Wow, I remember that, and I really meant it too. We were sitting in a tree together at about the age of ten and we were pondering life. We made the naïve decision that we would always be together. I thought life would be fine with Lucie by my side. The funny thing is I still feel a little bit like that now.
“Yeah, we were such silly kids, weren’t we?” Urgh, why did I say that?” Good job we grew up.”
Oh, my God, everything I say just makes it worse! What the hell is wrong with me? I give her the grin that some have described as ‘heart stopping’, but of course Lucie doesn’t seem impressed. She never was as easy to please as the rest of them. In fact, I remember her being very spunky before the Marcey May incident.
“Er, yes I suppose it is.” She turns her back on me and orders a lemonade from the bar. She’s not drinking, and I’m half cut. I suppose that makes sense since she’s always been more sensible than me. “So, erm, how are your studies going?” she asks me with narrowed eyes. “Or not going as the case might be.”
The crowd of people that I’m in the bar with all break out into a rambunctious cheer, reminding me that they’re here. “Oh, right yeah, it’s erm…” I rack my brains for a decent excuse. “It’s Amber’s birthday today so we’re all having a bit of a party. You know how it is?” Does she? I’m not too sure.
“Do you think you might be moving on soon? Only we’re all trying to study here and you’re being quite loud. There must be other places that are more fun for the… birthday party.”
She sees right through me, which is hardly surprising. I’ve never been the best liar and she knows me well. Even if we don’t hang out any longer, I haven’t changed too much I don’t think. She can see the truth.
“Oh, well I don’t know what we’re doing… are we really bothering you that much? Wouldn’t you rather join us?” Lucie gives me a look like that’s the worst idea in the world. “It could be fun!”
“No, thank you.” She grabs her drink and pays for it. “I’m here to learn, not party. You should just go.”
The cold tone she used to use with the people who were horrible to me comes out, and I don’t much care for being on this side of it. As she folds her arms defiantly across her chest I smirk. I need to use my charm to win her back around somehow. Now that I remember how good it feels to hang around with her, I need Lucie back in my life. She knows me better than everyone else here which is pretty awesome.
“Okay, okay, we’ll go,” I tell her while holding up my hands in a surrendering gesture. “But before we do I want to get your number. I think me and you should hang out again just like we used to.”
“You… you do?” She looks taken aback by this, which I suppose shouldn’t be surprising.
“Yeah, I do. We used to have a good time, didn’t we? We could go out for a drink or whatever.”
I hand her my cell phone and she types her number in rapidly. As she does, I notice things about her that I don’t think I’ve spotted before; the glint in her eyes when she’s concentrating, the plumpness to her lips as she curls them upwards, the way wisps of her hair cascade past her striking cheek bones…
Shit, no, stop it, I warn myself as I realize where my brain is going. Lucie is not for that.
Yes, she’s grown into a real beauty, but she’s my friend, nothing more, and she’s a nice girl. I don’t go near nice girls ever. After what I’ve put her through, I can’t make her suffer worse, no way.
“Right, okay, so I guess, message me sometime?” She says this like a question as if she doesn’t think I’ll really do it. I definitely will, I know it! “And we can catch up. Go for a drink and… talk.”
“Great.” I touch her shoulder, wishing I could pull her in for a hug, but I don’t think we’re at the embracing stage just yet. “It’s been good to see you, Lucie, and I cannot wait to catch up again.”
As she walks away from me, I wonder what Mom would think about us reconnecting. She was the only person who actively had a go at me for leaving Lucie behind. She knew that it was my fault, and it’s safe to say that she wasn’t impressed at all. She would be patting me on the back now if she knew, she always liked Lucie, sometimes more than she liked me. Truthfully, I think she wanted us to end up together.
Maybe if I’d known what a beauty she was going to turn out to be, I would have been more agreeable. Or maybe she was already beautiful and I couldn’t see it because I spent so much time with her. Still, I see it now. I can’t see anything else! She’s gorgeous. What a shame that she’ll only ever be a friend to me.
I didn’t plan on leaving the student bar until much later on in the day, but knowing that Lucie has asked me to makes me want to go right away, so as I head back to the table I make a plan.
“Right, guys, let’s go into town!” I say this like it’s the best plan ever. “Start hitting the clubs.”
Most people jump up and cheer, but not Amber. Her face has turned to thunder, she can see the night of me and her together slipping further and further away. Well good, I don’t want it and I never will.
“Who was that?” she demands as if she’s my girlfriend and has right to know.
“My friend,” I tell her smugly. “Someone that I’m really close to.”
“Oh yeah?” Amber cocks an eyebrow knowingly at me. “Then how come I’ve never once seen you talking to her? If you’re so close why don’t you spend more time with her here?”
“I don’t think that’s anything to do with you, now are you coming to the club or not?”
As she makes her way out of the bar, I give Lucie a thumbs up. She returns it, but the gesture is half hearted. I wonder if maybe she’s a little shy in front of her friends. She does seem quieter than she used to be these days. Still, spending some time with me will pull her back out of her shell. I certainly hope so.
Once I’m outside the bar, I fire off a text to Lucie right away. I don’t want to hold back, I want her to know that I’m serious. I really do want to hang out with her again and I don’t think being sober will change that.
‘Hey you, it’s me. That’s Kade, by the way. Let’s hang out tomorrow afternoon?’