The classmates sneered at me during the reunion, convinced Id amounted to nothing Yet by dawn, my face graced the cover of a business journal.
Harper? Emily Harper?! You actually bothered to show up? James Whitmore stretched his lips into a grin, though his eyes stayed frosty. Everyone, look whos finally here!
Emily paused at the pub entrance. A decade and a half had slipped by, yet his voice still dripped with the same taunting lilt from their uni days. She drew a sharp breath and stepped inside.
Hello, James. Everyone, she said, steady, though her heart hammered like a trapped bird.
The pub glowed under warm lamplight. Nearly their whole cohort had crammed around the long oak tablefifteen faces, familiar yet distant, like sepia-toned photographs slowly fading.
Em! Charlotte Pembrokeher lone friend from those yearsrushed over. Im so chuffed you came!
Couldnt miss it, Emily replied, the knot in her chest loosening slightly.
Sit with us, Charlotte tugged her toward the table. We were just reminiscing about dodging Pritchards exams.
Emily settled into her seat, sensing curious glances. Beside James lounged Olivia Fairchildonce the campus belle, now a polished woman with flawless hair and a faint weariness in her smile.
Emily, youve not changed a bit, Olivia remarked, polite. Still so understated.
You look lovely too, Liv.
What do you do these days? Thomas Ashford asked, pouring claret. Still out to save the planet?
That toneshe remembered it well. The same one that had dripped from student jibes about her eco-startup.
In a manner of speaking, Emily accepted the glass. I run a small firm.
Let me guess, James leaned in, something to do with those compostable coffee cups you banged on about? He chuckled, coaxing a few scattered laughs.
Spot on, she answered smoothly.
So, is tree-hugging lucrative now? James pressed.
Some years it is, some not, Emily deflected.
Well, not all of us can strike gold, he shrugged. I head a division at SterlingTech, Daves got his own consultancy
Remember when Emily botched her dissertation? Gemma Holloway chimed inOlivias old sidekick. Mixed up all her data sets!
Not quite, Emily corrected gently. I got a 2:1.
For a first-class brain, thats a flop, James crowed. Especially after all your big talk.
A prickly hush settled over the table. Emily felt her cheeks flushjust like back in lecture halls.
I recall Emily solving that econometrics puzzle even Pritchard couldnt crack, Nathan Reed murmured from the far end.
Emily blinked at him, surprised. Hed always been quiet; she hadnt expected him to remember anything.
Suppose I did, she smiled.
Right, enough nostalgia, James raised his pint. To fifteen yearsgone in a blink!
Glasses clinked. Chatter veered to mortgages, toddlers, and uni pranks. Emily relaxed marginally but still felt adrift among them. She didnt belong herenever had.
Married, Emily? Olivia asked as talk turned to football.
No.
Kids?
None. Work keeps me busy.
Poor duck, Olivia sighed, genuine. Ive three. James works like a dog, but we muddle through.
Emily nodded, mute. By their metrics, she *was* a failureno ring, no pram in the hall, just a career.
Need air, she muttered, slipping outside.
The courtyard was crisp and still. Emily inhaled deeply. Why *had* she come? To relive being that awkward student forever on the periphery?
Room for two? Nathan appeared beside her with two mugs of tea. Thought you might need warming.
Ta, she cradled the steaming cup. Got a bit stuffy in there.
Not just the heat, he smirked. James hasnt mellowed.
Some things dont.
Others do, Nathan studied her. Youre different. Steadier. Sure of yourself.
Am I?
Aye. Not just the posh suit. Its in how you carry yourself.
Youre sharper than I reckoned, she smiled. Truthfully, I barely recall you.
No shock, he shrugged. I kept my head down. Especially around James lot.
Everyone did.
Not you, he said quietly. You always stood your ground, even when they took the piss.
Emily mightve replied, but Charlotte burst into the courtyard, waving her phone.
Em! Why didnt you *say*?! She thrust the screen forward. Its *you*!
The headline glared back: *Green Gold: How Emily Harper Built a £40M Empire from Eco-Innovation.*
Only just published, Emily murmured. Wasnt meant to be a spectacle.
Spectacle?! Charlotte hauled her inside. Oi! Look at *this*!
The pub erupted. Phones were snatched, eyebrows rocketed. James gaped at the screen as if it were written in hieroglyphs.
Forty *million*?
Valuation, not my bank balance, Emily clarified.
But you *own* it?
Majority stake, yes.
The table fell silent. Olivias gaze darted between Emily and James, recalibrating. Someone whistled low.
All those years we ribbed your hippy schemes James began.
I was on my own path, Emily finished. Same as you.
Forty *mil* though! Gemma squeaked. Thats *mental*!
Twelve years of grinding, Emily said. Plenty of cock-ups the mag left out.
The mood shifted like quicksand. Suddenly, everyone vied for her attention, claiming theyd *always* known shed make it. She fielded questions with polite detachmenttheir newfound admiration grated more than their mockery.
Near closing, James sidled up, brandy in hand.
Always said youd go far, he lied smoothly.
Funny, Emily met his gaze. I remember you betting Id crash and burn.
Banter, love, he waved it off. ListenSterlingTech could collaborate. Ive contacts
Early start tomorrow, she stood. Must dash.
Outside, Olivia leaned against the brickwork, cigarette trembling between fingers.
Never knew, she muttered. That youd *this*.
Its just work, Liv.
No, Olivia exhaled smoke. I quit uni for James. Thought hed be the star. Now
Youve three beautiful kids.
Aye, but Olivia stubbed out the fag. Justwell done, you.
Emily hailed a cab. Nathan materialised beside her.
Walk you?
They ambled down cobbled lanes. He spoke of becoming an actuary, moving to Edinburgh, his messy divorce. Emily listened, realising this unassuming man had always intrigued hershed simply been too preoccupied to notice.
Kept your dissertation, he admitted suddenly. The one they all mocked.
Why?
Was brilliant. I always knew you were special. He scuffed his shoes. Too chicken to say.
And I was too blind to see my allies, she brushed his sleeve. Cheers for telling me.
At the hotel, they swapped numbers, agreeing to breakfast.
Next morning, Emily descended to find James and Olivia huddled over the magazine, showing her cover photo to strangers.
Sleep alright? Nathan asked over kippers.
Barely, she admitted. Too much rattling about up here.
Good or bad?
Bit of both, she sipped her tea. But coming was right. Like closing a dusty old book.
New one on the horizon? His eyes crinkled.
Maybe, she smiled.
James performative whispers no longer mattered. The victory wasnt in their stunned facesit was in knowing her worth, and recognising those whod seen it all along. Even if it took fifteen years.
