Rey Kanata is a senior in high school, a girl from the city who just moved into the country life surrounding Mishawaka, IN. When she takes a class in Agricultural Science as the only elective needed in order to graduate, her life changes irrevocably...
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"There you are!" Rose cried, finding Rey rising upon her tiptoes to place a textbook on her locker's top shelf. "Where did you disappear to Friday night?"
Rey turned her head, following the sound of her friend's voice she searched through the mass of bodies flooding the hallway over third hour's passing period. Still having the weekend's events with Ben on her mind Rey hadn't considered any explanation to the questions her friends might have, regarding why she had left Poe's party so quickly that Friday night – or who she had left with.
Fuck! How could she have forgotten?
"Oh – hey Rose," Rey muttered, seeming apologetic when Rose finally appeared. She smiled, hoping it would be enough to hide the unsteadiness in her voice while scrounging up a believable alibi. "Yeah, sorry," she stammered, lying through her teeth. "I started to feel a little woozy there after our game. First time drinking alcohol and all..."
Well, it wasn't that much of a lie. The thought of kissing Poe did leave her feeling a little nauseous afterwards.
"Why didn't you just say something?" Rose asked, looking quizzical. "I could've taken you home."
"I know," Rey replied, sighing as she grabbed the textbook for Agricultural Science. "I didn't want to be the Debbie downer of your fun."
"Don't be ridiculous," Rose snipped defensively. "I'm your friend! Wait –," she paused, creasing her brows when realization set in, "how did you get home?"
"I –," Rey started instinctively, only to realize that she couldn't say what every neuron in her brain wanted to admit. Frowning, her eyes shifted over the locker's interior, searching for another excuse that wouldn't endanger her feeble relationship with Ben. "I called a cab," she admitted, voice remaining steady in hopes that Rose would buy into the little white lie.
Did they even have cabs here in Mishawaka?
"Oh," Rose replied frankly, bearing a wounded expression. "Still, you should've just said something. It would've saved you the change needed to get home."
"It wasn't that big of a deal, really," Rey confessed, shrugging. Slamming the door to her locker closed single-handedly while the other remained occupied with textbooks and trapper keeper, she turned to accompany Rose through the hall. "Besides," she teased, "there's no way you were fit to drive either of us home."
"Fuck, true story," Rose whimpered. "I had to call my sister at two in the morning to come pick me up."
Rey chuckled, "I bet that went well."
"Let's just say it took a great deal of convincing for her to not tell our parents," Rose explained, unenthused. "She didn't have much room to talk though, considering she's the one that bought us the alcohol."
Rey winced, regarding the meticulous bottle of booze and the unwelcome memories it triggered. "Did – Poe happen to mention anything to you about that night?" She asked timidly.
