“Hey, stranger,” Tessa greeted me, standing to give me a hug before sitting back down in her wooden chair. “Long time no see. Looking good!”
“Thanks.” I blushed a little. It was still new to me to see people from my old life, especially when I had tried so hard to become someone new. “You look pretty good yourself.”
“You're such a nice liar,” Tessa teased, fluffing her dark hair. She looked exactly the same as I remembered her. Dark hair, dark eyes, and a style all her own.
“You order yet?” I asked, settling in my own comfortable wooden chair and picking up a menu. It was the same selection from when I had last been here, but it was customary to at least look at it. The setting was rustic, but comfortable, much like the food.
“Just an order of the artichoke dip,” Tessa answered. “I don't know how they do it, but I swear, it just gets better every time.”
“It's because they put crack cocaine in it,” I said. Annie's Artichoke Dip was world renown. It was possibly the best thing I had ever eaten in my life, and I had eaten some good tasting things in New York. “I think that's the only thing in Springfield I've actually missed.”
“What about me?” Tessa pouted, sticking out her lower lip as far as she could and making it tremble.
“I carry you with me everywhere I go,” I told her. I put my hand on my heart and made my face as serious as I could. “I love you, Tessa.”
Her pout instantly vanished and she grabbed my hand. “Aww, I love you too, baby.”
We held our serious faces for a moment before dissolving into a fit of giggles. It was as if we had never been apart. Sometimes, we were such children, but that's why I loved Tessa. Now that I was sitting here with her, I couldn't believe I had neglected our friendship. She was my best friend for a reason. I had missed her.
“You want anything to drink? I know the bartender. He'll get us drinks if you want,” Tessa offered.
I shook my head. “Maybe later.” It was practically a right of passage to drink underage here, but I was more interested in catching up than getting drunk.
Tessa took a big sip of her water and grinned at me. “So, you'll never guess who our waitress is.”
I raised my eyebrows. “Do you want me to even try?”
She just grinned wider and set her menu down. “Nah, she's bringing us our crack cocaine dip now.”
Just then, a beautiful pregnant woman set the large round serving tray with the cheesy goodness in the center of our table. I didn't recognize her at first, but took a closer look as Tessa grinned like a jack-o-lantern.
“Audrey?” Her identity hit me like a brick. Beautiful, glowing, and very pregnant, but definitely the high school queen bee that had made my life a living hell, Audrey Lipman.
“Allison Masters? Oh my god!”
“You're working here?” I couldn't think of anything else to say. Tessa was smirking like a Cheshire cat as she dug into the appetizer.
Audrey shrugged. “It's more for something to do until the baby is born,” she said before splitting into a big smile. “You look amazing, by the way. I totally didn't recognize you. You look like something out of a New York guidebook. It really suits you.”
“Thank you,” I replied. It was impossible for me to resist her infectious friendliness. I didn't think we had ever shared this many civil words in one sitting before. She was a totally different person. “You look great, too. You're glowing.”
Audrey's smile grew bigger while Tessa's eyes were about ready to pop out of her head. Audrey ran her hands over her growing, beautiful belly. “Thank you. Say thank you, little Eva,” she said, to her belly.
“What a pretty name,” I said. It was simple yet elegant. If the girl ended up looking anything like her mother, she would suit the name. I hoped the girl got her mother's new personality rather than the one I had known in high school, though. “How many weeks are you?”
“Thirty-two on Monday,” she answered. “Anyway, enough about me. Are you ready to order, or do you just want to work on the dip for a little bit?”
“Just the dip for now,” Tessa interrupted. I frowned slightly, but nodded when Audrey looked at me.
“Okay. I'll be going on break in a few minutes, so if you need anything, just let Katie know.” Audrey motioned to a slender, fresh from high school girl taking an order from another table before tucking her small pad of paper into her apron pocket. “I can't get over how great you look, Allie. The new look really suits you.”
With that, Audrey walked away. I sat staring after her, watching her hips wiggle in only the way that a pregnant woman walks.
“What. The. Fuck. Was. That.” Tessa rolled her eyes.
“What?” I asked, innocently.
“Oh, Audrey, you look great! How many weeks are you? Can I hold your baby?” Tessa raised her voice to a high feminine squeal that sounded nothing like me. “Since when did you fall in love with Audrey? The girl would have stoned you on the gym floor if she could have gotten student council approval.”