The Past Always Comes Back

Tessa walked into the kitchen distracting me from my thoughts. I watched as she got a bowl and a spoon. She opened the cupboard and took out the Cap’n Crunch. She poured some into her bowl and then added milk.

I knew what was coming. But I waited silently until she sat down beside me where Nate had been sitting moments ago.

“That was utter hell.” She said while shovelling huge spoon full’s of cereal in her tiny mouth.

“You’re fault.” I sang smugly.

She glared at me with her big green eyes but didn’t deny it.

“So… why were you fighting with some random chick in a bar?” I asked like it was a casual conversation.

“Because my best friend is hiding something from me and I was pissed.” She said putting on the same nonchalant act as me.

“Mmm.” I muttered pushing myself off the bar stool.

“Maya, come on. Just tell me what happened between you two. It will make things WAY less confusing, and I’ll stop bugging you about how much you still like Nate.” She said dropping her spoon in her bowl.

“Tess, I do NOT like Nate, and I don’t need to explain what happened. It doesn’t matter anymore.” I said walking towards my room.

She sucked her teeth making that noise I hate. “It obviously matters if it followed you all the way here, and is pushing you and your best friend apart.” She said knowing she was right.

I just kept walking into my room.

Part of me wanted to tell Tessa about the James story, and the other part wanted to just forget it. That’s what I had been trying to do. Everything I had done was to get away from the past, and the people who remind me of it. That included moving from my hometown, and away from Nate.

I just wanted a fresh start. Before this weekend, everything was fine. But ever since Nate showed up Friday night everything in my head had been mixed up. I kept remembering the night James died. Stuff I had pushed away was all coming back, and I didn’t like it one bit.

Tomorrow was Monday, and I was going to forget everything once and for all. I would find Nate and ask him to go back home, to just leave me alone. I would go to my classes and then I would go to the party at my friend Cole’s. Everything would go back to normal once Nate was gone. Tessa would stop bugging me about 12th grade, and all these stupid memories would once again fade away.