My room was beautiful. Unlike the lobby, it was decorated with different hues of green. There was a dark green comforter on the bed, complete with white sheets. On the wall, different pieces of art with green forestry were hung. Even the curtains were a shade of green. I looked around, amused with a bittersweet after thought. Of course, it's green. Why wouldn't it be? I tossed my purse of the desk in the corner and walked over to the bed. Sitting down, I picked up the phone and dialed the familiar number of my best friend. It rang twice before someone answered.
"Hello?" Trini Kwan-Scott asked, her voice coming out as if she had just run a mile.
"Trini? Are you okay?" I asked. She let out a small laugh before taking a deep breath.
"I was outside when the phone started ringing. It was like an obstacle course to get in here past little JC's toys. Kim! Did you make it to Angel Grove?"
"Yeah. I just checked into the Tricotta. Which, it's beautiful, by the way."
"I know! Jase and I went to a wedding there about a year ago. How was your flight?" I slid back on the bed, tucking my feet under me.
"Terrible but that's what I get for booking so late. Are you guys doing anything tonight? I could use some time with some familiar faces!" On her end, I heard some scuffling and what sounded like a toy singing. She swore under her breath.
"Sorry. I tripped on a toy. Shocker. Jase and I are totally free though. I'll have him come by and pick you up about eight, okay? That way JC will be in bed already."
"I can't wait to see you guys. I feel like it's been forever."
"I know! I gotta go, Kim. JC is trying to climb the entertainment center. What was I thinking having Jason Scott's demon spawn?"
"I'll see you soon, Tri!" I laughed before hanging up. My spirits were lifted slightly now as I stood from the bed. Walking into the bathroom, I turned the shower on. Slipping out of my clothes, I took a nice hot shower for what was probably half an hour. My body was still achy from the plane ride and I was hoping the heat would help.
As I scrubbed my skin, my fingers lingered on the now faded but still raised scar in the middle of my back. My incision. I try not to think about it, but I always fail to do so. It had been ten years since my accident. The same accident that left me with no future and no hope; pins and needles in my spine. I gruffly shut the water off and climbed from the tub, shoving those thoughts out of my mind. It was my greatest talent in these past few years. Ignoring the thought that brought me pain was the closest to an Olympic sport as I would ever get to.
Wrapping a large white towel around me, I walked back into the bedroom portion of the suite. I tossed my larger suitcase on the bed and unzipped it. My neatly folded clothes were in the same spot I had left them. All those trips to Paris to visit my mother and step-father had taught me the correct way to pack for a trip. Grabbing a new pair of underwear and a clean bra, I dried my skin and pulled them off. I dug deeper into my clothes, looking for something to wear. I mumbled at the amount of pink, hating the cliché I had promised myself not to do but did anyway. My eyes landed on a black off the shoulder top and a pair of light blue jeans. I smirked at the absence of the color I was most known for and quickly changed. When I was finished, I unpacked the rest of my clothes into the dresser at the end of the bed. I hung the dress I was planning on wearing tomorrow in the closet by the door of the suite.
Glancing at the face of the alarm clock on the side of the bed, I noticed it was a little after six o'clock. Jason wasn't due to pick me up for another two hours almost. The thought of sitting in this green colored room by myself with nothing but my thoughts made my heart race. Slipping my feet into my tennis shoes, I grabbed my room key and my cell phone. Walking out of the hotel room, I headed towards the elevator. The little card holder that came with the key had the times and the location for the reception printed on it. In the elevator, I selected the second floor where the dining area was. It was a quick ride down, the golden doors of the elevator opening with a slight ding.
The dining area was directly off the elevator. It was a large room decorated in red, silvers and of course gold. The carpet of the main walk way held designs of swirls with the three colors blending together in an elegant way. It opened up into a dark hardwood floor where tables and chairs were set up. On the far-right side of the room, there was a table set up with various types of snack food. Other guests mingled around here, filling small gold plates with cheese, fruit and crackers as they spoke. On the far-left side of the room, there was a stage set up that was slightly elevated off the floor. An older man was playing a soft melody on the grand piano that was placed there, his head bobbing as he hit the keys. The beautiful sound drifted through the air, not drowning out the soft chatter of the guests though. Couples and small groups of people were scattered throughout the room; some sitting in the chairs at the tables while others stood in the middle of the room. Here, there was a long bar made from carved wood that was the same color as the hardwood floor. It was as if it grew from the floor much like a tree from the ground. Blood red cushions were sewn onto the stools in front of the bar. Some of them were filled with guests who were ordering drinks from the bartender. I spotted an open stool at the end of the bar, closest to the food. I made my way over to it and slid into the seat.
"Hello." The bartender said as she made her way over to me. Glancing up, I couldn't help but notice her eyes. They were very dark brown, almost black. They were also almond shaped, her Asian characteristics filling her facial features. She had to be about forty years old, her long black hair braided behind her back in a neat but disciplined fashion. She ignored my stare as she set a napkin on the bar in front of me. "What can I get you?"
"Huh? Oh! Sorry. Can I get a glass of merlot, please?" I asked, coming to my senses. A small smirk tugged at the corner of her lips as she set a wine glass on the napkin. Walking over to a wine cooler, she opened the door and grabbed the already opened bottle of red wine. Holding it by the neck, she strutted back over to my area. Grabbing the cork, she tugged on it. A popping noise came as the cork slid out. She poured the wine into the glass, the red liquid splashing slightly up the sides of it as she did. Lifting the bottle back up again, she tucked the cork back inside.
"Let me know if you need anything else." She said before heading back towards the other end of the bar. Something about her left me unnerved. I couldn't quite explain it though. Shaking my head, I took a sip of my wine and tried to relax. Pulling my phone from my back pocket, I unlocked it and the screen lit up the slightly darkened area of the room. Turning down the brightness to protect my eyes and my ability to hide, I opened up my Facebook. Scrolling through the newsfeed, I read about what my friends were up to. Those I had gone to school with mostly posted about being back in town for the reunion tomorrow. Some of my friends from the cheerleading squad had posted pictures from a dinner they had tonight to reconnect. I had been invited but had no desire to attend. Most of those girls had husbands and families now. I'm sure they would all zero in on why the only close relationship I had was with my cat. And even he can't stand me at times.
I kept scrolling down, noticing that a few of my co-workers back in Florida were out celebrating my boss' birthday with her. I was supposed to be with them tonight. I had surprised them though by informing them last night that I had to catch a flight to California for an unexpected reunion. They ragged on me for a bit but let it drop. They had no clue what I was coming back to though. A part of me wished I was there with them right now, avoiding tomorrow at all costs.
Glancing up at the top of the screen, my eyes lingered on the search bar. Don't do it, I thought as I bit my lip. You know what happens when you do this. Ignoring my thoughts, I clicked on the bar and brought up my key board. Using my thumbs, I typed in TOMMY OLIVER into the search bar before pressing the magnifying glass on the screen. The page changed, bringing up people and posts that matched his name. The top option was of a profile page that read Tommy Oliver, High School Science Teacher for Reefside, California. Sighing, I touched his profile and brought it up.
Tommy's smiling face looked up at me from his profile picture. It showed him standing next to a jeep, his arms folded across his chest as he leaned against the vehicle. His once long brown hair was cut short now but his warm and inviting brown eyes still had that happiness in them as he smiled. He did look older now but in a more handsome and distinguishing way rather than a negative effect from aging. He was dressed in a tight fitting black t-shirt and a pair of tan khaki shorts. He seemed happy in the picture as he smiled towards whoever was holding the camera.
Continuing down his page, I hovered over the section that said ABOUT. Tapping on it, I read through his current information. A sense of relief strangely flooded me when it said he was single. I wasn't quite sure why I was glad to see that. Was it because I was alone and miserable, and I was happy to see he might be in the same boat? Maybe I was a more horrible person than I thought I was. Going back to his page, I looked through his posts. Most were about recent findings in the paleontology field the people he went to college with commented on. Others were about martial arts and the indie music scene in Reefside. Jason liked a great number of these posts, writing a comment here or there about a style he wanted to start practicing. As a teacher would, he had a lot of posts about his school. Someone tagged him in a picture with a small group of teenagers. They captioned it The Paleo Club. There were three boys in the picture and one girl, all of them grouped around Tommy in a friendly way. I smiled, proud of the fact he was working so well with teenagers. He had always been great with kids, even when he was a teen himself. I couldn't help but notice though that each of the kids wore a standard color; the girl in yellow, the tall boy in red, the African-American boy in blue and the remaining one in white. Tommy himself was dressed in an off-white blazer with a black shirt underneath it.
Sighing again, I set my phone on the bar and took a long sip from my wine. A pang of sadness hit me. It should make me happy that Tommy seemed to be in a good place in his life. He was a successful teacher with a PhD for crying out loud. So, why did it make me so sad to see that he was doing so wonderfully? I had always known that he was meant for something spectacular. I guess I just always imagined I would be there to see it with my own eyes. I ruined that for myself though. My thoughts wondered to the girl he replaced me with. Kat. Her beautiful blonde hair. My successor. I thought for sure when I had selected her to take my place, it was a good choice. I just assumed though it was just for the job, not my boyfriend.
"Refill?" The bartender's voice asked, breaking me out of my thoughts. I nodded, not saying anything as I realized tears had begun to fill my eyes. I blinked rapidly, trying my best to make them recede. They did after a moment as she poured more wine into my glass. Grabbing it, I downed it all and closed my eyes before putting the empty cup down again. Why was I here again? This was such a mistake. I still had plenty of time to get the hell out of Angel Grove before anyone even knew I was here. I could tell Trini and Jason something came up. I wasn't even sure if my other friends were even coming. Opening my eyes, I felt one stray tear slip down my cheek. Wiping it away, I shoved off the bar and stood.
"Kim?" A male voice asked softly as I turned to head back to the elevator. Raising my head to look at the source, I felt the floor underneath me vanish. My breath escaped from inside my lungs and my heart raced as my eyes landed on Tommy Oliver.