Change of Course by Carly Keene

CHERI:
Of course I remember him.
You never forget your first love.
I was the good-girl cheerleader. Popular, concerned with my image, sure of my place.
He was the ragged, rebellious bad boy I couldn’t take my eyes off.
(Or, as it turned out, my hands.)
When we broke up, I was so hurt that I headed right for the future I’d always thought I wanted: college, marriage to a successful professional, a glitzy social circle. And just as I began to realize that I really didn’t want it after all, my life fell apart.
Only the chance at seeing my old cheerleader besties could have gotten me to this 15-year reunion.
And only the sight of Jackson across the room could convince me to stay.

JACKSON:
Of course I remember her.
You don’t forget the first person to touch your heart.
But I knew she deserved more than the paycheck-to-paycheck life I could give her, and I set out to make something of myself before I asked her to marry me.
She didn’t wait for me. She married someone else.
I’m not sure why I came back to this crappy reunion to meet up with people who despised me back then, and probably only tolerate me now that I’m a financial success.
Except that I had to see her. My Cherry.
Grapevine says she’s single now.
From the look in her eyes when she sees me, I can only hope that she could be mine again.