History

The weather was perfect Monday afternoon, not to hot or cold. Savannah tried her hardest not to break into song, like in a musical, as she walked, almost skipping, from the bus stop to the park where she was meeting Patrick for lunch. She was a few minutes early and appeared to not be there yet, s she found a bench in the shade and pulled out her Leonardo DaVinci pocket book. She was so engaged in her reading she didn't notice someone sit down next to her until, they shifted again and the bench creaked.

"Fancy seeing you here," the person said.

Savannah looked up, expecting it to be Patrick, her smile soon turned into a frown when her eyes met the cold blue ones of an old acquaintance.

"Lily," she said, trying to control the level of her voice. The red head had been a 'friend' of Savannah's in high school, they were practically inseparable up until Savannah had realized that the people she had hung out with then weren't really her friends. "What are you doing here?"

"Just hanging out," the girl nodded back to a small group of people across the park who seemed to have taken over the jungle gym. Savannah recognized a few of them, other so-called friends from high school, they hadn't seemed to notice her yet. "It feels like it's been so long since we used to sneak out, go to parties, you know, have fun. Before you got all serious about school and your art crap," Lily snorted, tapping her lit cigarette on the edge of the table making the ashes fall to the ground next to Savannah's feet.

"You should join us," Lily continued. "Stupid landlords have super sensitive smoke detectors so I can't smoke inside but we're going back to the apartment I'm renting in a few minutes. "

Savannah shook her head 'no' and started to get up.

"Come on it'll be just like old times, except no parents to check in with or nosy neighbors to tattletale," Lily smiled, thinking she had convinced Savannah who had turned back to face her.

"I've changed Lily," Savannah forced herself to maintain a calm voice. "I've regained my parent's trust after working so hard for it for so long. I'm not just going to throw it all away for stupid fun and the thrill of nearly getting caught. We're not in high school anymore, it's time to grow up."

Savannah turned around and started to walk away, feeling the piercing stare of the red head.

"I know that girl is still inside of you," she called after Savannah. "You may think you've 'changed' but the trouble maker, fun loving, don't worry about the consequences girl is still there. You can't just forget your friends Savannah," the red head sneered. "Remember, we were your only friends in high school. Remember how everyone else hated you, they were scared of you. Remember what they said about you and we swore to never become one of those petty princesses. Look who has Savannah! It won't be long before you come back to your real friends."

Savannah tried not to let her shoulders shake or to show how upset she was. She wouldn't let Lily get to her, not this time, she was better than that. All the times before her 'friends' had convinced her to go back to her old ways, to be one of them again. And Savannah acted like what the other students at her school didn't matter to her. The names they called and the rumors they spread didn't affect her. But they did, and who she was now, hated who she was then.

When she got back on the first bus that came to the stop by the park, Savannah didn't know where she was going. She didn't know where this bus went, but she had to get far away from the people that reminded her of her past. It wasn't that she was trying to pretend it never happen, all the events were a part of her, but Savannah was a creature of habit and she was still trying to break her old ones. It would've been easy for Lily to suck her back into her old ways again and Savannah was scared of that.

Just by chance the bus stopped a few blocks away from the Public Library where she knew her sister was. Savannah didn't want to interrupt her day but she knew Georgia was her best bet for condolences.

* * *

After the library had closed Georgia went to find her sister, who she had left in the staff lounge with a pile of art/history books and a box of tissues. She had wanted to take her home with her when she arrived sobbing at the help desk, but Savannah insisted Georgia stay at work saying they could pick up dinner later and talk about what had just happen, then. When Georgia entered the staff lounge she found Savannah just as she had left her, reading a book on the renaissance.

"Hey," Georgia greeted. "We can leave now."

Savannah nodded and they headed over to the diner across the street. The blond explained everything that had happen at the park earlier that day. She found she was much less upset about it while she told her sister. After dinner Georgia invited Savannah to her small apartment for the night, knowing her younger sister may have seemed less shaken, but probably didn't want to be alone.