10 Years Later
“It’s not like I was expecting anything, anyway. It was only the first date,” I said into my cell phone that was placed between my shoulder and ear as I opened the door to my apartment.
“But still, that’s just the norm when it comes to dating! There’s always a goodnight kiss!” My best friend, Liberty James, Libby for short, yelled on the other end. “I can not believe him!”
“Libby, don’t worry about it,” I laughed as I hit the light switch. “It’s no big deal. I mean, the date wasn’t even amazing, anyway. It was just…okay.”
“Here you go again. You never can be satisfied, can you?” Libby sighed. I rolled my eyes. “Jeff is a great guy, Shell. You should seriously give him a chance.”
“I did! And he is a great guy! Just not the guy for me,” I shrugged it off. “But listen, I have to go. I have work tomorrow morning and then I have to finish packing up my things to move to North Carolina.” I sighed. Libby and I still hadn’t faced the truth – I was leaving in a week to go to school Wilmington, North Carolina. My mom was living there with her new husband, and I wanted to be closer to her.
“Please don’t bring that up,” Libby whined on the other end. “I’d really like to push it to the back of my mind for the moment, at least.”
“You’re going to have to understand sooner or later, preferably sooner. I am leaving in a week, you know,” I sighed as I opened the fridge to try and find something to scarf down for dinner. “I’ll talk to you later, okay?”
“Yeah, okay,” she muttered. I could tell she was disappointed I was leaving her. We had, originally, decided to go to the University of Central Florida together and survive together, but after my mom got remarried and moved to North Carolina, I decided I wanted to go up there and study psychology at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington.
“Bye,” I said and hung up after she said ‘goodbye’. I sighed as I found a tub of leftover macaroni and cheese. I hit the ‘Play’ button on my answering machine on the counter and stuck the tub in the microwave to heat up.
“Hey Shelby, its mom. I just wanted to call and check on you, see how the packing was going. I talked to Richard and he agreed to drive down to Orlando next week and pick you up. Can all your things fit in his truck? Did you sell any of your furniture?” I had to laugh. My mom was always more prepared than I was. She knew exactly what needed to be done and when it needed to be done. “I found an apartment in Wilmington. You can look at it when you get here next week. I can’t wait to see you! Love you! Bye.”
“Hey Shelby, its dad. Just wanted to see how everything was going. Debbie and I are going to be passing through Orlando in a few days, and I wanted to see if I could help you with anything to get ready for your big move next week. I, also, wanted you to see Parker. He’s almost two now,” I smiled. Parker was my dad’s son. It was kind of awkward for me, at first. My dad married a woman fifteen years younger than him. My dad was forty-three and she was twenty-eight. Talk about weird family reunions and get-togethers. It’s even weirder having a half-brother sixteen years younger than me. But after a while, I got used to my dad’s wife, Leslie, and I love Parker. He’s adorable. “Well, call me when you get this. Love you. Bye.”
“Shelby, it’s me…your old best friend?” I heard a nervous laugh. I frowned and glanced down at the answering machine. “Well, uh, I’m in town again. I was thinking we could go to dinner sometime or something. I miss you. How long has it been since I last saw you? I think it’s been about two years, right? Well, I’d really like to see you. I understand that you’re busy and all…but, call me, okay? My number’s (813) 291-0341. I’ll talk to you later, hopefully,” he said. “Bye.”
Wow. Aaron Carter called me. I hadn’t talked to him for a few months. When we last spoke I was hurt because Aaron called during his girlfriend’s birthday party. I admit, I was jealous. They were out having a good time and I was stuck at home watching Friend’s reruns with my mom. And the last time I physically saw him was almost two years ago for my sixteenth birthday party. He came into town to wish me a happy sweet sixteen. He was only in town for a day or two. Sure, I missed him, but he had changed a lot and I had changed, unfortunately in different directions.
But a part of me didn’t want to let go of Aaron, and I found myself dialing the number.
Author's Chapter Notes:
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