MacGyver Imagines

"Chances"

A/N: Hey everyone! Welcome back. Huge thanks to RitchelleC for requesting this story. It's about the beauty of happenstance, and I hope you all enjoy it! 💚
Song: "Chances" by The Backstreet Boys
Rating: Everyone

***

"Please don't make me do this. You know I loathe social situations," I pout, tugging down the dress my best friend picked out for me.

"Come on! Live on the edge, and do something out of your comfort zone for the first time in your life."

I roll my eyes at her. "What is the point of high school reunions anyway? Just so all the popular people can reassert their popularity and pettiness? These things honestly bring out the worst in a person."

But, despite my woes, my unrelenting BFF tugs me through the front door of our old high school building.

As we stand outside the gymnasium doors, a horribly familiar musty odor heightens my senses. "Ugh, being here makes me nauseous. Do you remember that time I had a crush on Chad Dillinger and tried to talk to him in the gym after the team's football practice and almost threw up? That memory still haunts me every time I see this place."

"You'll be fine!"

***

A little while later, I stand in the corner of the room as my so-called friend mingles with some people from the past. It's like I've walked into a weird time machine that's taken us all back in time. Everything seems oddly the same as it was ten years ago, but we're all just a decade older.

My stomach rumbles, and I can't tell if it's nervousness or actual hunger. This is what happens when you skip dinner.

In lieu of actual food, I decide to grab some punch to settle my stomach. But, as I saunter over to the refreshment table and reach for a cup, another hand reaches with mine at the same time.

"What if I'd never run into you? What if you'd never smiled at me? What if I hadn't noticed you too and you'd never showed up where I happened to be?"

"Oh, sorry."

I look up, drawing my arm back. The man beside me is vaguely familiar. But, I can't quite put my finger on who he is.

He smiles, and it hits me. "No, that's okay. Go ahead."

"It's Mac, right?"

He blinks once and nods his head. "Yeah, that's right. I'm surprised you remember me."

"Why do you say that?" I grab the ladle, pouring some red liquid in my cup.

"I never thought you took the time to know people at school."

"Are you saying you thought I was stuck up in high school?"

"You just never really talked to people other than your close friends."

I sigh. "That would be the main character flaw of a hopeless introvert. I'm not exactly comfortable in social situations. But, I'm sorry if I ever made you feel that way."

"Don't worry about it. I wasn't exactly popular, anyway."

"I think you might have been more popular than you think. You were the one who burned down the football field, right?"

"Ah, yes. That would make me popular for all the wrong reasons, though." He chuckles, and I take a sip of my punch.

I look around and take a seat nearby on the bleachers. He follows, sipping his own drink.