《Class Reunion》 Prologue (May 2010) There was no better way to end the school day than in the company of the ice queen June Grisanti herself. In preparation, Shilling Daniels had made his way against the flood of exiting students to the familiar locker at the end of the lunchroom hall¡ªdisplaced and isolated like its owner. With the location staked out, he placed himself against the wall in a perfectly crafted appearance of casual cool: arms crossed loosely, one leg bent against his vertical support, and to top it all off, a devil-may-care smirk that accentuated his budding red facial hair. Surely, he was lady-killer material. His target arrived with a mortician¡¯s sobriety painted across her unmoving, pale face. She pretended not to notice him as she transferred some books to her satchel, though he thought he spotted hints of a smile pulling at her thoughtful, brown eyes. The silence had gone on long enough. Shilling pushed off the wall with a flourishing kick. Now to lay out some sweet, but platonic vibes. His voice¡¯s cadence meandered like a happy ditty, ¡°Is that a calculus book or are you just happy to see me?¡± Maybe platonic wasn¡¯t on the mind at the moment. Victory was still achieved in the small shake of her head and a scoff. ¡°I wondered how long it¡¯d take for you to demand attention,¡± her voice hit only a few low, monotone beats. ¡°You can only ignore me for so long, June,¡± he preened playfully. Shilling then shifted to a more casual tone, ¡°So, how¡¯d that presentation go?¡± June shrugged and closed her locker door. ¡°It went fine, I guess. The hardest part was listening to everyone else and their piss-poor attempts. Then again, we only had three days to throw it together, so I blame the teacher¡¯s planning.¡± Her gaze rarely met his. Maybe she was playing hard to get or was distracted. Her dark eyes only bore into his to ask, ¡°Where¡¯s your girlfriend?¡± ¡°She ditched last period,¡± Shilling shrugged, ¡°so I¡¯m all alone at the moment.¡± ¡°Tragic.¡± ¡°I know, I know,¡± he nodded along. ¡°For the mirrors around here, that is.¡± June¡¯s face creased with faint wrinkles around her mouth. ¡°I bet they didn¡¯t see anything but you for a long time.¡± Shilling laughed. It was so rare to hear a playful joke from anyone in Brighton Public School. The usual tune everyone else sang to was of an aggressive jibe, a warding grunt, or outright exclusion. Not to say he didn¡¯t deserve it, but the familiarity without the sting held a special place in his heart. ¡°You know me so well.¡± ¡°Unfortunately.¡± A smile threatened to peak out, but she forced it down again. Shilling examined his friend and felt his heart race. Sarcastic, witty, and challenging to get inside of her head¡ªJune was absolutely perfect! How a girl like her could stand a guy like him was beyond his hopes and dreams. Her dark brown, almost black, hair always hung in a straight curtain around her head, with a daring little streak of a dyed sky-blue braid by her right ear. Her outfit was stuffy, but modest: long-sleeved button-up shirts and calf-length skirts. What he wouldn¡¯t give to see her into something peppier and more feminine. Maybe then that rare grin would surface more. Why can¡¯t I stop loving you? His giddiness was forced back to reality-accepted levels. June was still off-limits. He had to respect that. He was lucky that he was still on good terms with her after their failed relationship. ¡°Take a picture, it¡¯ll last longer,¡± she droned and followed the streams of leaving students. An uncomfortable knot suddenly twisted in Shilling¡¯s stomach. He couldn¡¯t let that be the note they left school on, so he followed. His thumbs hooked into his front pockets and he plastered a wide smile on his face. ¡°You heading to the bus stop all alone and unescorted?¡± ¡°I do most days,¡± said June. ¡°Then allow me to change that.¡± ¡°It¡¯s your time. I don¡¯t envy the dressing-down you¡¯ll get from the little bro for shaking up the status quo.¡± Shilling waved a dismissive hand. ¡°The guy can learn to adapt to nonscheduled things.¡± He could imagine the bookish indignation of an angry Florin and felt nothing but amusement. His brother really needed to stop and smell the roses more, and who better to teach him that through tough love than Shilling himself? This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. The two of them continued uninterrupted to their destination, as their presence alone seemed to create a tangible barrier of dislike or fear. June had her own reputation for her hidden physical prowess she used against anyone that got too annoying for her tastes. Shilling himself had a knack for finding everyone¡¯s berserk buttons or weak points through normal conversation. Truly they were quite the pair, or at least Shilling liked to think so. A spike of guilt reminded Shilling that he had a girlfriend. Dee had her own appeal, not unlike his own ¡°stay away¡± vibe. She could look across a group of kids and knew how to make them squirm. She was borderline dangerous, but endlessly exciting. He hated that he knew Dee was just a girl to tide him over until June changed her mind. I¡¯ll make it up to her tomorrow. He decided. They emerged into the spring day in Brighton, Iowa. Grass was vibrantly green, trees in full foliage, and a whisper of Midwestern humidity increased the temperature to comfortable levels. Other students raced, played, and chatted in the school yard around them. Shilling could observe the people at a glance and add up who he could playfully tease without consequences and who would threaten violence if they caught his eye. It was a strange feeling, knowing that this kind of familiarity was running out. Only a few weeks were left in the school year before he graduated and left for another state entirely. What would it be like to start from scratch, to blindly root around to find out who reacted in what ways? And what would June be doing in the year she had left of high school? Shilling didn¡¯t want to think about that too much. The only other person June seemed to have the flimsiest connection with was her classmate called Holiday, though she mentioned on more than one occasion that he was odd. It did stoke Shilling¡¯s pride, though, to know that Holiday wasn¡¯t even considered dating competition. Digging more into their weird dynamic only dragged June¡¯s spirits through the dirt, so he held off on mentioning it. Their destination was a short distance beyond the school yard fence. The glass-enclosed bus stop bench was empty. Shilling planted himself down with legs stretched out, shoulders leaning against the glass, and hands cupped behind his head. June settled down a space away, legs firmly together and hands gripping her backpack in her lap. She took up as little space as possible. Shilling felt comfortable enough around her to let the silence linger. They simply relaxed and watched traffic together. A familiar silver bus revved its engine a few blocks away. June stood up, though something about her seemed to deflate. ¡°It¡¯s going to be another long day¡­¡± she muttered. His heart skipped a beat. Shilling leapt to his feet, but kept the worry out of his voice, ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± ¡°Same old shit.¡± Her thin eyebrows drew together. ¡°And my tolerance has been worn thin today.¡± ¡°Anything I can do to help?¡± June¡¯s face resumed its nonplussed appearance. Her eyes bore into his again and she spoke with confidence, ¡°Now that you mention it, I do want to get something off my chest.¡± She suddenly marched into his personal space. Her hand trailed along his cheek and directed him straight into her lips. Surprise made his body tense. Then, he instinctively raised his hand to her cheek and pressed gently back. Afraid to come on too strong, he let her make the moves. It didn¡¯t matter that everything in his body yearned for a passionate resurgence in love, she had drawn the line, and she wanted to cross it. Warmth from the kiss lasted mere seconds. June leaned back with a disappointingly bored look on her face. She exhaled loudly, then turned for the approaching bus. ¡°Sorry¡­¡± One word was enough to bottom-out Shilling¡¯s emotional high. His voice shook, ¡°What, was that some sort of goodbye kiss? We talked about this, June!¡± She shrugged, unwilling to meet his eyes. Shilling grabbed her shoulder and turned her around to face him. He desperately searched her face for something, anything to give her intentions away. ¡°You can¡¯t be thinking seriously about it, are you?¡± June easily pulled from his grip, a small frown wrinkling her face. ¡°I said I wanted to get something off my chest, not that I¡¯m suicidal.¡± Her bluntness made him flinch. ¡°It sounded a lot like the same thing to me!¡± His voice cracked. The bus pulled up to them, door opening. Time wasn¡¯t on his side anymore. He had to come up with something to keep her safe. ¡°Alright, prove it. Text me every hour on the hour until school tomorrow, alright? Miss one text and I will call everyone in a ten-mile radius to check up on you.¡± ¡°Every hour are you serious?¡± her voice rose slightly. Her almost-glare nearly demoralized him, but he couldn¡¯t let guilt overtake this. He was showing tough love, right? ¡°I wasn¡¯t kidding last time, was I?¡± ¡°No, you weren¡¯t.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll text back each time as well, so we¡¯re suffering together, alright?¡± June¡¯s dark eyes narrowed slightly. ¡°Mitigate it all you like, Shilling, but next time we meet you¡¯re going to have a lot to answer to for this stupid task.¡± Her fists punched together threateningly. He smiled regardless. ¡°Hey, that¡¯s a promise that you¡¯ll see me again, right?¡± ¡°Fine, you pathetic masochist, if it gets you to chill the hell out.¡± She rolled her eyes as she marched into the waiting bus. In spite of it all, June still waved from a window before the vehicle pulled away. Shilling waved back, even after the bus disappeared behind a turn. A desperate sentence crawled through his lips, ¡°I love you, June.¡± Emotions battled in his head, one side championing June¡¯s affection as a sign that she actually could come around for him, that she was just too shy to admit that she hadn¡¯t moved on. His other side argued that this behavior wasn¡¯t encouraging at all, that he had to keep an even closer eye on her. Shilling couldn¡¯t quite place which side would win. He sighed and turned back for school. It was about time to find his brother. 1: Arrival A strong, burrowing anxiety had laid claim to Florin Daniels¡¯ insides. His brow was damp and his hand clenched into a white-knuckled hold on his luggage. Time turned into a slow, staggering pub crawl from one number to the next. This wasn¡¯t supposed to be his response. Florin closed his eyes and breathed deeply of the humid, salty air. He was just overreacting to something again. His rationale flipped over a few explanations: he was in a new and unfamiliar place, waiting for a potentially unreliable chauffeur, and was embarking on a once-in-a-lifetime event. Any normal person would be uptight and nervous. Distraction, that was what he needed. He opened his eyes and focused on his immediate surroundings. Humming florescent lights illuminated the multi-lane road labeled ¡°arrivals¡± and ¡°departures¡±, and at the fringe of their glow a few palm trees loomed darkly against the midnight sky. One or two other passengers hovered against the concrete walls, their faces illuminated by their phone screens. The breeze occasionally buffeted a burning cigarette¡¯s scent from an idling taxi driver across the road and caressed the palm leaves into occasional hisses. If he concentrated hard enough, he could pick out an occasional insect chirp or hum of distant cars on the highway. Florida was giving a comfortable first impression. Somewhat reassured, Florin Daniels hazarded another glance at the time. The loud roar of an engine told him to not bother. A red sports car sped down the loading lane. Drifting the last few inches of an aggravatingly abrupt break, the vehicle was ready to be boarded. A head with wavy red hair poked out of the window. ¡°Hop on in, the rubber¡¯s still warm and ready to burn!¡± Florin couldn¡¯t stifle the instinctual sigh. Misgivings shoved aside, he approached. ¡°Thanks for the lift.¡± ¡°Any time, any time,¡± the driver hummed. On the outside, he looked the part of a moderately well-to-do Florida resident. The above-average height, lean man had slightly angled features and a posture that was relaxed but firm ¨Clike a willow branch, ready to snap into a new shape at an instant. He sported a business-casual suit coat of black and had a paintbrush-style mustache of similar shade to the crimson shirt. His oval green eyes still burned of the youthful chaos that Florin had to adapt to during childhood. Shilling Daniels hadn¡¯t changed. Once his bags were stowed, Florin climbed into the front seat. Not a second after touching the upholstery did the engine bellow to life and jump-started the car. He desperately snapped the seat belt into place as they jumped onto the freeway. His glasses almost slipped off in the rush. ¡°Calm down the crazy driving, would you?¡± he cried. ¡°This is what you call crazy?¡± hummed the driver. ¡°Oh, you sweet summer child.¡± The sports car coasted across the sparse midnight lanes of traffic with impunity. As they approached the first set of exits, Shilling asked, ¡°You sure you don¡¯t want to hit up the Glitzy Gator? Your friends said the night was just starting when I left.¡± Florin considered for a moment. It would be a little rude to pass up the call when this trip was entirely geared for socialization. However, he had to be realistic. ¡°The jet lag is killing me as it is.¡± ¡°Fair, a tired drunk Florin isn¡¯t nearly as entertaining as an alert one is.¡± He sighed, letting the comment go unaddressed. ¡°Not to worry, dear brother, I¡¯ll make it up to you.¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t.¡± ¡°Too late!¡± Shilling sang. ¡°Don¡¯t think of it as a favor that needs repaying, but a necessary addition to your morning.¡± Florin sighed again. ¡°What are you up to now?¡± ¡°Come now,¡± he chided, ¡°can¡¯t I be charitable for once? How many times have I been able to give you anything, much less interact with my only family over these years?¡± The words slowly grew more pointed until the last one jabbed hard. ¡°Look, I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯ve just been¡­¡± Florin stopped as the excuses he could conjure deflated in his head. ¡°Sorry, it wasn¡¯t intentional.¡± The silence held for a moment, broken by a soft chuckle. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to guilt trip you, Florin. Consider my words a sentimentality of an aging man.¡± There were hidden barbs in that sentence as well. Shilling had a birthday soon, maybe even passed recently. The reunion planning had seemed so important and time consuming in retrospect. Florin cursed his tunnel vision for overlooking it. However, there was no good in sinking into more gloom. ¡°Yeah, you are getting pretty old, huh?¡± A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. Shilling beamed. ¡°You should know, you were born a geezer!¡± They shared laugh. Florin finally relaxed his grip on the arm rests and tried to admire the glowing, streaking scenery. ¡°I bet it looks great in the morning light. How has Florida been treating you?¡± ¡°Eh, good and bad. You see all the insane articles of criminals doing stupid things here. Could be worse, I could be on the defense team for those loons. Never a dull day, I tell you,¡± he said. ¡°And I see that you aren¡¯t a popsicle from that northern mountain life. Does anything happen up in Montana?¡± Florin rolled his eyes good-naturedly. ¡°I¡¯m in Billings, it¡¯s not the rugged mountains. But it¡¯s quiet and routine. No real complaints.¡± ¡°Sounds like a perfect place for you.¡± A genuine note of caring rang in Shilling¡¯s words, catching Florin¡¯s attention. ¡°Good to hear that some people find their niche. If only June had that chance.¡± A somber weight suddenly pulled his heart to his feet. June Grisanti was a classmate who hadn¡¯t lived past junior year. Florin wasn¡¯t ready to unpack the full implications of that event at the moment, but Shilling could use some sympathy. ¡°Yeah, I wonder what adventures she would have had. Do you think she would have wanted to attend this reunion?¡± ¡°Hell no,¡± Shilling remarked. He gave Florin a sidelong glance. ¡°Sorry for the downer. Her passing was right before I left for college. It¡¯s hard to look at your class without seeing the hole she left behind.¡± ¡°I see where you¡¯re coming from.¡± A large sigh emerged from the driver, deflating his typical poise. ¡°Well, no use in entertaining ¡®what if¡¯ scenarios. Those ran out of juice years ago. She¡¯d hate for me to be so hung up on her anyway.¡± ¡°Shilling, do you need to talk more about thi¡ª¡± ¡°Hey, we¡¯re almost to the hotel,¡± he abruptly announced. ¡°You mind giving our third-wheeler a prod?¡± Florin frowned but refrained from pushing the topic. Then he did a double take. ¡°Third-wheeler?¡± He whipped around, noticing for the first time that something was on the back seats. A pile of clothes first drew his attention, confusing him further until he spotted a disheveled mess of brown hair at one end. ¡°Who-?¡± he sputtered. ¡°Louder please. Dee¡¯s been hitting the sauce pretty hard. Last time I remember needing something close to an air horn.¡± Dee? Oh yes, Serendipity Miranda. Florin grimaced slightly. It was best to let a person like her stay passed out for as long as possible. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me about your other passenger before? If I¡¯d glanced back without your disclaimer, I could have assumed you were hauling a corpse!¡± ¡°Really now!¡± Shilling scoffed airily, ¡°I know lawyers might be criminals, but to hear you think so lowly of your own dear brother!¡± ¡°Oh, come off it,¡± grumbled Florin. ¡°So, what is Dee doing here?¡± ¡°Same as you, going to the hotel via a very generous chaperone.¡± ¡°Fine, fine.¡± He glanced through the windows and saw that the destination was a block or so away. He steeled himself for the worst as he gently poked the pile of clothes. ¡°Um, good morning?¡± Nothing. He poked again, straining against the seat belt. Still no response. They parked before any progress was made. Florin exited the sports car and gathered his things as Shilling popped the passenger seat forward. Shilling had more luck as an explosion of curses erupted from Serendipity¡¯s resting place. The brown-haired woman suddenly clawed her way out, swaying to and fro once on her own feet. She was thin, almost bony, and her strapless, summer dress showed off the tattoos swirling around her light-skinned shoulders and chest. Her sharp nose and eyes, framed by smeared makeup, had grown more pointed with age. Shilling smiled and gave a grandiose bow. ¡°Does the lady wish for an escort to her chambers?¡± ¡°I can handle my fucking self, smartass!¡± she hissed. Dee took a few wavering steps for the entrance, only to roll to the ground. She dissolved into another round of expletives, more scathing than the last. Shilling waved Florin forward, saying he¡¯d take care of the situation. Immensely grateful, Florin left. Checking in went rather uneventfully. He forcibly ignored the ruckus Serendipity raised as Shilling and she slowly made their way to a first-floor room. In no time, he was alone in modest accommodations a level above. Florin breathed out deeply. While time was ticking away on how many hours he could devote to sleep before the main event started, he was captivated by a thought. Finally caving, he pulled out a set of books from his suitcase. The first was his crossword puzzle collection, only partially started. The other was a hardcover that was now ten years old. The words ¡°Brighton Public School 2011¡± decorated the stock-image blend of colors on the cover. He ran his fingers over the typing, then felt a strange surge of negative emotion. He¡¯d looked at the contents earlier, but couldn¡¯t get through much. Maybe curiosity at how Serendipity¡¯s face could have changed from high school days could force him to the pages again. Heart oddly racing, he opened to the seniors¡¯ pictures. Her name was in the middle of the roster. He found her photo. There was very little difference, just as he suspected. Serendipity¡¯s present face only gained more furrows around her brow and mouth. She was still glowering and challenging as ever. He wondered to himself how a bitter and aggressive person like her managed to stay out of jail. Florin flipped through a few more pages, picking out the nine who would be attending the little get-together. He could remember only a few things about each person, whether they were easy to get along with or not. There wasn¡¯t much to worry about, most people didn¡¯t have a sharp memory of events from a decade before. There would be plenty of time to connect and reminisce. Then he froze. His eyes drifted over to his own high school picture. A surge of adrenaline kicked in. The book flew to a corner of the room, snapped shut. Florin found himself trembling, hand outstretched. His body had moved on its own. That was enough. Drained in more ways than one, Florin quietly retired for the night.