Elodie hadn’t really bore any ill will towards Kaz’s father apart from disappointment that he didn’t care for her. It was almost hypocritical due to the fact that her father didn’t exactly care for Kaz, either. Neither had her mother, and she assumed that neither of them knew that the younger Ujohiri was back in town. No doubt when news hit, they would be texting and calling her, having her thrown into some type of work where she wouldn’t see the outside of either the clinic or their house for days. A blush rose on her cheeks as his words pulled her back to the present, blonde hair whipping around her face to hide her expression as the wind picked up.

“I don’t know, Kaz,” she said with a laugh, shaking her head as she fought the memories back down. “I don’t remember much about high school anymore.” That was a bold-faced lie, but for the purpose of this conversation she would continue to say so. There were plenty of things that she [i]did[/i] want to say, though none of them were kind. Kaz’s father would never have allowed him to pursue any dream that didn’t include finances or medicine… it seemed that he’d gotten his wish. Ellie continued to swing herself as he spoke of what his occupation now was, and it took a fair bit of restraint to keep from snorting. Of course he and his brother had taken over the company, just as their father had wanted.

And she remembered Juntao more than she cared to admit. It had been him, not Kaz, that Elodie had first been attracted to. He was the older, handsome foreign-looking boy that moved in near her and nearly everyone had been obsessed. In fact, her friendship with Kaz had been mostly formed due to wanting to be close to his brother. Instead, the exact opposite had happened. She’d fallen hopelessly and deeply in love with the man to her side. It had been years ago, but the hurt and heartbreak he’d left her with still lingered. She turned her head and rolled her eyes at his comment regarding better alternatives.

It hardly seemed like [i]she[/i] had been a better alternative. He was CFO of a company, for Christ’s sake. She was a vet, but that paled in comparison the successfulness of the Ujohiri brothers… at least at this point. “I accept your apology,” Elodie started hesitantly, turning to look at him with bright blue eyes. Could she be friends with the man who had completely and utterly ruined her as a teenager? “I won’t promise anything,” she continued, pushing blonde hair behind one ear. “But I’ll – “ She heard Tucker barking from afar, causing her brows to furrow. Her gaze searched the field ahead before she turned back to Kaz. “I’ll try.”

The Shepherd kept barking and Ellie sighed, bracing her hands on her thighs as she rose from the swing. “Fucking dog,” she said with a soft smile, her way of an apology. In truth, she was pleased that something had drawn her away from her high school sweetheart. She didn’t have anything to say to him and truly just wanted to process the information, the news that he was back. Elodie offered him another smile as she moved towards Tucker, who continued to bark. “I’ll be right back.” The next thing she knew, she was standing at the edge of the forest and looking up a hill. “Shh,” she hissed loudly, beginning to become irritated with the sound.

It wasn’t like Tucker to bark continuously, but he was known to do it on occasion. If he’d found something he wanted to play with, there was no shutting him up. Elodie hiked up the hill, clicking her tongue for the dog to return to her side. However, all color drained out of her cheeks when she looked down to see what Tucker was barking at.

It was a body, face down in the mud. The odd angle made her immediately gather the person was dead, joints unnaturally contorted… Ellie heard a loud, shrill scream and realized belatedly that the noise had erupted from her own mouth. She clasped a hand over her lips as tears began to well in her eyes, wanting to move. The woman wanted to move away, but her feet were rooted firmly on the ground and unable to walk away. Tucker continued to bark loudly, though it seemed muted while in her state of shock. “Kaz?” she called loudly, her voice shaking with fear.