. Maybe Jade too. Yea, this would be so much better with Jade.
I didn't realize my mistake at first, but after a few moments I stopped chewing to think. Did I just think that? No, it wouldn't be better with Jade. It would be worse, and I don't wish it was just Beck and I. I wish it was just me, all alone with Penelope. That's what I want, right?
Everyone got into a chat then about their lives now. What they did, how they liked it, and some funny moments they remember from work. Right, I thought, because you all have normal jobs.
"What about you Cat?" Andre asked, and I peered up at him.
"What?"
"What was your funniest moment at work?"
I stared at him like a deer in the headlights. Funniest moment from work? What's so funny about accounting..? I tried to think of something, anything that happened to me the past 6 years that was funny enough to share. But I couldn't think of a single one.
"I'm sure you have at least one funny moment." Beck said, and I shifted my gaze to him. The table was silent while they waited for my answer. I felt like the whole restaurant was silent too, waiting to hear what I said.
Well, one time there was a leak in the roof from upstairs. Water got all over my paperwork. That wasn't really funny though, more like frustrating. Umm, oh! How about that one time I walked in and there was ink all over my walls? Well, that wasn't that funny either, since I was the one to clean it up. I sat and thought, but I couldn't think of a single thing.
I tried to think of anything, even a lie. But nothing came. My job just wasn't something that you laugh about everyday like their's. I went to work, did my work, then left. I couldn't think of a single moment when I really laughed when there.
"I can't think of anything." I said. They didn't say anything though. They just stared at me, and I felt like I was slowly melting away.
There were a few moments of silence before Beck spoke up. "Cat, don't you remember? You told me about that one guy at work." He said, and he had this look in his eyes that read 'just go with it'. So I did, since he was my last hope.
"Right." I said, but I had no idea what he was talking about.
"Here, I'll tell the story for you." He said, then he turned to the rest of them. "Cat went into work one day, carrying a cup of steaming hot coffee. On her way to her office some idiot turned and ran straight into her, getting it all over her white blouse." He said, and everyone laughed a little. But wait, is this a true story..? "That's not all though. Next the guy started hitting on her, and following her around. He was practically obsessed with her. Then one day she told him off, and then he went to his hotel and threw some furniture around." More laughs, harder this time. I furrowed my brow in confusion, trying to get Beck to stare back at me. But he avoided my eyes as he laughed too.
"Is that why you moved to Florida?" Robbie asked, and I slowly turned my head to look at everyone else.
"Sort of."
"Well, it's a good thing you did then. Get rid of him and all." Andre said, and everyone nodded. Everyone but Beck and I.
"Right. I did that." I said, and I saw Beck stare down at his salad. Wait, he was obsessed with me? Surely that was the story of us, how we met again and my outburst at the park. That had to be it. But, he threw furniture around after that? I made him that mad? Suddenly I felt terrible, and I knew I had to do something. "But you know, sometimes stalkers are just lonely people. Maybe they lost a best friend, and they missed them." I said, staring at Beck. He looked up suddenly, and we just stared at each other. Everyone else nodded, considering this.
"Yea, I guess so. But maybe they should try to get their best friend back first, instead of following strangers around." Tori said, and everyone chuckled.
"Yea. They should." I said, and smiled at everyone else.
After that I actually tried to stay in the conversation. It wasn't that hard, and I found that I did have some things to talk about. When Andre told a story about his cat, Gilbert, and how he had to house train him, I talked about Penelope and how she had to be scratch-trained, so she wouldn't ruin my curtains. Beck even had a few stories to tell about Penelope, things that happened while I was at work. I found it interesting to know she did these things.
Our food came and went in no time. I ordered a Tour of Italy, and I don't even remember eating it. I just remember laughing and talking. Then when I noticed an empty plate in front of me I realized that I was actually participating. It scared me a little.
"Oh, oh what about that one time when Robbie went and tried to tap dance to get a girl to like him? Then she threw Rex across the school and Robbie tripped on his way to grab him?" Tori said, and everyone laughed, including Robbie.
"Hey, what happened to Rex anyways?" I asked Robbie, and he looked almost sad as he talked.
"I still have him actually. But he's in the back of my closet by now. I grew out of it I guess."
"Wow." Andre said, and I shook my head in disbelief.
"Well you have to bring him back out again sometime soon." Tori said, and everyone nodded.
"Yea, that would be fun."
"You know what we should have?" Beck asked, and everyone looked at him. "A reunion."
"Like a High School Reunion?" Tori asked, and he nodded.
"Yea. We should have it at Hollywood Arts. Just walk around the school, telling memories and reliving the old life." And it was the way he said it that I knew he was just giving me that look in his mind. That look that I've come to know all too well, the one that said 'it's for your own good'.
And I wasn't upset about it. I actually felt a little excitement to go back.
Everyone agreed, and we decided it was a must. I felt a little nervous about reliving that life, the life I've tried to forget. But then I remembered that I was on a mission, a mission to come back to it and remember everything.
So we all got out our phones and checked out schedules. We decided to have it a month from now, so we had enough time to call the school and set it up, and Robbie, Tori and Andre would be back in California by then. So the only ones who would have to fly over is Beck and I.
We also decided to call Jade, and invite her. And Tori was going to give Trina a call too. I felt a little happiness surge through me. I was excited to see Jade, and Trina, and the old school.
It really would be for my own good.
Okay, so this one is like 600 words longer than the recent ones. Am I forgiven now? I hope you've liked this chapter, and I am going to try to post tomorrow's sooner. Thanks for reading and please review, tell me what you think of this new reunion being planned. Are you excited to see the entire gang back together? I know I am!