Heart Of A Star

Chapter One - Natalie

So this was going to be the time of my life, I thought, as I packed up my suitcase rather haphazardly. Hell, I would just be repacking it anyway. My OCD would eventually kick in with a vengeance and I'd have it emptied in no time, then organized with the greatest of finesse. But for now, clothes were flying through the air from my dresser into a pile inside the open suitcase.

There were six of us going on this trip, five of my best friends in the world, five people who thought they knew me better than anyone, and by all rights, probably did. Yet almost everything about me and my life back in London was hidden behind a smoke screen of secrets, so much so that if I merely told them in words alone, they'd never believe the truth. Back here in the States, I was so far removed from all of it that I had a hard time believing it myself most days. Here, life for me was ordinary. I went to college, I had a job, and I had my friends, who were my only family while I was on this side of the Atlantic.

I had met Rachel Garrison when we were nine years old, just after I'd moved to the States. All throughout our years at our prestigious private school, Rachel and I dormed together, studied together, and got in a fair amount of trouble together. She was my family when I didn't have my own to turn to.

Even when Rachel and I decided to go to college not far from home, we remained roommates. Her parents had supported our efforts to work through the last two of our high school years, and we saved every penny toward our rented two-bedroom townhouse located a little outside of the rough side of the city, just far enough on the right side of town that we could safely walk to the train station in the dark. That was enough for us, for now. We were very happy with the life that we had made for ourselves. After all, we were outside of the dorm life that most freshmen embraced, but had restricted us for the many years we had spent in boarding school.

So here we were, in the summer before our junior year of college. I was the youngest in our group, just about to turn twenty-one in four days. Now I could partake legally in the clubs that I had been frequenting for the past two years, much thanks to my fake ID, which I owed very much to Rachel's cousin, who I somewhat vaguely resembled in the fact that we both had shoulder length dark hair.

I was just about ready to zip up the suitcase, positive that I could just call it a night with a glass of red wine, when Rachel poked her head in my door and tossed her cell phone on my bed. "It's Ray-Ray" she said, "wants to know who's driving first thing in the morning, and can we please stop at the diner for breakfast?"

I rolled my eyes as she ducked back out of my room, leaving Ray-Ray on the cell to be tended to. "Can't you eat before you leave the house?"

A heavy sigh came through Rachel's phone. "Eat what? Josh got rid of all the perishables so nothing goes bad and stinks up the house while we're gone."

One more thing that I had to do before bed, I noted, thanking God that Ray-Ray's roommate was as much of a clean freak as I was. I cringed at the thought of hamburger meat rotting and green in the fridge when I came home twelve days from today.

"Look Love, if you're gonna be in a car with me for two whole days, you're gonna wanna make sure that I'm well-fed, happy, and maybe not as horny as I usually am." He tried as best that he could to imitate my fading British accent, but as always, he did a sad job of it.

I thought very carefully about what I was going to say before I responded, but I had to make it quick, lest he jump in with another quip. "I can help you with the first two, but the last one, you're on your own."

"Ah Natalie, you'll be begging to differ before the end of this trip." And then the phone went dead.

I shook my head as I tossed the phone back on my bed. Whatever vibe Ray-Ray and I had going between us lately couldn't have been described as sexual. He was, after all, my best friend next to Rachel. But I also couldn't deny the fact that the little innuendos and jokes between us lately had been increasingly flirtatious in nature. I wasn't sure what to make of it, so it seemed easier to just ignore it. Anything further might complicate things, and the last thing I wanted was any more complication in my life.