Love Songs

Chapter One

Jessica - Friday, 5pm.

"I guess that's the last of it," Allie said as she secured the lock on her trunk. "I can't believe we're really doing this."

I took a seat on her bed, exhausted from helping her pack. I'd packed all of my stuff days ago, but you could always leave it to Allie to wait until the last possible moment.

I leaned my head back against the wall and took in the panorama of the room, nearly empty, compared to the way it used to be.

"I know," I agreed, satisfied with what was ahead. "It feels like yesterday, when it was really last year and we were begging your mom to let us apply. We've wanted this for so long."

"I can't believe we got in," she said. "I mean, it's Tecspa. This is huge." Tecspa, an acronym for the true name, Talarico East Coast School of Performing Arts, had one of the most prestigious summer programs that we would see for miles. And for two girls from small-town Ohio, the prospect of a summer in scenic Talarico Massachusetts, where at least there was the beach to break up the monotony we'd suffered living all our lives in the boondocks, was almost too good to be true. Allie's older sister, Shay, had gone to Tecspa all through high school, and had since been working there for three summers, since she'd started college. This year, Allie and I had been accepted for dance; we'd met in ballet when we were about four years old, and even still we were uncertain that our skills were substantial.

"I didn't think we'd make it," I admitted. "I mean, I knew Shay had. But everything comes easy to her," I said, with a little bit of edge. I often wished I had half the talent for dance after twelve years, that Shay did for music, just naturally. Aside from that, she was incredibly smart, though it was one of her best kept secrets. And, she was incredibly beautiful, but that was one of mine. Behind the thick eyeliner and the band t-shirts, I'd always thought Shay was gorgeous. But I'd spent my entire life at odds with Shay Thaller, and the better half of our interactions were done in repartee. She didn't need to know that I somewhere deep down thought pretty highly of her, and had always been jealous of her talents, as well as her looks.

Allie laughed, coming to sit down, cross-legged across from me. "Everything does not come easy to Shay," she said. "Just music does."

"Don't forget women," I reminded.

"They didn't come easy at first," she corrected. "It took effort. Shay devoted her life to women."

Just then, the door burst open to Allie's room. That was one of the many things that pissed me off about Shay Thaller. She didn't bother knocking. Ever. "Shay devoted her life to what?" she said, appearing in the doorway, an eyebrow arched.

"To interrupting things," I retorted, without missing a beat.

"Oh," Shay said, her eyes lighting up the way they always did when she was about to make fun of someone. "You're shacking up with my sister, Jess? That's cool, I can't wait to tell my mom she has another gay kid. She loved that the first time around."

"Shut the hell up, Shay," Allie said. "You know what she means."

"Oh, we know what she means," Shay continued to tease suggestively. "Right Jess?"

"Shut up, Shay," I said.

"Someone's in a bad mood," she challenged, dropping her head to the side.

"What do you want?" Allie asked.

"I came to tell you that Mom is working late, so don't expect her home. And I'm going to have a girl in my room, so I'd appreciate it if you and your girl, stayed in yours."