Free The Consequences of Forever (1) by Kaitlyn Oruska

her plate, which was already full of just about everything on the menu. “To share,” she explained, noticing my look.
                  I picked up a tea sandwich that looked vegetarian and took a tentative bite. I’d wanted to give up eating meat for a while now, but Nora’s response every time I brought it up was “not in my house.”
                  “Oh, yum,” Hannah remarked. I glanced up at her, surprised, because she wasn’t eating anything.
                  “What?”
    She raised her eyebrows and motioned with her head back to the foyer. I glanced over and felt my face redden; Adam had just entered, his mother by his side. Julia, as usual, looked stunning in a simple white dress, her honey blonde hair left loose around her shoulders, slightly curled. And Adam looked amazing in his simple black and white suit.
                  “I hope you appreciate what you’ve got,” Hannah said with a wistful sigh.
                  I shot her a warning look and placed my half-eaten sandwich back on her plate. “I have to go do something,” I said, ignoring her protests. I hurried past her, spotting Teagan standing by the salad bar Erin had set up earlier that day.
    Teagan had been living at Bella Vista since August, a few days after the hurricane hit. She was young, only twenty-one, and not in school. She was in between jobs at the time she came to us, and asked if she could stay on for a monthly basis, instead of weekly. Nora wasn’t happy with the idea at first, but had eventually relented, mostly because my dad insisted. He claimed he knew what it was like to be young and lost, and any help he could offer others in the same situation was well worth the money they would lose.
                  Teagan had found a job waitressing at the Haven Café soon after, and was saving up to rent a place of her own. I was starting to like having her around; it was almost like having an older sister.
                  “Hey,” she greeted me with a smile. “Is this dressing homemade? It’s amazing.”
                  “Probably,” I said, leaning against the table next to her.
                  “What’s wrong?”
                  I shook my head. “Nothing, I’m just not crazy about all these people being in one small space.”
                  Teagan nodded in agreement. “Yeah, I know what you mean. I’m glad I got the night off, though. I think all of our regulars are here instead; it would have been so boring being stuck in an empty diner.”
    I turned my back to the crowd, surveying the salad bar. It didn’t look like it had been touched too much.
                  “I’m going to get something to drink,” Teagan decided. “Want me to bring you back anything?”
                  I nodded. “Yeah, a water, please.”
                  “Sure thing.”
    I watched as she disappeared back into the crowd of people. My eyes met with Adam’s, and he started walking towards me. I felt panicked. I’d lost count of all the times he’d called since the night before, all of them going unanswered. I figured I’d make up an excuse by the time I saw him again, but now that the time had come, I had nothing.
                  I turned quickly and hurried towards the stairs, deciding to hide in my bedroom until things calmed down a little. I’d talk to Adam, sooner or later. Maybe even that night after everyone else had gone home. I’d have an excuse about why I was acting so weird by then, and that would keep him happy until I figured out a way to tell him the truth.
                  I ran up the steps as far as the small heels of my shoes would allow, and ducked into my bedroom. It was a disaster area, thanks to Hannah pulling out just about every article of clothing she owned in an attempt to find the perfect outfit. The Reeves’ weren’t