Finding Kim

"I still regret it, you know," Ally says whilst swirling her no longer hot coffee around the mug.

I raise an eyebrow. "What? Having kids?"

"No, well yes but I wasn't referring to that," she takes a deep breath. "I regret making your last two years of high school a living hell."

I simply shrug and pretend to read through my still unfinished essay.

"It's just that I was going through a really hard time and all those popular girls in the year above made me feel so... Special, you know? They made me feel accepted and I was the centre of attention for once."

"For once?" I force out a small laugh. "You were always the centre of attention."

But she doesn't seem to have heard me.

"And they helped me through some really tough times. I needed their support but I shouldn't have just abandoned you the way that I did."

I close the lid of my laptop and stand up.

"Where are you going, Kim?" She sounds so small, so vulnerable.

I tuck the laptop into its bag. "No offence but where I'm going really isn't any of your business."

"But, but it's been so long since we've spoken and - "

"And what's another six years?" I throw the bag over my shoulder. "Bye, Ally."

As I pass her, she grabs my arm. "Just wait a second."

She pulls out a pen and a crumpled up receipt from her handbag. After scribbling something, she hands the receipt to me. I pocket it without looking at what she had written.

"Please think about it, Kim," she says. "I'll be waiting up all night."