Remember me? (gxg)

Chapter 2

“Holly, are you in here?”

Holly recognized the familiar voice and groaned before she turned around to face Hanna. “What are you doing here Hanna?”

“For some absurd reason I thought you’d have a warmer reception towards me.”

It had been years since Holly had seen her.

“Whatever gave you that idea?” Holly asked.

All the fond memories the two had shared were a faded blur to Holly. On her departure, everything that had once held meaning for her had been left behind and her relationship with Hanna had been one of the contributing factors that had driven her out of town.

“Well, we have a past together,” Hanna said.

Holly stood upright and slightly tilted her head. “What do you want?”

“I heard you were back. Until yesterday, I didn’t have the courage to come see you. I need to apologize for the way things ended between us. What I did to you was unforgivable. I understand if you still hate me but I was really hoping you could find it in yourself to forgive me,” Hanna said.

“I don’t hate you, Hanna. I don’t feel anything but indifference towards you.”

Hanna went silent and Holly thought she was going to leave.

“You’ve changed,” she said.

Holly was glad to hear that. She’d been a naïve, sensitive, vulnerable little girl but now she was a strong woman. Circumstances had forced her to grow strong and difficult times had matured her nature.

She noticed the traces of physical change in Hanna as well. She had developed into a beautiful woman. Her hair was a light shade of blonde and her eyes were a dull grey.

“You should leave,” she said.

“I know I hurt you—.”

Holly immediately gestured her into silence with her right hand. “You and I have nothing to discuss. Next time I ask you to leave, I won’t be so kind.”

Hanna appeared surprised, but she did as Holly asked, reluctantly turned and left.

Holly tried to put her mind back to work but Hanna’s last statement left a sour taste in her mouth, stirring up old dying memories. She took a brush and went to the stables. She softly ran the brush over the mare while she remembered her encounters with Hanna.

*

She was sixteen again. Hanna Harris, her best friend, was getting ready to go out on a date. She was young, beautiful and full of life. Holly didn’t understand why she wanted to go out with some boy from her science class when she could go out with any jock she wanted.

“You know you can do better than him,” she remarked and Hanna stopped applying her make up to look at her.

“It’s not like the other boys are interested in me,” Hanna grumbled.

“You’re beautiful and smart. Any boy would love to go out with you.”

“Well, someone should tell them that so they can ask me out.”

“It’s not them, Hanna. It’s you. You’re too shy and conservative. You’re only yourself when you’re with me.”

“Well then you should ask me out. I bet I’d have a far much better time with you anyway.”

Holly laughed at her statement.

“What about you? I never see you paying any attention to boys. You only talk about them when I bring it up,” Hanna said and looked at herself in the mirror.