"So where's the queen of mean?" Heather asked as she came back over to Annie.
"She wasn't feeling well, so she left."
"Oh, that's too bad," Heather said sarcastically. "I hope it's only something mild, like an alien bursting out of her chest."
Annie nodded vaguely as she looked over to where Tiffany had been led out. It did seem strange that she would go from appearing healthy to being close to collapsing almost instantly. Maybe she was sick and it suddenly caught up to her, Annie thought. Though the suddenness of the symptoms seemed similar to something she had once seen at the hospital she interned at. A girl had been brought in with reactions similar to what Tiffany had experienced. And when they treated her they found she had been injected with a fast acting poison.
"Hello?" Annie blinked as Heather waved her hand in front of her. "Earth to Annie."
Annie shook her head as she smiled back at her friend. "Well anyway, how are you? It's been so long since I've heard from you. How's the job in Denver going?"
"I was let go from there two years ago," Heather said bitterly.
"I'm sorry."
"Not your fault Annster. Not really my fault either. The place I worked for decided to save money by merging my department with another sales department, and then let anyone go they felt was 'redundant'. Since then I've been working at Panera Bread and at a Denver radio station."
"That's seems pretty cool," Annie said brightly.
"Not really," Heather jadedly responded. "I'm basically just a gofer, getting lunch for people and handing out messages and scripts. It's just like that loan office we both worked at that one summer. The only difference is at least then I knew it would end." She suddenly chuckled as she elbowed Annie. "Hey, remember the time I came to work hung over and kept throwing up in the bathroom? And you covered for me and said I ate a bad sandwich from the food truck? And then no one else wanted to eat anything off the truck?"
"And then the guy came running in and yelled 'my food is good, my food is good. Eat it, eat it'," Annie said, laughing over the memory. "That was so terrible."
"The guy overpriced all his stuff. He deserved to have his business shaken up a little."
"I never wanted that to happen though," Annie said. "I was just trying to cover for you."
"Whatever," Heather said with a casual shrug. Just then her lips curved into a wide smile as 'Love Shack' started playing over the speakers. "Hey! You remember this song?"
"Of course! We sung it every time we played Karaoke Revolution! I'm surprised their playing it though. So far they've only played stuff that was popular when we were in school."
"I gave the DJ twenty bucks to make sure he played it at some point. Come on, let's be seventeen again."
The two women pretended their fists were mics as they sung along to the song. They didn't even care if they looked dorky or if people were staring. As they sung Annie's eyes lit up as she looked at Heather, remembering all the times they sang this song after school or at sleepovers. This is just like old times, she happily thought.
"I haven't heard that song in years," Heather said as the song ended. She smiled as she looked at Annie. "I'm glad you came."
"Me to," Annie said. "I've missed you."
"Vote for reunion king and queen!"
Annie and Heather looked over as Raquel suddenly appeared, thrusting a ballet box in their faces. "What?"
"Everyone's voting for the king and queen of the reunion. After the votes are tallied the winners will be announced," Raquel said brightly.
Heather scoffed as she waved her arms emphatically. "You've got to be kidding me. It's bad enough everyone is desperately trying to recapture their high school years. But this is way too much-opps!" Rachel gasped as Heather's arm hit the box and knocked all the votes to the floor.
"What the hell is your problem?" Raquel yelled as she and Heather picked up the voting slips. As they cleaned up the mess Annie thought she saw Heather take something out of her purse and put it in the box. Before she could get a better look they stood up, with Raquel clutching the box tightly to her chest. "You two are just so…" She huffed in annoyance before turning on the spot and leaving.
"Can you believe her?" Heather said as Raquel walked away from them. "Like anyone really cares about some stupid glory recapturing high school title. Stuff like that only matters to the shallowly vapid." She pointed over to a group of former football players and cheerleaders holding court at a table. "Like those people. Look, all the guys are wearing their lettermen jackets. How pathetic is that?"
"Not everyone is wearing one," Annie said as she looked over at Troy (who was the only guy at the table who didn't have a jacket on.)
Heather groaned as she snapped her fingers in Annie's face. "Don't tell me you still have a crush on Troy Barnes. I know you followed him to GCC, but I thought after all this time you'd have a little more common sense. Forget about him and focus on your actual boyfriend."
"Heather, I don't have a crush on Troy. That ended a long time ago."
"Good. Because you're better than he ever was."
"But just so you know, he's not the same guy he was in high school. Now he's kind and sweet and really cares about people."
"Oh please! He's a narcissistic asshole. It would have been so gratifying if Troy Barnes had been Carried at prom."
"I'm serious Heather. He's really changed. Now he's one of my closest friends. I've actually been living with him and our friend Abed for the past three years."
Heather scoffed as she glanced over at Troy. "Do I have to remind you of all the stuff he did to me back then? Like how whenever I gave a speech in our history class he would make fart sounds the entire time. Or when Jake Sapprey was going to ask me out and he didn't because Troy told him 'guys who play sports don't go out with girls with giant asses'. And remember the whole pudding incident? You just didn't realize how mean he was because you were in love with him. He was as bad as Tiffany was. "
"Heather, I know Troy wasn't the nicest guy back then. And you're right; I may not have fully realized it because of my feelings towards him. But I'm telling you, he's not the same guy he once was. If you just give him a chance-."
"I don't want to give him a chance! He made my life hell!" Heather tried to compose herself as people near them looked over at her outburst. "I'm sorry, I'm just a little…where's your boyfriend anyway? I could really use that drink."
"I don't know?" Annie said as she looked around. "I'm sure he'll be back soon."
"Whatever. I might have an old six pack of something stashed in my car. I'll just go check."
Annie watched Heather as her friend left the gym. She knew Heather had it bad in high school, but it made her uncomfortable to hear the way she talked, like they were still there. True she hated it back then too, but it was five years ago, and she wasn't going to let that terrible time dictate how she lived the rest of her life.
"Ann Edison?"
She gasped in surprise when she saw who had approached her: Russ Fisher. Former Riverside linebacker and Tiffany Peterson's high school boyfriend. Even within the popular crowd the two of them had practically been royalty, ruling the school like it was their own corrupt kingdom. While Tiffany had been the one to pick on her and other girls, Russ made it his mission to torment every guy he deemed a wuss (which included most of the male population).
Annie looked right into the eyes of the mammoth man as she fought to keep her apprehension hidden. "That's me."
"That's good. You look so pretty I wasn't sure if you were…you look good."
"Thanks," she said coolly. "You look about the same. Have you seen Tiffany?"
"Um…no. I'm not really interested in seeing her. Listen, The reason I came over is…I've done a lot of thinking since graduation. And I wasn't the nicest guy back then. And I know people can still be hurt by what I did, even if it's been a while. So I wanted to say I'm sorry to everyone I was mean to. Which was probably pretty much everyone. So, I'm sorry for how I was back then."
Annie stared at him in shock at what she heard. This was the last thing she ever expected to hear from Russ Fisher. "Thank you."
He smiled nervously before his eyes grew serious. "I, um, I just wanted to tell you…I remember everything people said when they found out about your pill thing…and…when I was playing for Michigan State there was one player who was caught using steroids. And, he was a real good guy who I never would have thought would use that stuff. And it made me realize that anyone can end up using that stuff. So, I just wanted to say, you shouldn't have been made fun of for your problem back then."
Though it wasn't the most articulated way of phrasing it, Annie got the gist of what he meant. Her eyes teared up as she touched his arm. "Thank you Russ. That means a lot."
"You're welcome Ann."
Annie looked over as Jeff made his way over to them, carrying two cups of punch. "Jeff, you're back. This is Russ. Russ, this is my boyfriend Jeff."
"Nice to meet you Jeff," Russ said as he nodded at Jeff. "Well, I don't want to take up all of your time. It was good seeing you Ann."
"Who was that guy?" Jeff asked as Russ made his way through the crowd and walked out of the gym.
"Just someone I once knew. Or someone I'm just getting to know in a way," she said as she took the second punch cup from Jeff. She watched as Jeff took a couple of vodka nips out of his jacket and poured one in his cup before handing the other to Annie. "Thanks." She added the liquor to her cup and took a sip. "Not bad."
"I got a few Jack Daniels nips for Heather. Where'd she go?"
"She said she was going to her car to get some beer."
"You two catching up?" he asked as he took a drink.
"Yeah. It's just…" She paused as she tried to voice what she was thinking. "I don't know. She just seems so much bitterer than I remember her. She was always more cynical then I was, but now it's harsher. It makes Britta seem perky."
"That is bad," Jeff said with a grin.
"And she keeps acting like we're still in high school and should obsess over what happened back then. It's not healthy to keep being angry over all of that."
Just then they heard a loud yell out in the hallway, followed by the sound of something large falling. A bunch of people ran out to see what had happened. As Annie and Jeff made their way through the crowd they saw Russ lying at the bottom of a flight of stairs. People ran down to see how he was as he shakily got to his feet. "I'm all right everyone."
"What happened!" someone yelled.
"I don't know. I was walking past the stairs and something hit me. I think someone bumped into me. That, or possibly pushed me."
XXXXXXXXXXXX
"You okay?" Jeff asked. "You seem pretty quiet."
"I'm fine." Annie rested her head against Jeff's chest as they swayed to the music. She wanted to just be able to have a good time. But an uneasy feeling kept prickling over her. While most people had just dismissed what had happened to Russ, she had a feeling it wasn't an accident. She couldn't even place why she thought that. But her intuition told her he didn't just fall accidentally.
Who would want to hurt Russ?, she thought. Well, if she was truthful, most of the student body. He had picked on enough people that any number of them might want to get revenge. But that was a long time ago. Someone would have to be really angry to try and hurt him five years after the fact. But who would hold a grudge for that…
Annie's eyes widened as a terrible thought came over her. There was someone here who was especially bitter over what had happened to them in high school. But she wouldn't actually try to hurt someone, would she? Even after everything that happened to her, that would be extreme. And Russ never really did anything to her. Tiffany and Troy were the ones who mostly picked on Heather. So if anything they would be the ones…
Annie pulled away from Jeff suddenly. He looked down at her, growing concerned at the look on her face. "What?"
"Nothing. Just stay here Jeff. I'm going to try and find Heather." She started walking away when she suddenly turned back around. "Jeff, do me a favor and keep an eye on Troy for me until I get back."
"What's going on?"
"Maybe nothing. Just…watch him. Make sure he doesn't go off any place by himself." Annie quickly scurried off as she tried to find Heather. She left the gym and started walking down the hallway when she saw Heather come in from outside. "Heather."
"Annie. What are you doing out here?"
"Looking for you." She took hold of her arm and led her a little ways away. "Where have you been?"
"I told you, I was getting some beer from my car."
Annie glanced down at Heather's empty arms. "Where is it?"
"I couldn't find it. I looked everywhere, but it wasn't there. I must have drank it already and forgot."
"You've been in your car this whole time?"
"Yeah. It's pretty messy, so it took a while to look through it." She narrowed her eyes as she looked at Annie. "What's going on?"
"Do you remember Russ Fisher?"
"Yeah. He was the jerk who went out with Tiffany."
"Well, he fell down the stairs before. He's all right, but he could have really hurt himself."
"Okay," Heather said slowly.
"He thinks someone might have pushed him," Annie said slowly and deliberately.
Heather gasped as she looked at Annie. "Wait, you think I did that?"
"I just…you've been complaining about everyone here all night. And you were gone when it happened-."
"Oh, I don't believe…because I make a few snide comments you think I'm some kind of a psycho?"
"Heather-."
"NO! This is exactly what it was like back in high school. Something happens to one of the popular ones and the outcast is the one to be blamed. I never thought you would become one of them."
"Heather," Annie weakly said. She tried taking hold of her hand but Heather jerked it away angrily.
"I only came to this stupid thing to see you. But now I see you're just like them. Well have fun with your new 'friends'. Enjoy yourself with Troy Barnes and all the others." With that she turned on her heels and marched away, leaving Annie standing alone and deeply upset.
XXXXXXXXXXXX
Jeff immediately knew something was wrong when Annie came back over to him. Her eyes were red and puffy and she was sniffing like she had a cold. "What's wrong?"
Annie wiped her eyes as she told Jeff what had happened. "I should never of accused her of…I'm a terrible person."
"Annie, you're an amazing person. And I'm sorry, but if this was a case the evidence would be stacked against her. She mysteriously disappears when Russ fell, and she's repeatedly said how much she hates most of the people here. She can't be surprised if it makes her look guilty."
"I want to leave Jeff. I don't want to be here anymore."
"Okay. I'll just get your coat and then we can leave." He gently kissed her before setting off. Annie composed herself as she looked for Troy to tell him they were leaving. She frowned when she saw that he wasn't at the table with the football players and cheerleaders. She looked around until she saw him sitting on the wooden bleachers, reminding her of herself whenever she used to attend high school dances.
Troy looked up in surprise as Annie sat down next to him. "Hey."
"Hey." She glanced back over at the 'popular table' before looking over at Troy. "How come you're sitting here instead of catching up with your friends?"
Troy was quiet for a few moments before he turned his head towards her. "I don't know. It's hard to explain. But, it's not the same. I mean, I know they're the same people. But everything's off. They keep talking about all the things we used to do, and I used to remember it as being fun. But now that I'm hearing it out loud and not in my head, it's doesn't sound fun anymore. It sounds stupid and mean."
Annie nodded as she mulled over what she just heard. "Maybe, it's because you're not the same person you once were and they still are, so you see them differently then you once did."
Troy nodded his head as he looked back at the table. "After some of the stuff they said, I don't think I was the nicest guy back then."
I know others who would agree, Annie thought as she remembered all the things Heather said Troy did to her. She was just about to tell him she was leaving when something she had wondered about before popped into her head. "What does Carrie someone mean?"
"It means pull a humiliating prank on someone, like in Carrie when she was on stage and they poured pigs blood all over her," Troy said. "You never saw Carrie?"
"No."
"Oh man, it's so cool. Abed has it, we should watch it tomorrow. Oh! We can make it a marathon. We can watch Carrie, and then Prom Night, and-."
"Your attention please!" Troy and Annie looked over as Raquel stood on stage holding a microphone. "Thank you. We have tallied the votes and it's time to announce the reunion king and queen. But first, a brief history of this prestigious title, which I came up with personally."
Annie groaned as Raquel droned on and on. "This whole thing is just another popularity contest. No one who deserves it will win."
"I voted for you."
"What?" Annie said as she looked over at Troy in confusion.
"I voted for you to win reunion queen. I thought about who really deserved it, and you were the person I felt should win."
"Troy!"
She moved in to hug him when they heard Raquel suddenly yell out, "And now, this year's reunion king and queen are, TROY BARNES AND TIFFANY PETERSON!"
As everyone cheered Annie quickly hugged Troy before pushing him off the bleacher. "Go on, get up there!" Annie clapped as Troy made his way through the applauding crowd. But then she slowly stopped clapping as she thought about what Troy has said about the movie Carrie. How she had a prank pulled on her when she was up on stage. As Annie thought about that she gasped as what had happened earlier with Heather ran through her head.
"It would have been so gratifying if Troy Barnes had been Carried at prom."
Heather taking something out of her purse and putting it in the ballet box.
"Excuse me! Excuse me!" Annie yelled. She pushed her way through the crowd as Rachel placed a crown on top of Troy's head.
"Now I will admit I was fully expecting Tiffany and Russ to be back up here. But our one time star quarter back winning is nothing to complain about." Rachel mugged to the crowd as the audience cheered for Troy. "Now unfortunately Tiffany came down with something and had to leave early. So I will be accepting her award on her behalf." She put a tiara on her head as she pointed gleefully to it. "Thank you. I just want to say…"
"Move it!" Annie yelled as she fought through the crowd. As she reached the stage she looked up and saw two large buckets balanced on the rafters, each of them attached to a length of rope. As the rope pulled the buckets over Annie jumped on stage and tackled Troy to the ground as two showers of yellow paint and feathers rained down onto the stage.
Annie looked at herself to see what the damage was. Her shoes were covered in paint and feathers and she had some splotches on her left calf, but otherwise she was fine. She pulled herself off Troy as she inspected him. Aside from a few small specks he didn't have any on him. "You ok?"
"Yea, I'm good." Surprisingly he seemed more ecstatic then upset. "That was so cool! We were just talking about Carrie and then someone tries to pull a Carrie prank. I wish Abed was here, he would have loved it."
They suddenly looked over as they heard a frantic yell. Raquel was completely covered in yellow paint and feathers. As she stared out into the crowd a couple chuckles were heard. "SHUT UP! MY DRESS IS RUINED! SHUT UP!" she shrilly yelled as she stamped her foot.
More people started laughing, more from her reaction than the actual incident. "SHUT UP! HOW WOULD YOU LIKE IT!" She wiped a handful of paint and feathers off her body and threw it into the crowd.
As everyone was focused on Raquel, Annie looked backstage, where she saw someone run off. She ignored Troy's yells as she took off like a bat out of hell. She ran after them until she caught up to the assailant, who was about to run out the emergency exit. "Stop right there!" Annie waited as the culprit slowly turned around and revealed themselves.