I was about to go help Luke out with preparing when suddenly, the ringtone of my phone rang through the car.
"I think it's yours." Luke said, the delicate allure of the moment interrupted. I nodded, still a little dazed and went to it.
It was Bernice and I immediately picked it up. I was expecting her to tell me about how I had been missing classes and all, but the first thing I heard as I brought the phone to my ears was the sound of her crying.
"Ber..Bernice. Why are you crying?" I asked, concern lacing my voice. Luke stopped what he was doing and turned to me, even though I could see he was trying to not come too close so he wouldn't intrude.
"Very cheap of you to ask me that, don't you think, Karla?"
"What are you talking about?" I asked, feeling nervous for some reason.
"How could you do this to me? I am your friend! We have been together since high school, we have done everything together and what? Nathan?" Her words were jumbled, and I was finding it hard to understand.
"I don't know what you are talking about." I said again, but she continued talking like I hadn't.
"I even met you after class but...how was I supposed to know all you had in mind was to betray me?"
"What do you mean after class? I wasn't even in class." I wasn't. I had slept in the whole of yesterday and gone on this trip with Luke today. I hadn't seen Bernice all through. In fact, now that I thought of it, I have only seen Bernice once since I came back here. When she came to congratulate me. My memory of the real past however, told me otherwise.
"Stop lying!" She yelled and broke into big sobs, and I could hear someone trying to console her in the background. "You were with Nathan yesterday! Half of the school saw you! Half of our friends saw you! Everyone knows, Karla. You could have been more subtle. You could have done better than humiliating your long time friend in public!"
I didn't even get a word in before the call quenched. I stood there, thinking. She had seen me after class? What party? Nathan? Her boyfriend?
None of that had happened to me. My life had practically revolved around Luke ever since I came here. I haven't...wait.
My knees suddenly went weak and I saw Luke rush to me, abandoning what he was doing.
"Is something wrong, Karla? Tell me."
"Luke...Luke, I am sorry, but I need to get home."
He looked surprised, but not hesitant at the same time. He nodded and opened the car door for me and I got in.
"What about those?" I asked him as he went around the car to the driver's seat door.
"Your business is more important right now."
We drove back home at top speed, but my house was empty. Just like I had left it. I tried calling Bernice again, but she wasn't picking.
I searched the phone for Kate's number. She was the closest to Bernice after me. The phone rang for a while before she picked.
"Karla."
"Where is Bernice? I need to see her."
"After all you did with Nathan and then said to her? Do you think she would want to see you right now?"
It didn't matter. I couldn't even remember this time in the past, it was all fuzzy.
"Please, Kate. I beg you. I beg you. Please, please tell me where she is. Please."
There was a long silence, before she finally sighed. "She is at my place."
Where exactly is Kate's place? I couldn't even remember anymore.
"Can you tell me where it is?"
Luke said nothing as he drove me to the address Kate had sent to me. She had found it odd how I didn't know her place, where as she had said it, we always had our sleepovers and cried our eyes out over crushes gone wrong.
We got to the house and I alighted, but Luke held my hand to stop me.
"I don't know what's happening, but I hope you can approach it with a cool head. I will be out here waiting for you and I hope you will be fine."
I nodded, very grateful for his kind words. He slowly let go of my hand, and I ran into Kate's house.
"Bernice." She was sitting on the floor with her back leaning on the brown couch. Seeing it brought back memories of laughter and fun, but not of seeing this. I don't remember ever seeing Bernice like this.
"Bernice. What happened? I didn't understand anything you were saying on the phone..."
She stood up and looked at me. "You have some guts, don't you?"
"Bernice..I really don't understand..."
She suddenly raised her hand and landed a slap on my unsuspecting cheek.
My face swerved to the right, and tears pooled in my eyes.
"You should...you should have told me you liked Nathan. Why did you have to approach him at a party of all places, Karla? Don't you have any respect for me?"
"I didn't do anything like that, Bernice. I swear. I was sleeping all day yesterday. I popped into school for like an hour, but I was in the library..."
"That's a lie, Karla. Stop lying so shamelessly. You were in school, and you attended that party. When I asked you, you said you couldn't come, but went and did that? Why? I would have sacrificed him for our friendship!" She said, her words occasionally punctuated by small sobs. Kate was holding her back, and I am not sure what she would have done otherwise.
"You even said you didn't care what Bernice thinks when Natalie confronted you. Why would you do something like that?" Kate asked, her voice low and disappointed.
I think I have an idea now, but everything was messed up. This was why I hadn't even been at the airport when Bernice left for Australia. This was why I never called her. Because we fell out in the first year of college. And remained cold ever since.
Now, it became clear. Mr. McGregor's theory became clear. Because I was here, didn't mean the 18 year old Karla wasn't here too. And I had a feeling, this was just the beginning.