EXCERPT
He didn’t even recognize me.
My mind can’t let go of that fact. It lodges in my brain like a corrupted file that keeps trying to load. How is it possible that someone who starred in my nightmares for four years, who shaped every decision I made from which hallway to take to which college to choose, doesn’t even remember my face?
There was that time in gym class when we played volleyball, and Justin and his friends decided that instead of spiking the ball over the net, they would aim for me.
And one of them struck the ball so perfectly that it hit my stomach with a loud thunk, winding me.
I still recall that dizzy breathlessness, my panic when I couldn’t draw oxygen into my body, the struggle to make my lungs recover from fright and remember what their job actually was.
That’s exactly how I feel now.
How could he not recognize me? How? How?
Okay, due to my late growth spurt, I’m a few inches taller than I was in high school, rounding out to a decent five foot eleven. Back then, my dark hair was a floppy mess, whereas now, it’s been carefully cut in a style my barber assures me is the latest fashion. And my face has slimmed down since high school, along with my standard-issue nerd glasses being replaced by a trendier pair.
But I’m still recognizable. I haven’t changed that much.
In all the time I’ve spent thinking about this moment, I never considered the idea he might not recognize me.
How did I miss that possibility?
But then, why would he recognize me? I’m a tiny blip in his life.
Justin Morris is woven so intricately into the tapestry of my teenage years, one of the main antagonists in my story. Meanwhile, I was simply some mild entertainment to amuse him when he was bored.
My features are not etched into his consciousness. He has not spent years scripting our reunion. I’m nothing to him. A nobody.
The unevenness leaves me breathless.
But then the phrase repeats in my head in a different voice. Less defeated. More…intrigued.
He doesn’t recognize me.
According to technology sector analysts, I’m the guy who sees gaps in the market, problems that have yet to be solved. And while it makes me sound like a superhero coding ninja rather than simply a guy who spends countless hours hunched over my laptop muttering to myself, there is some truth to it.
While at MIT, I developed a system that revolutionized how computers share information, basically creating digital traffic lights to improve efficiency.
On the back of that, I started my tech company, which I sold a few months ago for the kind of money that sounds made up when you say it aloud.
Now, my brain is ticking faster than an atomic clock.
I take a large sip of my drink. The smooth tones of the red wine linger on my tongue after I swallow.
I’m a big believer in karma. What goes around, comes around. If you put enough good into the universe, some of it will return to you. I like to think I’ve always been a good person, and as the balance of my bank account testifies, a lot has made its way back to me.
But now, my faith in the all-encompassing might of karma has been shaken.
I study the restroom door with the same intensity a cat studies the red dot from a laser pointer.
Justin emerges after a few minutes. He weaves through the crowd effortlessly, sliding back into the fold of his friends, who greet his return with shoulder bumps and easy laughter carrying across the pub.
My chest constricts with an emotion I can’t quite name—something between rage and despair—watching him hold court. The carefully constructed walls I’ve built between my past and present suddenly feel paper-thin.
Because Justin’s still exactly who he was in high school. The golden guy surrounded by a circle of smiling admirers.
Yes, it definitely appears karma hasn’t caught up with Justin Morris.
Possibilities swirl in my mind. I’m currently footloose, with no set ties or projects lined up. I have almost unlimited funds at my disposal.
And there’s that one important, undeniable, inescapable fact.
He didn’t recognize me.
About the Author—
Sounds like a really great read.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading the excerpt. Sounds like a great rom com read
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