by Lily Graison
Megan smiled, looking at Paige before she turned to Amy and the others in the back seat. "You got that?" she asked, looking at each of them. "No one says anything remotely mean to Colin, or Paige will rip your hair out while I hold you down."
Heather rolled her eyes. "There's no point in going if we can't tease the dorks." Meg turned her head, looking over her shoulder and glared. "Fine, whatever," Heather said, looking out the window.
"Well, back to more interesting topics," Kim said, breaking the eerie silence. "Did you at least get a sloppy good-bye kiss this time, or did he high tail it once the deed was done?"
Paige shook her head, and looked at Kim in the mirror. "You just don't ever give up, do you?"
Kim laughed. "Nope, we want details, girl."
"Well, I'm not giving any. I told you already."
"But—"
"No buts," Paige said, before they all became quiet again. Either her yelling had scared them all silent or Meg's evil glare did. Paige smiled to herself when everyone sat quietly.
Of course it didn't last. Why did she think it would?
"You're going to see him again aren't you?" Courtney asked softly, looking over at Amy when she snickered at her.
Paige grinned at them when she looked into her rear-view mirror. All their faces were alight with laughter. "Maybe."
"Was it as good as last night?"
"Better," Paige said, her smile widening, the soft giggles filling the car.
"Did you get good-bye smoochies?"
"Yes," she told them calmly. She thought about their last few minutes together. She wasn't about to tell her friends she actually had a date of any kind with him. They could find that out later. She’d never get them to shut up if she did.
She remembered the soft kiss he'd given her and him telling her bye. Her smile widened as the sound of his voice floated through her mind. The way her name sounded whispered from his lips sent chills up her spine.
"Well, that's a start," Kim said grinning. "Who knows, maybe you can venture back to the club and see if he wants more."
Kim’s words were lost to Paige as her last thought rang in her head. Simon said her name. He'd called her Paige before he left. She thought back on their encounter and remembered him whisper her name against her neck. He really had said her name. Twice!
"Oh my God!" Paige yelled, her head snapping around and looking at them wide eyed as she remembered.
Everyone in the car screamed when the car swerved, running off the road as Paige screamed and straightened the wheel. She slammed on the breaks, her heart nearly bursting from her chest before the car came to a complete stop in the middle of the highway.
"What the hell is wrong with you?" Heather yelled, her hand over her heart.
Paige's eyes were huge as she looked at her friends. They were all wide-eyed and she turned in her seat to look at them before she whispered, "He said my name."
"Well that monster!" Amy yelled, sarcastically. "You almost gave me a fucking heart attack screaming like that! Are you trying to kill us?"
"He said my name."
"Big deal. Simon said your name. Men tend to do that from time to time!"
"He said my name!" Paige yelled back at her, turning to look out the front window. She remembered him saying it. At the time, she had smiled, loving the sound of it slipping past his lips, but now, as she thought about it, it horrified her.
She racked her brain trying to remember when exactly she told him what it was. As far as she knew, he didn't know her name. She hadn't told him. Did one of her friends tell him? No! When would they have done that?
Her breathing increased until she felt light headed.
"Paige, calm down," Megan said, laying her hand on Paige's arm. "Let's get off the highway, okay?"
"But, he said my name." Paige turned and looked at Megan. She stared at her before her body went numb. "I never told him my name, Meg. How did he know it?"
"Are you sure you didn't tell him?" Courtney asked, looking confused.
"Positive," Paige replied, turning to look at the others. "How does he know my name?"
As the question ran through her mind, Paige thought of every possible explanation she could think of. How did Simon know her name? Did she know him?
She knew the answer to that the minute she thought it. No. There was no way she could ever forget him. But yet, he apparently knew her.
But from where?
* * * *
Chapter 11
The rest of the ride to Riverdale was made in silence. After Paige sat, mumbling quietly to herself for nearly five minutes, Megan forced her from the drivers seat and drove them to their destination.
Paige sat in the passenger seat, staring out the window while occasionally looking at one of the others, her thoughts a jumbled mess. She knew without a doubt she never told Simon her name and the fact he'd said it, twice, caused her brain to work overtime.
He apparently knew who she was. There was no other explanation. No contact with the others whatsoever except for back at the store and that was after he'd said it. It was all too confusing.
Her mind drifted back to the first night in the club and the way he came toward her from the minute he stepped onto the stage. She didn't think anything of it at the time, other than she happened to be the lucky girl of the night, but when she started to think heavily on it, she had to wonder if she hadn't been his target all along.
He told her the dance wasn't part of his act. Did he lie to her? Did the other ladies at the club expect that from him? Is that why he was so popular?
If it were, then why her? Why not one of the other ladies lined up watching him? She was sure some of them were regulars. Woman he was guaranteed a huge tip from.
As the questions mounted, her mind raced to answer them. She couldn't explain why it upset her so much that he said her name other than he was hiding something, but what? If he knew her, then why didn't he just say so?
* * *
"Did you hear me Paige?" Megan asked.
Paige looked up from the sidewalk. She’d stopped walking without noticing. They were all walking down Main Street, leisurely taking in the changes since their last visit to the little town.
"I'm sorry. What did you say?"
Megan smiled, taking a step closer to Paige and threading her arm through her friends. "I asked you if you were hungry."
"Oh, no. I think I'll wait until the reunion," Paige replied. "I'm a little too freaked out at the moment to eat."
"Are you okay?"
"Yeah," she lied. She looked over at Meg, seeing the concern on her friends face, before sighing. "I'm just still thinking about the whole Simon thing."
"I figured as much," Meg smiled. "Don't drive yourself crazy over it."
"I won't," she said. Megan raised one eyebrow at her before she laughed lightly.
"Okay, okay. No more Simon worries. We're here to reminisce and have fun."
"Damn straight we are." Megan laid her head against Paige's trying to show her support. "Speaking of fun, we're heading over to the high school. Heather feels the need to walk-the-walk and talk-the-talk."
Paige cracked a grin, raising her eyes to look at the others.
"That would be fun," she said. "Too bad there won't be anyone there to see."
"Oh, I'm sure we aren't the only ones going to be there."
* * *
Simon stood on the sidewalk looking up at the building where he'd spent the better part of two years feeling like a total outcast. Starting a new school in his junior year wasn't the easiest transition, especially with the social groups established at the school. Being a new kid, and one so totally different from the others, only made it that more difficult to fit in. The only highlight in the whole experience was Paige.
He'd seen her not ten minutes after walking in the front door and she had literally taken his breath away. When the girls had all passed by him, Paige had turned to look at him, flashing a brilliant smile, and he knew at that moment he would be forev
er lost in her. She was the most beautiful girl he'd ever seen.
He spent years trying to get over her after graduation and finally convinced himself he did. Well, until he saw her again. The minute he laid eyes on her at the club, all those feelings came rushing back. He didn't know what it was about her that held his heart captive. She was like a drug he couldn't get enough of.
Was it the whole challenge aspect of it? Did wanting something you knew you couldn't have make it that much more tempting? He really didn't think that was the case. It was simply her. It was the smile she gave him for no reason. The way her eyes lit up when she laughed. Everything about her was intoxicating to him.
Even now—after ten years of not seeing her, with one tiny glance, she captured his heart and held it in the palm of her hand again. He only hoped this time it wouldn't destroy him like the first time.
Colin Gregory had died with every laugh he'd received on the day he poured his heart out on paper and with a single red rose. That was the day he gave her one last glance and vowed never to look upon her again. And he didn't. It was easier that way. He avoided her. Knew where her and her little group of friends hung out and purposely avoided them. Even on graduation, when her name was called, he'd sat there, staring at his feet. Her smile tore his heart out and he couldn't bring himself to even glance at her. It was too painful.
The endless nights of tears staining his pillow because of the cruel and heartless things her friends said to him had worn him down. But he suffered through it… for her. He loved her enough to endure anything they dished out and he did. For a year and a half, he took everything they threw at him. He took it and filed it away in that tiny place in the back of his mind to use later on if he needed it.
But that day… that day had been different. That day he'd seen. He'd seen the look on her face when everyone in the room laughed. He'd seen her embarrassment… because of him. His beautiful angel held pain in her eyes and he caused it. His world crumbled around him then. He'd hurt her. He hadn't meant to but he did. Every day he hurt her with the taunts and laughs of her friends. They weren't just directed at him. She felt them too.
He knew what he had to do then. He had to be someone she would want to love. Colin would never be the man she needed. Colin would never be the kind of man any woman would want.
Simon had risen from the ashes of his broken heart. A man who didn't take shit from anyone and didn't let his heart get in the way of what he wanted. He'd searched for years for someone equal to her but never found her. There hadn't been a woman in ten years to stir any emotion in him other than the feelings that a pleasurable night wrapped around another warm body could give. And he knew now that no one could ever take her place. He would forever love the girl who couldn't see him for more than what her friends thought he was.
Taking a deep breath, Simon let it out slowly before he tossed his spent smoke to the ground and crushed it with the heel of his boot. He turned, sitting back down on his bike.
The loud roar of the engine rang out across the street before he gave the old school one last glance, pulled away from the curb, and headed into town.
* * * *
Chapter 12
Paige pulled her car to a stop outside the Riverdale Country Club. She glanced at everyone milling around and took a calming breath before killing the engine.
Their afternoon consisted of walking the halls of their old high school before ending up at Meg's parents home. They spent time with the couple, reminiscing before retiring to Meg's old room to freshen up and change their clothes. The girls spent the rest of the evening dressing and getting made up. It wouldn't do for Riverdale's elite to show up wearing day old clothes, now would it?
After primping and getting each hair in place, the girls made their way to the Country Club. From the looks they got from everyone milling around, their efforts would be rewarded.
"Man, I didn't think there would be this many people here," Courtney said from the back seat.
"Well, it is classmates and spouses," Amy told her. "It's going to be more than just who we went to school with."
"Are we ready ladies?" Heather asked, opening her door and climbing out.
Paige exited the car last. She watched the others make their way to the building before looking at her reflection in the windows of her car, smoothing her shirt down over her slacks and fussing with her hair.
Her mind once again shifted to Simon. Him knowing her still confused her but not nearly as much at the thoughts of her date did. Was he setting her up for something or was she just being paranoid?
The look on his face inside the bathroom puzzled her the most. He looked almost scared when he asked her out, but why? The more she thought about it, the more confused she became. She had a date with him and was nearly ready to bust from wanting to tell someone. She knew Meg could help her think things through and she wouldn't say anything if she told her not to, but she felt stupid for wanting to see him again considering everything that had happened. She frowned as she thought about it before glancing over at Meg. After all the fuss, why would she even consider a date with him?
Because he's hot and you like him.
"What's with the frown?"
"Nothing," Paige said, looking at Meg before she smiled back at her.
She shook her head, grabbing her friend by the arm and walking toward the building where the others were waiting. They all smiled before entering. Two girls seated at the "welcome" table in the entranceway immediately greeted them.
"Oh my God! Heather!" The blonde behind the table screamed when they all entered. "We were all hoping you would come."
"Wouldn't have missed it for the world," Heather said, flashing her million-watt smile.
"Well, you are the only one in the graduating class that is now a household name," the blonde told her smiling. "Here, just sign in and Tracy will help you find your badge."
"Badge?" Kim asked, walking toward the table and glancing up at Tracy. Kim remembered teasing her relentlessly.
"Yes, it's a name tag, with your senior picture on it," the blonde proudly boasted, pointing towards her own. "In case you have trouble figuring out who anyone is."
"Oh, how... cute," Kim said, rolling her eyes before scanning through the badges with Tracy until she found hers. "God, did I actually wear my hair like that!" she yelled, holding her nametag up and looking at it. "Why the hell didn't one of you slap some sense into me?"
They all laughed, signing in and giving their ticket to Melissa, who they barely recognized, but remembered being the most annoying person on the planet. Finding their badges, the six girls ventured down the hall to the reception area.
"Wow!" Megan said happily. "This place looks great."
"I know," Courtney replied, looking around the large room.
There were tables lining the four walls, each holding photos of their high schools days, blown up and displayed for the classmates to reminisce and take the opportunity to remember days gone by.
Paige walked toward her right, the others scattering in separate directions, looking at photos or speaking to someone they hadn't seen in years. The room looked full to capacity already, most of them congregating in the center of the room, talking to old friends, while others scanned the photos lining the tables.
Paige stopped to talk to a few old classmates who said hello to her. It felt so much nicer to actually talk to these people rather than turning her nose up to them.
She’d been terrible in school. She knew it. Her friends expected her to be. They were snobs. All of them. Herself included. Of course, the others weren't around at the moment for her to put a front up for. She always hated that the most. Pretending to be someone she just didn't want to be.
She sighed thinking of her old high school self. No matter what she wanted or thought, the "girls" were the ones who dictated how Paige thought and felt. If they didn't like someone, Paige felt obligated to feel the same way. She wasn't a leader… she was a follower.
Even though she loved he
r friends like sisters, she didn't always believe in the same things they did, but felt she had no other choice but to agree with what they said. It took her years to come to grips with the thought that she actually had a say-so in things. It felt nice to finally be able to say yes when she knew her friends wouldn't approve.
But now, looking across the room to her friends, she knew if they wanted to destroy everyone in the room, she'd be powerless to stop them. She'd stand by and watch. It's just what she did. She felt inferior to her friends. She always had.
Turning back to the table of photos, Paige walked slowly and scanned the pictures. Most were candid shots, taken during classes and at lunch as students mingled in the quad. It brought back memories of youth. The only care then was if she'd be able to convince her mother to increase her allowance and what to wear for her date on Friday night.
"Find anything interesting?" Kim asked when she stopped by Paige.
"No, not yet, you?"
"Oh yeah," Kim said grinning, grabbing Paige's arm. "Come on."
Kim led Paige over to the others, where they all stood staring toward the pictures lining the table on the far wall, whispering to each other.
Paige once again found herself staring at photos. She saw a photo of her and her friends sitting in the quad, their faces alight with laughter before her eyes landed on a large picture of her.
She looked at the young girl staring back at her, her eyes shining and a happy smile gracing her face.
"Ah, to be young and carefree."
Paige turned and looked at Megan when she spoke before saying, "I can barely even remember being that young."
"It wasn't that long ago," Megan told her, looking at the photo.
"No, but it seems like forever." Paige turned back to the photo. "I mean, I didn't even have wrinkles then."