My thick, wavy brown hair with its natural reddish undertone was in a braided updo. I had kept my makeup simple, per usual; just a touch of mascara, a little bit of eyeshadow, and lipstick. My complexation had always been clear and even; I had managed to avoid needing foundation for my fair skin up until recently, when I began dabbing on a bit of under eye concealer and using a mineral powder to even things out. I had always looked younger than I actually was; but at thirty-two, the signs of aging had started to slowly creep across my face.
A large banner that read, “Lakeview College 10-Year Class Reunion” hung above the double door entrance to the Lakeview Country Club, the site of the evening’s soiree. Lakeview College was a small, private school; hence why the event was able to be held at the local country club and not on the school grounds or at a larger venue. With a graduating class of only four hundred and less than a third expected to attend, the country club offered just enough space to accommodate everyone but not enough room to escape or even find a corner to hide in. Basically, it was my worst nightmare. Fortunately, I had been to the club many times as college staff events were frequently held there; I had the hallways and exists memorized in case I needed to take a break from tonight’s crowd for a bit.
Krista bounced ahead of me as we approached the doors, which swung open with a loud, “Hello, girls!” followed by a stampede of a small group of women rushing towards us. The blast of air conditioning that came with them felt good after being out in the warm June air. And fortunately, all of the faces coming at us were familiar being that they were former classmates both Krista and I had remained close to after graduation: Elizabeth, who was a fellow English major like me and who worked in journalism; Samantha and Lisa, both teachers like Krista; and Julia, the radical of the group who had been pursuing an acting career since before we even graduated. In between auditions in New York City, she did temp work and waited tables.
The six of us had roomed on the same floors right next to one another – two to a room – our entire four years of college. I had been so grateful to have formed a close friend circle so soon after starting school, especially after I had left such a group back home, friends who, like Krista, I had known most of my life. Even Krista, normally so outgoing, had been nervous about starting over in a new town and making new friends. But the six of us clicked immediately at our first dorm meeting and stuck together all four years of college. Even though the other four had moved to different states after graduation, we had kept in touch and got together for a girl’s weekend once a year. In between, there was social media and group texting to keep us connected.
All of us, who had actually already seen each other the day before when we had gone shopping and to the day spa in preparation for tonight’s event, smashed into each other and squealed as though we had been apart for years. Well, Krista, Sam, Lisa, and Julia did most of squealing; Elizabeth and I just laughed and rolled our eyes. Being with our tight-knit group instantly made me relax.
Even though the girls were being so loud that I was almost disoriented, this was the only group of people I really cared about seeing; and I was grateful they were here. Had even one of them not been able to attend this evening, I maybe would have been able to make an excuse not to come, too. But looking around at my longtime friends, the night suddenly didn’t seem so daunting. I relaxed and reminded myself again that it was just one night and to go with the flow.
Once inside the country club, I quickly found myself amongst more old friends and classmates, hugging most and giving a curt nod and fake smile to others. Surprisingly, a lot of my fellow English classmates were in attendance; I hadn’t been sure many would come considering most were, like me, introverts. But I was glad they were here as we all quickly started reminiscing about the old days old of studying literature and writing essays. All were anxious to hear how it was for me working in the English department now; and I found myself happy to oblige them with some gossip about our former professors, many of whom were now my co-workers.
I was having a decent enough time, some may even argue that I was having fun, when Krista suddenly whispered in my ear, “Look out, Miss Molly is in the house!”
My stomach dropped. Molly Timmerman. The one person on earth I can say that I could not stand. Truthfully, it was worse than that. I hated her. I hated Molly Timmerman with every fiber of my being. To say she was a bitch was putting it mildly. The only bad memories I had of my time at Lakeview College involved Molly. I
