“Except I’m not your best friend!”
“But you are my friend. Isn’t that enough?”
“Nice of you to let me know this three days before we graduate.” Still, he did have a point. “Not gonna lie, being married to your friend sounds good in theory. Supporting each other, giving big hugs when needed, getting each other through the hard times? It sounds pretty sweet, actually.”
“So, you’ll make the pact with me?”
I pursed my lips together, hesitating. “I don’t know.”
“It will all work out, I swear. You don’t have to worry because I know when the time comes, I’ll keep my promise.” As he extended his arm toward me, I realized that I’d never seen his eyes so sparkly. A starry sky twinkling within brown irises. “Let’s shake on it.”
As I stared at his outstretched hand, a million questions swirled in my head. Could I go through with it? As sweet as Adrian was to me, I always felt he was way out of my league. He would easily find and marry the woman of his dreams. If I shook on it and found out on my thirtieth birthday that he was married to a pretty woman with three kids, it’d be a massive blow to my ego. On the other hand, there was something comforting about knowing that if I weren’t married by thirty, I’d get to marry Adrian. Distance aside, I always felt good around him and I knew he was the type to do everything to make someone feel safe and warm in his presence. If I was going to embrace the crazy, I knew that it would be with him.
“Just so you know, I’m only doing this because I know you’ll be happily married before I turn thirty.” I took his hand. “And if we somehow end up getting married, you better be damn good to me.”
“Damn right I will.” His handshake was firm and strong. He would be a man of his word. There was no doubt. I had it in my head that the next time we met, he’d flash his wedding band and let me down easy. Still, as the day wound down and we prepared to go our separate ways, I couldn’t help but hope that someday, I’d discover the truth of his sincerity. “You can count on me.”
Chapter One
The Present Day, End of August
No matter what happens, everything will be okay.
Hope for the best but prepare for the worst.
At the end of the day, you are a damn good pharmacist who works hard and lives a good life.
No failed marriage pact can take that away from you. Even if rejection hurts like hell.
A pep talk—something everybody needs when they’re about to do something that’s nerve-wracking at best and downright terrifying at worst. And there’s nothing more terrifying than attending your ten-year high school reunion.
Seriously, whose bright idea was it to have reunions? I just want to talk to them for a moment.
I never understood reunions. People say it is a good way to catch up with old high school friends but if you were good friends, you’d have made the effort to keep in touch over the years. Reunions are one-up contests designed to bring folks into a room to size each other up and see who fared better after high school. Everybody wants to know who got married to a rich dude, who ended up in rehab, who’s still flirty and desperate, and who’s still stuck within that toxic high school mentality. It’s all the makings of an explosive reality television show episode.
If it were up to me, I’d be at home in my sushi pajamas, watching police procedural dramas with my mom and grandmother.
And yet here I am, all dressed up and ready to watch the carnage unfold.
A shame that my clutch is too small for a bag of popcorn.
“I hope you’re ready to party, Kay, ’cause I’m ready to get drunk tonight.” As the cab zooms through the city, I watch as my friend Georgia takes out her silver compact mirror, brushing a few errant strawberry blonde strands of hair from her eyes. “I know it’s a cash bar and drinks are expensive, but I’ve got some tequila in my purse. It’ll liven things up later.”
“George, you know I don’t drink.” Even if I did, I have no plans to down half a bottle of tequila. “If you needed that much liquor, why are you having us go to this thing in the first place?”
“To see if all the people I hated in high school are worse off than I am.” I want to roll my eyes but I don’t. I guess I can understand where she’s coming from. In high school, she was the moody girl dressed in black who got her fair share of unwanted attention. Now, she is one of the most popular gaming streamers of PlayOn, the world’s largest live-streaming site. She has a reason to be smug. “And to make a few people look stupid for ever messing with me.”
“This is going to be one interesting night.” I sigh, sinking deeper into the seat. We’d be at the reunion venue in fifteen minutes. It seems hopeless, but I pray that the cab driver will take his sweet time getting there. “How long do you think it’ll take before a fight breaks out?”
“Eh, I give it two, two-and-a-half hours. Gives people time to get sloshed and lose their common sense.” I just hope I don’t end up with a chair slammed in my face. “If people start swinging, I’m taking out my phone and recording it!”
I snicker, shaking my head. If I have to go to this silly reunion thing, at least I’m happy to be going with George. Between her sparkly black gel manicure and her impish hazel eyes, she is a devil with a beautiful face. It’s going to be fun watching her interact with the misguided fools who made her life miserable back in high school.
It’s funny—despite going to the same school and graduating in the same class, we didn’t actually become friends until about two years ago when we randomly met up at a young professional's mixer downtown. It wasn’t until we were much closer that we realized we’d attended the same high school.
If we are going to endure this reunion with meeting people we’d rather leave in the past, we are going to do it together. I’m looking stylish for the occasion, too. With George’s help, I paired a black long-sleeve button blouse with a necktie and slim leg pants with black and gold strappy heels. I may be wearing a pair of sleek black rimmed glasses, but I don’t look nerdy at all. Especially since I tamed my hair, trading my natural waves for a sleek, straight ponytail. But I’ve got nothing on George. She’s wearing a black jumpsuit with a deep V-neck, a black blazer, and strappy heels. It might be me saying it, but the girl is a total fox.
“Anybody you’re looking forward to seeing tonight?” I ask, just as the outline of the hotel comes into view. Shoot, we’re almost here. “Or should I say anybody you’re looking forward to punching in the face?”
“I want to get drunk, not arrested!” That twinkle in her eyes says otherwise. Oh boy. “Anyway, I don’t think there’s anybody I have my heart set on seeing. I just wanted to get you out of the house.”
“So, we’re only going because you wanted to force me to be social?” I scrunch up my entire face. “You could have just dragged me to a bar or something.”
“Well, I know what we’re doing later!” Ugh, I should have kept my mouth shut. “Is there anybody you’re looking forward to seeing tonight?”
“Ah...” I squirm in my seat. “Not really. If you hadn’t asked me to go, I wouldn’t have. Didn’t have any friends back then.”