You Are Not Cursed

Chapter 2: Rekindled Friendship

CHAPTER 2: REKINDLED FRIENDSHIP

"Sure you don't want to stay longer? Spend the rest of your summer in Crest Hill?" I suggest reluctant to let him return home. It had only been 2 weeks and a bit since my parents passed, less than that since the funeral, and I was reluctant to see Lazarus go. He was the closest thing I had to family left.

"Sorry Lūk, I've got work back home," he tells me genuinely a little guilty; the nickname he had in his native language, Thai, for me a dead give away of that.

"I know," I replied fiddling with my fingers.

"C'mere," he said pulling me into a hug. Lazarus wasn't usually physically affection, sometimes before or after a full moon when I was having a tough time—or now when I was having a tough time only for different reasons. "I left a jar of healing slave in the bathroom in the basement and there is tea to help with the pain during the full moon in the pantry. Don't hesitate to call." I nodded into his shoulder before pulling away from the hug.

"Alright, let me know when you get home safely," I told him.

That was this a couple hours ago, this morning just after breakfast, and now I was getting ready to go to Joyce's trying not to think about how that meant Lazarus was no longer a ten minute drive away. It was going to take some adjusting that was for sure.

Climbing out of the shower I pulled on light blue jeans that had holes in the knees and cuffed at the bottom along with a tank top, a plaid shirt thrown on over top but left unbuttoned. With the summer heat I'd be slightly uncomfortable but I was counting on Joyce having air conditioning because there was no way I was showing anymore skin than this. Already too many scars were visible and not only did scars get questions but they were an ugly sight. When I finished towel drying my hair the slight curl made it end just an inch and a bit past my ear making the scar in front of my right ear that extended down my jaw a couple inches -- the newest of my scars -- completely visible. It was the only scar I had from the accident even though I should have died in that car. I quickly finished getting ready from there and was soon departing, locking the door behind me even though I highly doubted there was anyone out here in the middle of the forest to break in.

I put the address Joyce gave me into Google maps before putting my old Toyota Land Cruiser into drive. Her place was 30 minutes away from mine, the drive probably would have been a couple minutes shorter if I hadn't taken a wrong turn despite my phone spitting out directions for me. After parking and getting out the car I took in the sight of the house and vaguely remembered it. It looked much like every other house in this suburban neighborhood but there was a large tree in the front yard with a rope and wooden plank swing that stood out to me.

When I knocked on the front door a bark sounded from inside and the shuffle of movement could be heard before the door was swung open to reveal a smiling Joyce.

"Hey! Glad I didn't imagine you returning to town," she joked as she gestured for me to come in.

"Not a dream," I chuckle in return, toeing my shoes off as a dog came around the corner and towards me. He was much bigger now than I recall but I do remember Joyce getting a puppy for her birthday just a few months before my family left. "Hello there handsome," I greet kneeling on one knee to pet and greet the black pup; I didn't know what kind he was but he looked a little like a lab, perhaps a lab mix?

You probably don't remember: this is Max," she introduced as I cooed at him as he licked my fingers.

Standing straight again I followed Joyce further into the house as she asked,

"Want anything to drink?" I agreed and she gave me my options.

"Lemonade is good," I reply and so she moves to pour two glasses of the cold juice. After handing me one of the glasses she leads me over to the couch where we sit to chat and catch up. She leaves her glass on the coffee table while I continue to sip at mine; we sit with our bodies turned towards each other on the couch we shared, Max laying on the large dog bed in the corner of the living room almost directly across from us.

"So, you have to tell me," Joyce began brushing her long curled hair off her shoulder, "Why did your family just disappear all those years ago?"

"Disappear seems a big dramatic," I comment sheepishly.

"Well you guys moved away over night, we never got to say goodbye-- plus that's what everyone was saying."

"I guess it was pretty abrupt." While our actual move away was abrupt our plans to leave weren't. After my first full moon experience my parents spent all their time looking for someone to help me and they knew they wouldn't find that someone here in Crest Hill, it wasn't a small town but it wasn't a big city; my mother used to say it was big enough for you to not know everyone but small enough for nothing to ever happen around here. "There was a family emergency, my uh, dad's mom was in an accident. We needed to get to hurt right away they didn't know if she was gonna make it."

"Oh my gosh I'm so sorry, that's horrible," Joyce gasped making me realize I made my lie too intense.

"Ya but she was okay; we stayed there to help her though because my dad was worried," I add in an attempt to downplay it. Joyce nodded in understanding and changed the topic.

"So what have you been up to the last ten years, I can't believe it's been that long already."

"I know, ten years is so much longer than it seems," I agree, "But honestly not much has happened. Just kind of spent the last ten years going to school and not doing much else."

"You always were a bit of an introvert." That was an understatement; Joyce was the only reason I was ever friends with her or anybody else. I was still a major introvert but I wasn't as shy-- or at least I could push myself to not be so shy. "But c'mon really? Nothing exciting?"

"Sorry," I shrug with a chuckle before quickly turning the conversation around on her. "What about you?"

"Huh, I didn't realize what a hard question that is to answer until you asked me," she joked with a laugh, "I guess just like you, living life. Oh! But I have been seeing this guy for the last year, I've been friends with this group of people for years now and he was one of them but then he asked me out and he's just the best," she continued, hearts in her eyes at the mention of her boyfriend. "You'd love them; we all have to get together one day soon."

My silence made my reluctance obvious. Rekindling my friendship with Joyce was one thing, after all she was just one person, but getting close to a while group of people? I know what Lazarus would say, you deserve to surround yourself with friends and if you can have one friendship than you can have more than one. It would be hard enough to keep a whole part of my life, myself, a secret, especially such a dark part-- god forbid Joyce or anyone else learn the truth about me and discover what a monster I am. But there was such hope in Joyce's eyes; how could I expect her to be my friend without giving her friends a chance.

"They'll love you too," she insists, assuming that is the root of my hesitation.

"Alright ya sure, sounds fun," I finally reply, hoping she doesn't notice the tension of worrying forming between my eyebrows.

From there we talked about any and everything that came to mind, school and hobbies, favorite movies and foods; we talked like friends do. It was a strange feeling and experience, something I can't remember ever doing. I let Joyce lead and steer the conversations as I didn't have much experience with conversing with others, especially those my age. Lazarus was fifteen years older than me he hardly counted.

It wasn't long before Joyce's mum was returning home with bags of groceries, Max instantly up and heading towards the front door once it opened. Max rubbed against Mrs. Reyes legs making the older woman chuckle before coming over to the kitchen counter to place the bags on the counter while Joyce and I stood to greet her.

"Hey mum, Charlie's here," Joyce said as Max, who quickly become disinterested, returned to his bed.

"Oh Charlie, it's so good to see you, you're all grown up now I never would have recognized you like Joyce," Mrs. Reyes said, oozing the same enthusiasm as her daughter, as she came over to hug me.

"I guess I've gotten a little talker," I chuckled returning the hug. A mother's hug... what a strange feeling. My own mother wasn't especially physically affectionate but wow... now that she was gone I didn't realize how much I missed her hugs, as rare as they were. I didn't realize that my smile had fallen and a look of sadness had crossed my face until Mrs. Reyes pulled away and noticed, a soft sympathetic crossing her face.

"Joyce told me about your parents, I'm so sorry sweetheart; they were good people."

"Thank you," I replied thickly before clearing my throat.

"Joyce says you're living just outside of town, your grandparents used to own that house didn't they?" Mrs. Reyes says making conversation as she moves around the kitchen to put away the things she bought.

"Ya, it's a family house and got passed down to me so I can live there without having to worry about rent or a mortgage," I reply, nodding along in confirmation at the same time.

"You're living out there all by yourself?" She asked shock written across her face.

"Ya remember mum, she's a year older than me," Joyce cuts in.

"Ya, my parents had me start kindergarten a year late, which makes me 18 now," I add in for further explanation. Mrs. Reyes nodded in understanding before changing the topic asking if I had any food allergies. "No I can eat anything, thank you."

"Alright, well dinner won't be ready for another forty, maybe forty five, minutes, you two run off," she told us and Joyce nodded before asking if I wanted to see her room; naturally I agreed.

Soft yellow walls and white furniture were the first things I noticed about Joyce's room. Her bedding was a pale, blush pink, matching the curtains that hung over the windows. She had pictures oh her dresser and walls, one of her and Ms. Reyes but most of them of her her, her friends and boyfriend.

"What are their names?" I ask referring to the people in the group picture I was looking at.

"Right there next to me is my boyfriend, Mike," she began pointing at the guy with brown curly hair and an arm around her waist before moving to point at a girl with bright, artificial red hair, "This is Kris, and just behind her is her boyfriend Jaxon," she continued pointing at the only blond (except for Joyce) in the photo before pointing at a guy curly raven hair and a smirk, "That's Andrew and lastly there is Julien." The last person she pointed to was the tallest in the group, like light brown hair and a perfect smile. "I feel like you and Julien would get along the best, you probably don't remember him but him and I were friends from the start just like you and I."

"I don't remember much," I confess but she said it was under Stan le since we were so young. She told me a bit more about each of her friends, how Kris was a totally baddie, Mike was quiet but the best listener, Jaxon looked mean but was one of the nicest people she knew, Andrew was a little full of himself but a good guy, and Julien was captain of half the teams at Crest Hill High and a straight A student (which she jokingly said was totally unfair). By the time she finishing giving me a rundown on them Ms. Reyes was calling us down for dinner.

Ms. Reyes made a delicious meal that the three of us made small talk over and before I knew it the sun was setting and I was returning home.

It was the next day that Joyce texted me about getting together with her friends. We would gather at her house, order pizza, hang out, nothing special but it didn't need to be.