We Grew Back Together

6: Late Night Drives

Nic and Stella were the last ones left at the club once everyone drove away. They sat in Nic's car.

"She put the key into the ignition and turned the car on, listening to the pur of the engine until it was replaced with the music from her Bluetooth.

"So," Nic began as she started to pull out of the parking lot, "what's been up with you? We've both been working so much, I feel like we haven't really talked in a bit."

"The usual," Stella shrugged, "work, family stuff."

"You can't tell me that's all you've been up to since you got back from school," Nic scoffed as she drove. Sometimes she would drive around with Stella. Usually her night drives were just her, but this time it was a good chance for her and Stella to catch up one on one.

Stella shook her head and scoffed, "It really is. Just work and hanging out with the group."

"Okay," Nic shrugged, "I believe you."

"What about you at school? How's it with your school friends?"

"Good. Honestly it's really refreshing after everything last year. But it's also nice that I can come home and be separated from it for a bit. I love them but sometimes you just need to detach and recharge. Go home."

Stella smiled, "Yeah."

Stopping at the red light, Nic turned the volume on the music up a bit. She and Stella had wildly different playlists but they both respected the driver gets aux rule.

When the light turned green she accelerated past the intersection, taking each curve with a brake in and power out. It wasn't reckless driving if Nic was good at it. It was just fun.

Stella asked with a sly tone, "So about you and Harper..."

Nic let out a laugh and said, "Oh not like that. She's definitely not that. We were just catching up, I promise."

"Oh come on," Stella groaned, "you never know with this kind of stuff! A summer friends to lovers would be awesome!"

"It'll be friends to used to be friends after one of them made moves on the other and scared her off," Nic scoffed. She knew Harper was definitely straight, and if she wasn't, Nic wasn't really looking for a fling. At least not one with someone now so close to her inner circle.

"You don't know for sure though."

"Too risky. And you know how I feel about dating within the friend group."

Stella audibly rolled her eyes. She leaned back in her seat and shrugged, "Whatever. Don't say I didn't tell you so when you two end up together."

Nic shook her head, tuning her attention back to the music and the road. She knew the roads like the back of her hand, and she knew her playlist by heart.

She hummed along to the lyrics, tapping the steering wheel to the beat.

"Josie asked about you."

Nic's brain sputtered and she gripped the steering wheel tightly, as she was torn from autopilot. Her insides twisted into knots at the mentioning of the name.

"She asked how you were doing," Stella shrugged casually, "I said you were doing great and love where you're at."

"When did you talk to her?" Nic kept her voice as steady as she could. She just put her mind on the road, you're doing so good, they're gone. Not your problem anymore, just side characters. Background characters even. They don't exist anymore.

"Like two weeks ago. She reached out."

Nodding, Nic didn't say anything. Suddenly she couldn't stop thinking about how her town isn't so empty anymore. Every time she came home over the school year she'd drive around and think about how nobody from her year was home. It was just her.