Pep sat in the same booth we used to sit in when we were teenagers. She always preferred to sit with her back against the wall, facing the front door of the pizza parlor. She looked up once she saw me walk toward the table, sitting across from her.
“Thanks for meeting me here,” Pep said, folding her hands together on top of the table. This was the closest I’ve seen Pep since she’s been back in New York. I was able to see every single freckle speckled along her face. I can’t believe I almost forgot the minor details.
“Of course,” I simply answered, looking directly into her eyes. She shifted in her seat and cleared her throat, looking uncomfortable at first. I made the initiative to start the conversation. “About that drive–“
“It was stupid… the way that I acted,” Pep began to say, folding her arms along her chest. “It was–“
“I know,” I said, smiling at her. “Some things never change about a person.” I was shocked to see Pep smile after I said that, followed with a cathartic sigh.
“Milo’s gotten so tall,” Pep mentioned, shaking her head in disbelief. “He was just a baby.”
“You’re telling me,” I scoffed, smiling as I readjusted in my seat. “Now he’s a whole third grader. Do you know they give kids actual homework over the summer now? They expect them to have their multiplication tables memorized like the back of their hand.”
“Yeah, my mom mentioned it to me one day when I had to watch Mollie for a weekend. I told Mollie she could memorize them later, so I took her out for ice cream.” I laughed at Pep’s story. Some things truly never change about a person. Pep looked back at me before she continued speaking. “I feel like I owe that to her.”
“Owe what?”
“Time,” she answered, seeming a bit down now. “Leaving her behind in the middle of my parents’ messy divorce.” I nod my head, understanding where Pep was coming from. There were nights Lydia told me to look after Mollie when things got intense. I didn’t know much about their parents’ divorce, but I could tell that it was affecting Mollie more than she was leading on. It took Milo to tell me that Mollie was struggling for me to finally say something to Lydia. It seems like that’s when things finally quiet down. Their father had finally left, and the divorce was finalized before the year ended.
“You’re here now,” I reassured her without thinking twice. It was like it was second nature to be reassuring with Pep; it was like it was the only thing I knew what to do when it came to her.
“Thanks,” she simply said before letting out a sigh of relief. “You’re still teaching at Waverly?” I nodded my head.
“My fourth year,” I answered back. “My first class are now seniors, definitely ages a person.” Pep giggled, taking a sip from her cola before cleating her throat.
“Has much changed since we were there?”
“So much,” I began to say. “A lot has changed in the past year, yet alone–“
“7 years.” I looked at Pep at she finished my sentence. Some things never change, but others change in a blink of an eye. She smiled before sighing. “You don’t have to tip-toe around me.”
I was confused. “Tip-toe around?”
“About Cullen,” she bluntly said. I can’t lie; the last thing I wanted to talk about was Cullen; not because of his relationship with Pep, but simply the fact that I didn’t know how to talk about a man that was part of the catalyst of our friendship tarnishing, yet alone a man that isn’t alive anymore.
“I’m… sorry. For your loss,” I awkwardly said, shaking my head in distaste from the way it came out. “I know that’s probably the last thing you want. More condolenses.”
“You’re right,” Pep jokingly answered. “But, it’s appreciated.” She looked out of the window, sighing as she was in deep thought. “Today would’ve been our wedding date.” Oh. I didn’t know how to respond to that, or if Pep meant to say it loud enough for me to hear it. She looked at me afterwards and shook her head, as if the was trying to shake the thought away.
“I’m sorry.”
“For what?”
“For everything I said about your relationship with Marielle. If she’s the one you plan to marry in the future, it’s best if–“
“Wait, hold on.” I was super caught-off guard. “Marielle and I aren’t together anymore.” Pep’s eyebrows cocked up, as if she was genuinely shocked. Did she truly not know?
“Oh,” Pep shook her head with her lips pressed together tightly. “I didn’t know.”
“It’s fine,” I began to say, sighing afterwards. “She had gotten an offer at Oxford that she didn’t want to miss out on. Her and Holder.” I swallowed hard, remembering the insecure version of myself that stood in our once shared apartment, accusing Marielle of cheating on me with Holder; her best friend from childhood. The same way she accused me of cheating on her with Pep; my best friend from childhood.
Pep’s eyes widen, taking in this newfound information. She nods her head okay, and says nothing else. I tightly smiled, shaking the intensity of this conversation out with my hands.
“But, that’s in the past,” I began to say, looking at her directly in the eyes. “And we have no control over what happened.” Pep looked back at me, deciphering the meaning behind my words. This wasn’t anything new with her; she’s done this for as long as I’ve known her. Sometimes, she misinterpreted them; other times she was right.
This time she was right in doing so.
Pep leaned back in her seat as she let out a deep breath. She smiled and put our her hand to me for a handshake. I was confused, and I was now the one trying to figure out what she was doing.
“Hi,” she began to say. “My name is Jennifer.”
“Huh?”
“But you can call me Pep.”
“Pep, what are you–“
“The only way we could move past this last year is to talk like we never knew each other. It doesn’t mean our past and our friendship are meaningless, but… let’s start over. Get to know each other all over again.” I looked at Pep, nervous about this random idea she came up with. That was also something Pep does, and the safest thing to do was follow along and to see things through. I put my hand out to her, shaking it politely.
“Hi,” I said as I smiled. “I’m Milo.”
Letters From Liz. 