Friday, July 18th 2014. New Orleans, Louisiana. 12:10pm

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Tia didn't understand why New Orleans had to be so goddamn humid. It was one of many things she did not miss about her hometown. Honestly, she wouldn't have taken a step back into this gigantic swamp if she didn't receive that invitation to her class reunion. When she first saw the pristine white envelope and familiar Rising Sun letterhead stamp, Tia quickly thought about tossing it straight into the trash. She hadn't thought about that dumb school and her old classmates in years, too busy living the high life of a model. But then she got to thinking; she hadn't seen anyone from her past in years and vice versa. So no one ever saw how successful she had become. She only attended Rising Sun Reformatory School during her elementary and middle school years, the time she was was still an awkward, lanky girl who had horrible posture and followed the crowd. Tia completely changed when she got to high school and soon dropped out to pursue… ‘better’ opportunities.

She struck it gold when one ‘boyfriend’ was a modeling agent and gave her a few jobs that didn’t require her sleeping with a total stranger. And although her old agent boyfriend had no expectations for her to do well, Tia ended up rising into stardom. She earned enough to move out of the shithole they called the The Big Easy and live in the beautiful, not humid Los Angeles. She even had enough money to get some work done on her most hated body parts and put elaborate tattoos on everything else. All in all, Tia was completely different than the girl she once was and that was the biggest reason why she decided to RSVP this little event. She relished the thought of seeing everyone’s reactions when they finally see what awkward Tia McCulkin had become.

After driving what seemed like forever through the bayou, Tia finally caught sight of the Rising Sun Reformatory school. As she drove closer in her expensive rental, she saw a couple of cars already parked out in front. Good; she definitely didn’t want to be the first one there and have to make conversation with Ms. Deville. It wasn’t that she hated the woman per se; it was more like being in her presence made Tia feel like she was drowning in lukewarm water. She was the mother figure Tia never had growing up since her foster family immediately shipped her to the boarding school and although she appreciated all the concern, Tia never could completely open herself up to the woman or any of her classmates. As a child, she didn’t believe she deserved an of their friendship. But now… now she knew none of [i]them[/i] deserved hers. She was obviously too good for everyone meeting inside that house yet meeting with just Ms. Deville might bring back those unwanted feelings of self-doubt. 

Tia parked behind a beat up old car once she reached the house, already sneering at the difference between her old classmates’ cars and her bright red convertible. She got out and grabbed her large and obviously expensive Juicy Couture bag from the back and hoisted it over her shoulder before walking to the front porch, slightly cursing when her stiletto heels dug into the moist dirt. She was going to have to throw these out at the end of her trip. Climbing up the porch steps, Tia wrinkled her nose in disgust. This poor place was about to fall apart. Why didn’t that woman just move out? Deciding there was no use in even bringing up the subject, Tia brought her hand up and rang the doorbell.