Compared to my other schoolmates, I was late in visiting my old elementary school again. Most kids, drawn by their nostalgia for their childhood, had come back on many sooner occasions to volunteer or visit. I, on the other hand, felt a great relief grace my spirit after I had left that tiny prison and I didn’t return until Alyxis had invited me to the annual Ice Cream Social when we were both third years in high school. A part of me was nervous about seeing them all again. What would be different, and what would be the same. I didn’t know.

It was strange, being seated in the back seat of my parent’s car and driving down that old road to my school again. I hadn’t driven down here in ages, and I stared out the window and noticed all the little things that had changed. The little old lady with her orange cat no longer lived in that gray house, now there was a family of four with a noisy infant that cried often. The rose bushes on the corner near the street sign had been replanted with white blossoms that smelled of soft citrus. But the school hadn’t changed at all. The walls were still that strange combination of orange and cream that reminded me of a cheap ice cream flavor that no one really wanted. The fences were still all around the playground, just seemingly shorter now that I’d grown so much. Instead of me and my friends climbing the play structure, new children with their cries and laughs ran about. Suddenly, I began to feel the seeds of nervousness in my stomach. I had no idea what would happen; I thought I no longer cared about this place and these people. Yifan’s smile flashed in my mind.

“Have fun, call us when you need us to pick you up!” My mother said and I was left to fend for myself. With a big breath in and out, I stepped onto the grounds.

The Ice cream social looked like it always did, bouncy houses lined up along the blacktop, tables with coolers behind them stood ready to serve kids soft drinks and waters, and there were speakers blasting school-age appropriate music that made the 6th graders think they were cool because they knew the actual lyrics.

As I was walking around looking for friends, a finger suddenly tapped on my shoulder and shook me out of my thoughts. I turned around and I gasped. Kris stood behind me with that old cheeky smile on his face. Though the smile was familiar, he looked so, different. His hair was styled like most guys these days and he stood really tall compared to me. His body was leaner and more muscular, and his voice sounded almost foreign to my ears.

“Hey,” He said with a grin, his arms outstretched.

I stepped into them gingerly, patting his back before pulling away.

“Hey,” I said, “Good to see you”

“Good to see you too,” He said, “How has life been treating you?”

“Well, I’ve been doing good in all my classes, “I said, “What about you?”

“School’s been fine, high school is more fun than I thought,” He said with a smile.

“That’s good to hear,” I said with a smile.

“So how’s your love life been, had any boyfriends yet?” He asked with a wiggle of his eyebrows.

“No boyfriends yet, I’ve been focused on school,” I replied with a shrug.

“Of course, what was I thinking, it is you,” He said with a laugh. A small smile tugged at my lips.

“I’m sure you’ve had a couple girlfriends since elementary,” I said and Kris nodded his head.

“Nothing serious though,” He said.

“Of course not, you’re just a kid,” I said, “You couldn’t possibly have a serious relationship at this age”

“You really think so?” He said, staring right into my eyes. I gulped.

“Yes, kids aren’t ever serious about that kind of thing,” I said, looking away and letting my gaze fall to the ground. The air quieted between us and suddenly the leaves on the floor became really interesting. My phone began to ring, breaking the awkward silence. I picked up immediately and heard Alyxis’s voice on the other end.

“Where are you? I just got here,” Alyxis said.

“I’m with Kris by the front gate,” I replied

“Alright, I’m on my way over,” She said then hung up.

I put my phone back into my pocket and said, “Alyxis is on her way over”

“We should meet her,” Kris said.

The rest of the festival was actually a lot of fun. It felt good to see my old friends again, all together for one night of joy. Little did I know that this would be the last time that I saw all of them together for many years to come. In the next year, Kris and his family moved to Korea so that he could pursue his dream of being an idol, forever bearing that glowing mask of stardom to hide what he really felt. I never saw him again; we only had some brief text message conversations before he became too busy to talk anymore. The only time I ever saw him again after that was on Korean gossip websites.

…

Saturday came faster than expected. On the “special” day, rather than sitting at my dining table with a mug of tea grading projects or doing other paperwork, I was in my bedroom trying to decide on what to wear. Kris hadn’t told me whether or not it was a formal party, so I wasn’t sure if I should try to dress nicely or just wear casual clothes. I honestly could just text him and ask, but I didn’t want to sound like a clueless idiot. Whenever I was nervous about going somewhere, I would always fret over my outfit the most. In the end, I chose a neutral look, a white button up with ripped denim jeans and black flats. I spent some time doing my make up, just some basic eyeliner, mascara, blush, and such. I never had the energy to mess with my hair, so I just left it the way it was. Every once in a while I’d glance at the clock. I had my coat and purse ready by the door, just waiting for a good time to leave. I didn’t want to be like the first one there because that’d be awkward, so I decided to just leave around 6:30.

My memories of Kris’s house were fuzzy, but I had been there with my other friends, on the rare occasion when my parents let me escape the house, when we were in elementary school. Kris had resent me the address so I didn’t have to worry about getting lost. On the way there, I stopped by the super market to grab a cheesecake to bring with me so that I wouldn’t be a bad guest.

When I got there, I noticed a lot of cars parked outside and began to feel a bit nervous again. I locked the car door behind me and carefully carried the cheesecake in my hand while the lump of nervousness rose up in even further in my throat as I walked up to the door.

I didn’t have to ring the doorbell. A drunken guy threw the door open in his wasted stupor and came tumbling out the door, whistling at me as he almost toppled to the ground. I stared at the man as he walked away, completely shocked.

“Don’t mind him, he won’t be driving anytime soon,” Kris said.

I turned to face him and I almost gasped. He was dressed in a baby blue button down that was sprinkled with little sailboats. His blonde hair was styled to the side and his face looked amazing underneath the porch light. I gulped.

“I brought a cheesecake,” I said after a while and he chuckled.

“Your cheesecake is greatly appreciated, “He said with a gummy smile, “Here, let me take it for you”

I handed him the cheesecake gingerly and he lead me inside. Surprisingly enough, everywhere I looked I could recognize happy and familiar faces. I waved hello to the people I knew and gave a couple hugs as I followed Kris to the kitchen in the back.

“Where’s your mom?” I asked.

“She’s in the kitchen,” He said.

I could hear her before I even saw her. She was standing over the counter with a huge smile on her face, heaping plates with food and party snacks for anyone who was standing nearby, and chatting cheerily with anyone who would listen. When we made eye contact, her eyes lit up and she came running over to pull me into a hug. Her figure was warm and she smelled of cinnamon and coffee, just like how I remembered.

“It’s been too long,” She said with a good squeeze, “But I’d recognize you anywhere! How have you been dear?”

“I’ve been well Mrs. Wu, what about you?” I said, smiling.

“I’ve been very happy,” She replied, my cheek lovingly, “You get more and more beautiful each time I see you”

“You haven’t aged a day,” I said with a smile.

“Thank you dear, now you go enjoy the party,” She said, “We’ll have plenty of time to talk later”

“It’s good to see you again,” I said.

“I’ve missed you,” Mrs. Wu replied with a genuine smile before turning back to the other guests.

I felt a hand wrap around my own and turned, surprised to see that it was Kris.

“Come on, there’s some people I want you to meet,” He said, gently tugging at my hand.

I nodded my head and let him lead me. The speakers somewhere were blasting Kris’s latest album of course, I had to fight the urge to playfully roll my eyes. Kris lead me through the crowds to a small group seated on the sofa in the living room, and my eyes widened when I saw who it was. It was Alyxis, sitting on the couch with a red plastic cup, laughing an