“You do that shit on purpose, don’t you?” I hand him a glass. “I deserve it for upsetting your wife. I feel like a piece of dirt for that. But you just get that one.”
I continue to gush over how much I’m going to love their baby. Blaine laughs into my hair when I hug him again, pulling him up into a shaky stand.
“All right, all right. I know you’re sorry for scaring the shit out of Gloria.” He sits back down. “You going to be okay, though? I know how awful Grant was to you.”
“I’m fine. Promise.”
Blaine studies me, finally nodding after a moment.
I can’t believe my big brother is going to be a dad. It almost makes up for Grant showing up in my life like a painful splinter.
The reunion’s being held at an event center built to look like a barn. Gwen’s eyes track over the wooden planks, and her lip curls as the first notes of some bro country song floats out the open doorway.
“Perhaps this was a mistake,” Gwen says.
“Nah, it will be entertaining, I promise.” I point out some of my former classmates. “That’s Beetle.” I gesture to a lanky manwith a mullet. “He’ll take his glass eye out for you if you ask. He lost it in a fight.”
“Jesus.”
“I know.” I nod toward a blonde woman in a black dress. “That’s Amy. She was pretty terrible to me in school.”
The woman in question looks back at us, squinting. Her eyes trail over my face, likely trying to place me. She slows to talk to us.
“Do I know you?” She has her finger on her chin.
“I’m Guinevere, and this is my friend Lancelot,” Gwen says. She grasps my arm and tugs me away.
“That was all you could think of to save me? She’s going to think I’m an even bigger weirdo than I was.” I laugh.
“She doesn’t deserve to make nice with you.”
Just inside the door, I see Clay, my high school crush, hanging out with some of my old friends. He’s less gangly now, but he’s still got the same wide eyes and pale skin. He studies me when I approach the group, then his mouth hangs open.
“Kenzie?”
“It’s Kendall now, usually. But yeah.” I do a little twirl. “In the flesh.”
Gwen and I catch up with my friends, none of whom live in town anymore. Clay’s married now, and I meet his wife, who’s lovely. They all seem to like Gwen. I start to enjoy myself as we banter. I chat with some other former classmates, careful to engage only with the ones who were nice to me. Several men check me out, and I shelve my complicated feelings about it.
I go to get some punch and a small commotion at the door draws my eye. Some of the old football players are clapping someone on the back, exclaiming over his presence like they might be receiving a king. I stare. As the group parts, the sight of blond hair and a brilliant smile stops me dead.
Grant showed up after all.
8
GRANT
I always feel itchy in my hometown. I’ve already been in one argument with my parents about Rachel, the woman my mom wants me to talk to. I found out the “good job” she got was with a company her dad’s friend owns. I didn’t even think about that possibility, that her lucrative job might be the result of nepotism.
Not that I’m interested, anyway.
I’m sure our next argument will be about where I’m going to work after I’m done with residency. They know I can’t find work in Blacksburg, but there are hospitals in Eastern Kentucky that need orthopedic surgeons, and my parents want me closer to home.
I don’t want that, though. I don’t like what home reminds me of, and I don’t like their snobbery. I’m not sure why I don’t shut them down when they bring things up. It’s hard to do that with the people who raised you, even if they do need to be put in their place.
When one of my old high school teammates texted to see if I was coming to the reunion, I originally said no. I’ve changed so much I no longer know how to relate to my old friends, andhonestly, the fact they liked me in high school seems evidence of their dubious character. But I’m trying to repair my image at least somewhat, and besides that, it’s been a long time since I’ve seen some of these people. Maybe they’ve changed too.
Brayden, one of the other former football players, claps me on the back. “Have you seen Amy yet? She’s gotten even hotter since school.” He nudges me.
