One More Time | ✓

Chapter Nine

I'm not sure that I could ever recount a time where Greta didn't pull through for me. Tonight is just another one of those times where she proves yet again that she's probably the best sister on the planet. Not sure why I'm trying to match up to her for Chrissy.

She's driving us to Mavis and Felix's place, because my hands were shaking a little too much with the nerves to drive, and she's now tightly holding my wobbly hand in hers.

My stomach is crawling uncomfortably, and my head swimming with unwelcome thoughts.

I haven't seen anyone at this gathering for ages. I've got no idea who is even going to be there, but I can imagine Marnie and probably some of our other friends. Perhaps even Katerina, who was one of my closer friends in school. I didn't have a best friend, per se, but Katerina and I were pretty close. We'd hang out just the two of us more than I would with anyone else within the group. It would be nice to see her, but what if she hates me?

What if they all do?

Once Greta parks outside the house, she cuts the engine and turns to me, a determined expression on her face. "It's going to be fine, Sabrina. You're worrying over nothing."

It turns out, though, I'm not worrying over nothing.

Felix greets us at the door, smiling warmly, which I guess is a good start. But, when we make our way into their cosy living room, my breath stutters in my throat.

Ah, shit. It's not a girls' night. That should probably have been pretty obvious, given that it was Felix who answered the door, not Mavis. Still, I'm not sure that anything could have prepared me to see Theo in the living room, along with his and Felix's friends from school.

The same friends who glared at me on my way out of the bar the other night.

So, in conclusion, I think it was pretty fair for me to be worried about this one.

Theo, thankfully, lifts his head when we arrive and puts me at ease with a bright smile. "Hey, Sab, Greta. Glad you could make it."

He's sitting next to Obadiah, who actually has Katerina on his lap. Huh. Those two absolutely hated each other in high school, always bickering over something. I used to tease her that it was sexual tension, which she resolutely denied. Perhaps I was right, though.

A couple of the other girls are here, including Marnie, who offers me a smile.

It's really fucking awkward at first, but Greta somehow breezes through the tension, creating conversation like it's her job. Is there anything this girl can't do?

Felix, who, like Theo, is a wonderful chef, has laid out the food in a buffet style in the kitchen, so we all queue up to help ourselves to a plateful. It's all different types of Italian food, just like I used to get when I stayed over at Theo's, which makes my mouth water.

I find myself next to Katerina in the queue, who smiles at me. "Hey, Sabrina. It's nice to see you back in town. How are you?"

I clear my throat awkwardly, kind of regretting coming here. Everyone's being so nice, which just increases my shame, because I just really feel like I don't deserve it. "I, uh, I'm so sorry that I didn't stay in touch. That was pretty shit of me. I'm sorry."

She just shrugs, bumping my arm with her elbow. "It's okay. I feel like you must have repeated that a billion times already in the last few days. Things were pretty shit for you, so it's not like I could blame you for skipping town, Sabrina."

I blow out a breath. Shit. I really don't deserve this. "You're too kind," I mutter.

"Tell me how you are," she insists. "How's college in North Carolina?"