  If you haven't read the first two parts of this story: urlLink Part I , urlLink Part II . Suddenly her cell phone rang the Simpson’s theme song. She fumbled through her purse, flipped the phone open and answered it without looking at the number, “hellooo...” “ALLLOOOOO!!
!” It was her friend Anne. They had met a few years back when he and Anne had worked together. The girl had been suspicious of Anne since she was suspicious of any girl who hung around him, but was soon confident that the girl was harmless. They quickly became friends and were an inseparable threesome with Michelle who worked in the same strip mall with Anne.
They all lived in the same neighbourhood, ran with the same crowd, lived the same lives. They could well relate to each other; practically the same upbringing, the same schooling. They were pretty, young, and smart – a very dangerous and a very fun combination. The girl would spend evenings going between the store where Anne worked and the video store where Michelle worked. They would smoke cigarettes, joints, watch movies and talk about life. They hadn’t really spoken since she had left.
Actually, they hadn’t really spoken since about 6 months before she had left. They had gone their separate ways, for their own reasons, mostly because of boys and the disapproval each had for the other’s choice. Now the situation was different. Now they were all single, happy, and doing something of their lives. Anne had gone from being a convenience store clerk to a nurse, working with pre-mature babies. Michelle was younger than the other two, still working on how to live her life.
“Allo!” she replied, excited and nervous at the same time. Anne and Michelle had known her in the worst of times. It made her wonder if they knew her at all, she hadn’t been herself “then”. “Ça fais-tu longtemps que t’es arrivée?” Anne asked, since they had made plans to get together, “T’es où?” The girl explained when she’d arrived and invited Anne to join them at the pub. Twenty minutes later, the girl got the excitement of screams and “Oh-my-god!” she had wanted. They were happy to see each other.
Anne looked healthy, happy, and gorgeous as always. Her “then” blond hair was now her natural light brown, and it suited her well. “T’as l’air bien,” the girl said, giving Anne another hug, “C’est dommage que Michelle soit partie en fin de semaine!” "Michelle va venir, où t’as pris ça qu’elle était partie?! " The girl smiled as she realized that Michelle wasn’t away for the weekend as her parents had thought.
She'd lied to her parents so as not to worry them. The girls had a long night of talking and drinking ahead of them, and Michelle had probably not wanted to have to adhere to a silly curfew. The three of them sat down and the girl poured Anne a pint. She looked at Anne and considered everything they had gone through together. There had been more downs than ups, but she didn’t want to remember the downs. Who was she kidding? Her mind was consumed with the downs. How much did Anne know? What questions would she ask?
The girl remained calm. She was among friends who loved and cared for her... but she was ashamed of the things she had done. She was ashamed of the things she had lived through. There were things she didn’t want her brother to know. And if her brother knew, would he tell her parents? At that moment the girl realized that she wasn’t listening to the conversation. Her brother was describing a bood he had just finished and was discussing it with Anne. The girl looked up and listened for a while before her thoughts wandered again. “Que sera, sera” says the song... what will be? Suddenly she realized the conversation had turned to her.
Anne seemed to have asked her a question, “Quoi?” Anne repeated, “Est-ce qu'on s'en va?” They made tentative plans and the girl called Michelle on her cell phone. Her brother decided to leave and asked her to call him later when she knew what time she would be home. Michelle's phone just rang and rang, probably fearing a call from her parents. Leaving a message, she and Anne left the pub and headed towards Anne’s apartment.
It was a nice night: warm, clear, and calm. The walked silently for a few moments when the girl’s cell phone rang. It was Michelle. The girl explained her discontent at trying to surprise her to no avail and Michelle sounded genuinely disappointed. It did not take her long however, to remark that she hadn’t been home because of the visit. “Devine qui j’ai vu aujourd’hui?” The girl’s heart sank. She didn’t want to know the answer. In the second between the question and the answer, her heart had done summersaults and had settled in the pit of her stomach.
(To be continued) 
