I hadn't been back at the school for more than ten minutes before I realized how foolish that hope had been. After half an hour, it was painfully obvious that nothing had changed since high school, even if my wardrobe had improved. There was no doubt in anyone's minds that Anastascia had bought me the dress, confirmed by the multiple conversations I overheard regarding being my friend's charity case.

I was already fuming when a tall, skinny young man with dark hair and a prominent Adam's apple approached. I didn't need to look at the name-tag to know it was Eddie Rancid, a kid with a last name so awful he should've been less popular than me in school. Not the case.

“Hey, Piper.”

He still had the same sleazy smile.

“Hi, Eddie.” I kept my tone polite. Eddie had been picked on mercilessly in school for his sci-fi obsessions and bad complexion, but those weren't the reasons I hoped he'd keep walking.

“Looking good.” His eyes ran over me and I could feel him mentally undressing me. Considering what I did for a living, the fact that I had to stop myself from shuddering spoke volumes about how creepy I found him.

“Thank you.”

He edged closer, invading my personal space. “You know, I wanted to ask you to prom senior year.”

“Really?” I crossed my arms and tried to make a single word convey how not-interested I was.

“I mean, I figured if anyone was going to put out, it'd be you.”

Really? Had those words really just exited this dick head’s mouth? I gritted my teeth and could feel my temper start to rise as I ground out, “Is that so?”

Either Eddie was a moron when it came to reading people's body language and inflections or he simply didn't care. I was willing to bet it was a little bit of both. Either way, I shouldn’t have been surprised when he kept talking.

“Everyone knew girls from your neighborhood were easy. What are you doing aft––”

Raising a hand to interrupt him, I inhaled slowly and then let it out. “I'm going to walk away now, Eddie, and if you know what's good for you, you're going to let me go.”

He had the audacity to look shocked at my response. I caught a glimpse of the surprise on his face before I turned and headed towards the memorabilia display. I didn't really have anything I wanted to remember, but it was as far from Eddie as I could get while still being inside the building. I stayed there for a couple minutes, putting up with more sly glances and not-so-subtle comments, but then I couldn't take it anymore. I needed some air.

“I'm going to take a walk,” I said, leaning close enough to Anastascia to be heard over the music without raising my voice.

“Do you want me to come with you?” There was concern in her eyes.

I shook my head. “Stay.” She'd been subjected to some prejudice in school due to being mixed race, but most of her isolation had been self-imposed, choosing me over the shallow rich kids who were now fawning over how great she looked and all of the wonderful things she did. She deserved her time in the spotlight.

Before she could argue, I hurried away. No one stopped me and only a few even looked my way. I cut a wide path around where I saw Rebecca and her gang of friends chatting. They probably all still lived in the city and met for brunch every Sunday, picking at salads that cost more than a full meal at some places and sharing the latest gossip. I wasn't entirely sure I'd be able to keep myself from slapping that smirk off her face if she said something, so I figured it was better to steer clear. I didn't want to be the girl who got kicked out of the reunion for fighting. Despite my current occupation, I had too much self-respect for that.

I took a deep breath as I stepped out into the chilly evening. It wasn't quite freezing, but there was a bite in the air that said winter hadn't quite relinquished its grip despite it being early May. I rubbed my hands over my arms as I looked around the school grounds and tried to figure out what I was going to do while I waited for the reunion to end.

“Are you cold?”

I froze, and not because of the air. I didn't have to turn towards the voice, however, because the owner of it was stepping around so I could confirm what I already knew.

“Rebecca insisted I bring her tonight when her date canceled, but as soon as she got here, she went off with her friends.” Reed flashed a charming smile. “I was trying to think up an excuse to leave when you came out. Looks like you're as bored as I am. Want to take a walk with me?”