See you soon!! 😜
The words from Andrew’s text circle and engross my mind as I sit alone in my car. I look over at my car’s digital clock which reads 6:30 pm.
“Crap,” I mutter to myself, “I’m early.”
I’m in fact a half-hour early which is incredibly absurd because I’m never early to anything. I was considering not even going, but Juliana insisted I go despite knowing my entire high school story. I pull down the sun visor and check my face for the third time in a row. And just like the last two times, I couldn’t find a single thing out of place: my eyebrows are neatly trimmed and shaped, nothing in my teeth, no blemishes or pimples, and not a single stray hair out of place on my freshly shampooed hair. Everything is perfect. So why the hell am I freaking out?!
I’M FREAKING OUT, I text Juliana. A car passes behind me and I hear a group of people leave the movie theater next to the parking structure I’m in as my phone begins to. I pick it up and immediately hear screaming.
“GET OFF ME!,” Juliana’s voice rings through the parking structure.
“What happened?!” I yell into the phone, my voice also echoing.
“He keeps humping me!” she replies, “Stop! No! Get over there!”
“Levi?” I ask, stifling my laughter as I roll my windows up.
“No Jace,” she answers, winded, “My neighbor Joe.”
“Oh, then tell him I said hello,” I respond with a giggle.
Juliana laughs, finally able to get control of the situation, “Anyways, everything alright?”
“No,” I respond, the tone of my voice shifting from jovial to tense, “I’m panicking.”
“Are you there already?”
“Yeah, but I’m really early.”
“Is anyone there yet?”
“I don’t know, I’m still in my car.”
“Jace!” Juliana exclaims.
“What?!” I quickly yell back, “I’m nervous Juliana. I haven’t seen these people in years and I’m supposed to walk in there and act like no time has passed at all. I hardly know a thing about what any of them do or what their life is like now. Like what would you do in this situation?!”
“Well, I wouldn’t go to begin with… so that’s your first mistake.”
“Oh great, thanks for the help,” I reply sarcastically.
“Why are you getting so worked up about all this? Is it because of Andrew?” Juliana asks.
I sigh deeply before I answer, “It’s not just Andrew. It’s everyone. They’re probably all successful with great careers and have amazing lives. Meanwhile, I’m still here struggling to find my place in the world.”
“Oh, come on Jace. I think you know who you are and where you want to be.”
“Do I? Because I certainly don’t feel like I do.”
I take another deep sigh as I watch another car pass behind mine, the driver inside scanning the lot for an open spot to park. I check the time which now reads 6:50 pm.
“Honestly, Jace,” Juliana starts, “It really doesn’t matter. So what if you’re not at place you wanted to be at in your career, but at least you’re still doing it. And you love what you do! Most people can’t say that. So you’re on the right path. I know it’s going to take time, but you are on the right path.”
I sit silently, taking in every bit of Juliana’s words.
“And those people have no right to judge or look down on you just because it’s taking a bit longer for you to achieve success,” she continues, “And if they do, then they’re definitely friends you should not keep.”
“I guess,” I reply solemnly.
“Besides, I don’t think Andrew would be like that.” Juliana adds, “Didn’t you say he was happy that you’re still acting.”
I blush thinking about his wonderful smile. It honestly did take me by surprise that he remembered I’m an actor. There’s always this little part of me that believes Andrew really does think about me and wonders how I’m doing. I doubt that’s the case, but it feels think about.
“Yeah,” I reply.
“So? There shouldn’t be a problem then.”
“I know. I just…”
Suddenly a figure jumps out from underneath my side of the car, nearly scaring all the shit from my body.
“JESUS FUCKING CHRIST!!” I screamed at the top of my lungs.
“WHAT?!” Juliana yells back, “WHAT HAPPENED?!”
I looked closely to find Franklin bent over laughing his lungs out.
“Jace! What’s going on?!” Juliana asks alarmed.
I quickly gather myself to answer, “Nothing. I got to go, but I’ll call you later, okay.”
“Wait, Jace…” Juliana starts, but I hung up the phone before she finishes.
“Damn it,” I mutter to myself. I know for a fact I’m going to hear from her later, but I’ll deal with that when the time comes.
I get out of my car, Franklin’s laugh echoing through the entire parking structure.
“You should’ve seen your face!” Franklin snickers as he points at me while I sneer at him. His crooked jaw is still very prevalent but it’s now complimented by goatee and mustache combo. He has on a loose fitting button up shirt, black slacks that stop right at the ankle which he paired with some black loafers and a dad cap. He actually looks really good.
“You proud of yourself, sir?” I ask in a catty tone.
“Oh, most definitely,” Franklin answers back, “After all these years and you still think you’ll be safe around me? You should know better Jacey!”
I laugh as he approached to give me a hug. We exchange a quick friendly embrace before head out of the parking lot.
“How you been?” he asks as we step onto an escalator, “You look great!”
“Thanks, you look great too!” I reply with a smile, “Things have been fine. Just trying to get by, you know?”
The warm June sun hits our skin as we step off the escalator and walk through the plaza. It’s a lively evening with the entire plaza we’re in is completely lit up with many of the restaurants stuffed with people. We squeeze through herds of people as we try to get to our destination.
“Katelyn is already waiting for us at the restaurant,” Franklin mentions as we weave around a family waiting to be seated, “Andrew mentioned that right?”
“Yeah, he did,” I respond with a smirk, “Is Jacob coming as well?”
“Unfortunately, not. He’s still deployed, but I think he’ll be finished next month? I’m not sure.”
“Oh, okay. Wow, I guess I really haven’t been keeping up with everyone,” I say with a nervous giggle. I look down timidly, trying to hide the guilt on my face for not keeping up with all of them. Franklin gives me a light nudge on my arm.
“Hey, don’t worry about it,” he says reassuringly, “We’ve all been busy. It’s not a big deal.”
He shoots a kind smile at me as we continue to push through to the restaurant. It’s actually really nice that Franklin and I are able to have this comfortableness around each other even though we haven’t seen each other in years.
“By the way,” he continues, “I saw that play you were in a couple of months ago. The one about that family in Minnesota?”
“Oh shit, you saw it?!” I say surprised, “I barely talked about it so I didn’t think anyone I knew was going to show up.”
“Dude, are you kidding?” Franklin replies, “Katelyn and I were so excited to see you act in something so we got tickets immediately when they were available. You were so funny!”
My cheeks flush red as I smile widely. “Awe, thanks man. I really appreciate it!”
“No problem man! Honestly out of the entire cast, you stood out the most to me.”
I laugh, “Stop. Now, you’re just pushing it.”
“I’m being honest!” Franklin cried out, “You were so good! I can’t wait for the next thing you’re in!”
“Well, I guess we’ll have to wait and see,” I reply with a sigh, “Anyway, do you know what kind of restaurant we’re going to?”
“I think it’s a Korean stew joint… or maybe K-BBQ? I’m not sure.”
“Well, that’s very helpful,” I say wryly.
As we inch closer to the restaurant, I could see Katelyn already standing outside the entrance. She’s wearing a long skirt and a cropped tank top which she pairs with some boots. She also has traded in her jet black long hair for a shorter bob hairstyle that cuts down to her neck. She looks stunning.
“Oh my God! Jace!” Katelyn screams while running towards the two of us. She wraps her arms around me, squeezing almost all the air out of me. For a woman that is half my height, she surprisingly has the strength of ten full grown men.
“How come you never hug me like that whenever we meet up?!” Franklin complains, crossing his arms and pouting.
“I see you almost every day, dummy!” Katelyn retorts, “Why would I need to hug you like that?”
He continues to pout, “Because maybe I like it.”
I let out a tiny giggle as I watch the two of them bicker. Their friendship often reminds me of the one I have with Juliana. It makes me really happy they stayed close after all these years.
“So, where’s Andrew?” I pipe in, “Is he already here?”
“I actually don’t know,” Katelyn replies, “I tried texting him, but he hasn’t responded.”
“Maybe he’s running late,” Franklin comments, “We could probably head inside and grab a table. That way it won’t get too late and he can just join us later.”
“Or so you can start hounding down food like an animal,” Katelyn quips.
“Yes, also that,” Franklin proudly admits as he opens the door to the restaurant. Katelyn and I laugh as we follow behind him.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFOExXJI13d
The restaurant was calmly lit with planter lights hanging high above each table, while each table is adorned with a small succulent plant in a metallic gold-plated pot. The walls are painted a dark almost navy blue which compliments the beige paneling along the ceiling. It’s not as busy as I had thought since there were a couple of empty tables, but the servers look busy trying to serve their respective tables. As I continue to look around the restaurant, Katelyn tries to reserve us a table.
“It seems that we already have a table reserved for you,” the hostess tells Katelyn.
“Oh, I don’t think…” Katelyn begins before being interrupted by Franklin yelling.
“No fucking way!” Franklin exclaims loudly causing Katelyn and I to fling our heads in the direction he’s pointing.
“Oh, my God,” Katelyn adds, “Is that?”
“Andrew?” I finish. A confused smirk formed as I see Andrew with sleeves rolled up and wearing a black server apron as he puts two plates of food down on a customer’s table. He smile grows wider when he notices us.
“Hey, guys!” Andrew excitedly greets us, “Just pick a seat anywhere and I’ll join you in a bit!”
