The Greatest Lie Part 14

I acidly asked the barista, "What are you doing, harvesting and drying the beans back there?"

I got back a mumbled apology and smile from a face that froze me in the shock of horrified recognition: it was Seth. I had known him for years as a boy, but he had crossed to the dark side. He had joined my high school nemesis, Miguel, when Miguel and Jack raped me so cruelly after the prom the previous spring. I tried to keep my composure as I waited at the counter, watching Seth carefully.

I waited for the flash of recognition, guilt, and anger, but my appearance was too different now, and Seth was too naive. He just served me with a charming, roguish smile, as if I were just one more beautiful West L.A. babe.

I started to relax again. I inhaled the licorice fumes of soy froth and dark roasted beans, and started to reminisce to myself about the times I had spent at this cafe sipping this same fragrant froth, in the body of a very unhappy and dysfunctional boy.

As I flipped through 'In Style,' looking mostly at celebrity clothes and hair, I heard a shuffling of feet and the clatter of a chair next to me. I looked up to see my erstwhile barista asking, "Do you mind if I join you?"

"Actually, I do," I replied.

"I didn't you recognize when I served you or I would have said hello, but one of my friends in the records office at Uni called and I realized it was you, and I really have to talk to you."

"Oh great, the good old Uni spy network is onto me," I said miserably. "I really don't want to relive senior year, Seth. As you can see, I've moved on. I'm sorry if you're still stuck in the same pathetic rut, but I really don't want to get into it."

He reached for my hand, but I withdrew it. He said "All I really wanted to do was to tell you how sorry I am about what happened last year. If I could relive that night I would never have gone along with Miguel's sick plan. Ever since that night I have felt guilty over it, especially after you and Miguel made that video and he bragged that it proved you wanted to do us."