The vibrant colors that filled the small space somehow made the nine-hundred-square-foot home feel bigger.
“I spent months scouring through small home designs before settling on this one.”
“Settling?” Darby shook her head. “You designed this place yourself.”
“You did?” Raven asked, setting her bags down just inside the door.
“Yeah,” Carrie said with a smile. She took Raven’s hand. “Let me show you around.”
Raven had to admit, the place was so efficient, that she doubted she would feel like she was short of space if she lived there.
There were hidden cubbies and drawers everywhere, places to tuck away items and store them out of sight, keeping the main areas free from clutter.
As with the living area, Carrie’s bright color choices flowed throughout the entire home, bringing cheer and happiness into each space.
“Oh, and the best part is…” Carrie walked over to a wall in what she’d described as her home office and flipped what Raven assumed was a light switch. Suddenly, the wall slowly lowered, revealing a full-sized bed. “The guestroom,” Carrie added with a wave.
“Wow, how did you design all of this?” Raven asked.
“It was easy. I was tired of living in the small government trailer,” Carrie added with a shrug.
Raven sat on the edge of the bed and felt her shoulders sink. “I’m so sorry.”
“For?” Darby asked.
“Leaving you. Both of you. I should have… stayed in town. After.” She looked between her friends.
Darby and Carrie sat on either side of her and wrapped their arms around her.
“We all lost someone we loved. You just got hit with a double whammy,” Darby said softly. “Losing my mom was hard, but at least I had my dad to help me. You had no one.” Darby hugged her.
“Not to mention losing Reggie. You two were perfect for one another,” Carrie said, wrapping her arms around the both of them.
Raven felt a twinge of pain when she heard Reggie’s name. She must have tensed, because Carrie asked.
“What?” They both leaned back and looked at her.
“Reggie.” She shook her head. “I found out, just before…” She closed her eyes. “That he’d cheated on me.”
“What?” Darby gasped. “No way.” She shook her head.
“No, it’s true.” Raven sighed. “And so ten years ago. It shouldn’t matter…”
“But it does,” Carrie added, pushing a strand of Raven’s hair behind her ear. “We need more wine. Then you can tell us everything.” She jumped up from the bed.
Half an hour later, the three of them sat around Carrie’s kitchen table. A plate of brie, crackers, and some fruit sat in the middle, along with some assorted chocolates Carrie had pulled out and a bottle of red wine.
“So.” Carrie motioned to her. “You know everyone’s been dying to find out exactly what happen to you that day. How did you end up in the cave? Alone?”
Raven was thankful for the wine. Somehow, it, and knowing she was among friends, helped her get through her story.
“I don’t really know. It was the morning of my birthday.”
“Your seventeenth,” Darby added in.
“Right. Later that night, we were supposed to have my party at the resort. Mom had spent so much time decorating and planning it. I was excited but acted like I wasn’t. I couldn’t show my parents that I wanted the party. I was way too cool for that. I remember going to Redding with her and picking out the perfect dress.” She closed her eyes on the wave of pain, missing her mother. “Reggie had asked me to meet him at our spot at midnight so he could be the first one to tell me happy birthday.”
“Aww, that was sweet of him,” Carrie said.
“Yes.” Raven nodded and smiled, remembering all the sweet times she’d had with Reggie on the hill that overlooked the town. He’d taken her there after their first date. He’d spread out a blanket and the two of them had watched the moon rise. It was the first place she’d made love. The place where she’d first admitted to him that she loved him. It was her favorite spot. Or had been. “He said he had a special surprise for me and wanted to give it to me alone. We agreed to meet just before midnight.”
“You said you found out he cheated on you?” Darby asked.
“Right.” She took another sip of her wine. “I ran into… Julia Garza. She used to work as a waitress here all through high school.”
“I fired her a few days back.” Darby rolled her eyes. “Long and different story. Let’s just say that no one in town will hire her now. Not after the craziness she did.” Darby waved her hand. “Another story for another time. What did Julia say?”
Raven really wished Darby would continue but decided she could get the rest of the story out of her friend later.
“Julia told me she knew, firsthand, that Reggie had cheated on me at Venessa’s party the weekend before.”
“The one you didn’t go to?” Carrie asked.
“Yeah. I was in Redding with my mother, buying my birthday dress.” She glanced down at her fingers and took a deep breath.
“And you believed her?” Carrie asked.
“She showed me the picture she’d taken on her phone,” Raven answered.
“Of?” Darby asked.
“Reggie, kissing a girl.” She shrugged.
“Who was it?” Carrie asked.
“I don’t know. It was from behind; all I could see was it was Reggie and the girl had darker hair. It didn’t matter, at that point. I knew it was true. So, I went up there to meet him, knowing I was going to break it off.”
“Did you?” Darby asked.
“No, not really. I went there, met him, and he…” She closed her eyes and shook her head as the memory played over in her mind. She hadn’t realized tears were once again rolling down her face.
“It’s too hard,” Darby said, wrapping an arm around her. “You don’t have to tell us.”
“No, it’s okay. I think that once I do, somehow I’ll be lighter.” She smiled and hugged Darby back. She took a big gulp, finishing the glass of wine. “He had a picnic all laid out. A moonlight celebration. There was a single cupcake with a candle sitting in the middle of the blanket along with a bottle of champagne that he’d snuck out of his parents’ wine fridge. It was so romantic, but all I could think of was him, kissing someone else.” She took a deep breath as Carrie poured her more wine. “So, I confronted him.” Closing her eyes, she replayed the next fateful moments in her head as she continued to tell her friends.
“Did you make out with someone else at Venessa’s party last weekend?” she’d asked him, not even taking the cupcake he offered her.
“Where’d you hear that?” Reggie asked. The single candle lit up his face, along with the bright full-moon and the camping lamp that was sitting in the middle of the blanket.
“Does it matter? Did you?” she asked, crossing her arms over her chest. She’d worn shorts and a tank top, since summer was in full swing, even though school wasn’t set to end for another few days.