"Are you okay," Maggie asked with a frown.
"Yeah, I'm fine," Desiree smiled tiredly.
Pouring herself a cup of coffee, she silently prayed to whoever was listening that her day would progress with as little issues or disturbances as possible. She just wanted to pass under the radar for the next month, get in and out with little trouble.
"Damn, you look terrible," Clarice exclaimed with wide eyes as she took in Desiree's appearance.
"Thank you Clarice. Good to know I can always count on you for a boost in confidence."
"Hey, I'm just saying. But anyways, finish you coffee quick and get ready. We're planning to get breakfast at a cafe in town before heading to the Sanctuary."
"Right," Desiree spoke gulping down the remainder of her drink. "Give me five minutes."
From the moment Desiree stepped out of the car she could feel their stares. It was a short walk from their parked car to the cafe, but to Desiree, it felt like an eternity.
Opening the cafe door to a soft ding, the four girls walked up to the front counter. Taking a few minutes to check out what they had available on the breakfast menu, the girls started ordering one by one. Desiree was last the last to order, and it was hard to miss the change in atmosphere from the waitress.
Her eyes widened in surprise, before her lips tugged into a tight smile. She seemed quite uncomfortable, her eyes remaining down cast the entire time as she took Desiree's order.
Thinking back, Desiree could recall seeing her a few times before when she still lived in Rivenwood. She seemed like a nice girl, however, Desiree doubted they'd be having a friendly chit chat anytime soon.
Sitting at a booth near the front door, they had the perfect view of the soccer field across from the cafe. Unfortunately, that also meant that everyone had a clear view of Desiree.
She wondered how long it would take for the others to comment on it. She doubted that they would not have noticed by now.
Lucky for her, she didn't have to wait long.
"You use to live here right?" Maggie, awkwardly asked, glancing around the room.
"Yup," Desiree sighed leaning back in her seat.
"You didn't, like, streak down the road naked or something?" Clarice blurted out.
"What?" Desiree laughed.
"People have been staring at you since you stepped at the car. If it wasn't for the fact that some people look like they want to stab you in the eye, I would've thought you were a celebrity."
Running a hand over her face, Desiree sighed.
"It's nothing like that Clarice. Just forget about it."
"You sure?" Jennifer asked worriedly.
"Positive," Desiree forced with a smile. "Sorry if it makes you guys feel uncomfortable."
"No it's fine, right girls?" Clarice smiled, looking at the others for back up. Seeing them nod, Clarice changed the subject to talk about a new movie that was coming out.
Tuning out the rest of their conversation, Desiree looked out the window once again. It seemed most people had stopped staring much to her relief. Regardless, one thing was very clear to Desiree after this mornings events.
She was not welcome back in Rivenwood.