Remembering Me

Chapter 12: Girl Talk

Raven and I finished our geography report and scattergraph at the library after school while Willow worked on the rough draft of her English essay. It was good that we'd worked on our assignments at lunch because the library was only open for an hour after school for students to use. In fairness, it was a Friday, and the school staff had lives outside of work, too.

That said, the 3 of us were the only senior students in the library working after school today. When the librarian came to tell us it was time to go, she said how proud of us she was and that it made her heart happy to see us taking our studies so seriously. Now, that was so sweet! Things like that didn't happen at the private school I went to before, so I gave her a sincere smile and said thank you. I texted my parents to let them know we were done at the library and would leave for The Meeting Grounds Café soon.

Raven, Willow, and I went to our lockers to put the books we did not need for the weekend and gathered our things. We met in the school's front foyer and walked to the parking lot together. Willow would drive Raven to the Café, and I would meet them there. We enjoyed freshly baked chocolate chip cookies and mint affogatos ten minutes later. The expresso drink poured on vanilla ice cream with a hint of mint in a cappuccino cup was divine! We chatted about random things and then tried to guess who Jason would bring for us "to meet" at the bonfire. I still didn't know too many of the kids at the school, so this would be a surprise for me regardless. Willow and Raven assured me that Jason was as sweet as he seemed and was well-liked by his teammates. Raven and Willow got along with everyone, and there were quite a few single gorgeous guys on the team, so the girls were SUPER excited.

They all knew about my recent break up with Alan and that I wasn't ready to enter another serious relationship. As much as my parents were supportive, I was in no rush. I didn't know that neither Willow nor Raven had ever had a serious boyfriend. They'd dated and had casual hookups, but no one special had ever claimed their hearts. Claire was dating someone already in college, and they'd been serious since the beginning of her junior year. Jason and Emily had only recently started dating but had been best friends since they were toddlers. They'd already been talking about moving in together after graduation. Vince and Tristan had been best friends since they met in grade 9, and they'd had MANY girlfriends throughout the years. From how Willow and Raven described it, the list of girls each had dated was long. The girls were astonished that I hadn't gotten a crush on either of those boys yet! I just laughed and shrugged my shoulders with a grin on my face. River came up next, and I got the standard warning I'd already received from Jason and Emily.

"He's a cool guy and good-looking, but he's a player, Sage. River has ALWAYS been against dating anyone seriously, and he's never had a girlfriend or boyfriend before. My parents support his bisexuality, and it's never been an issue. What has been is the number of hearts he's broken. I won't stop you from chasing him if you are so inclined, but if you decide just to know, I won't be a supportive friend when he breaks your heart because River is my brother. I'll always choose him because he's family, " warned Raven.

It's harsh but fair.

Willow looked at her watch and suddenly jumped up. "I'm sorry, guys, but I must drive Raven home to return in time. Dad said I could have the car, but only until 6:30 tonight. See you tomorrow?"

"No problem," I said. "I've got laundry and my Drama assignments still to do. It will be a late night for me to get everything done."

"Drama assignments?" Raven asked.

I nodded.

"Huh, River didn't bring home any of his books. I hope he did it at school, or Mom will ground him again!" she laughed.

I shook my head and texted my parents that I was leaving now. I reminded them that I needed to finish my drama assignments and laundry tonight but would do any remaining chores before leaving for the bonfire tomorrow night at 7. Mom thanked me for texting and told me she and Dad were watching a movie. They'd had dinner out but brought me something back, and I could heat it in the microwave if I were hungry when I got home. Sweet!

When I got inside, I said hi to my parents and went upstairs to get my laundry basket to put in the washing machine. Once that was done, I returned to my room to complete the assigned readings for Drama. When I'd finished those, my clothes needed to be in the dryer. Back upstairs, I went dutifully to complete the necessary journal entry. It took a little time. I headed downstairs to remove the clothes from the dryer and put them away. I was notorious for leaving them in the basket for days if I didn't put them away immediately. My dad grinned when he saw me heading back up the stairs with the laundry basket to put things away.

"Thanks, kiddo; I'm proud of you for remembering to do that. Sit with your mom and me once you're done putting away your laundry. We'd love to hear about your day at school and coffee out with the girls," he said.

I quickly put away the clothes and then heated the pasta dish they'd brought back for me. We moved to the dining room table to talk while I ate. Maybe it was because I was an only child and very sheltered, but I enjoyed sharing meals and talking with my parents. I told them about the delicious treats at the Café and how my friends & I had all worked hard to complete our assignments during the school day and after in the library. Mom said Claire sounded exceptional and hoped I'd invite her to our home for dinner with our family. Mom liked how driven and focused Claire was and thought she was a good influence on me, too. Dad said the Café sounded lovely, and he'd have to take Mom there for their next date.

I gave them each a hug goodnight, thanked them for the delicious pasta they'd brought back for me from the restaurant, and headed upstairs to finish editing my English assignment before I turned it in. The option to do that electronically made it much easier to submit assignments. An hour later, I had FINALLY done everything I needed for school. I was exhausted, and sleep came quickly that night.