Forest of Hearts

Chapter 1

Elle's POV

We had been driving for almost two hours. I looked out of the window, searching to see if we had arrived or were at least getting closer. But all I saw, were trees. The auburn trees got thicker forming an arch around us.

My friends around me were talking about who they liked while I pretended to be absolutely absorbed in the doodles I was scribbling on the back of my Muji notebook.

"Are We There Yet?" I called ahead in a whiny voice, Mrs Evans rolled her eyes while the bus driver Mr Hammond shook his head.

"Soon." He said with a chuckle, looking back at the road a head of him.

"Oh my God Elle! Really?" Mae my best friend giggled, rolling her amber eyes. I smiled.
"What? I'm bored." I replied.

"Can you guys be quiet? I'm trying to read." Yohan interjected before looking back at the book he was clearly holding upside down.

"Dude, you're not fooling anyone." Bruno exclaimed, removing the book to reveal a sleek black device. Yohan pulled back the book to cover his phone.

"Can't you see I'm doing an important learning." Yohan yelled. Mae looking at him skeptically.

"Yeah... Like what?" Asked Bruno with a scoff.

"I'm watching educational videos..." Yohan said suggestively. He wiggled his bushy eyebrows, his lips curled in his signature smirk.

"Oh... Wow... Okay?" I commented catching his innuendo. Tyler who was sitting across from us chuckled, his brown eyes glittering like fire flies in honey. I felt myself smile.

"I hate to break it to you BUT St. Maria's DOES NOT teach Sex Ed." Alice the soft spoken blonde girl who was behind him spoke glancing over his shoulder. Tyler, Bruno, Mae and I burst out laughing.

"I know Ms Evans doing it with me for extra credit." Yohan whispered winking at Alice who was too flabbergasted to reply. Bruno snorted as the rest of us cackled wildly. That disturbing image was forever imprinted on my mind. I had never imagined our preppy Home Economics teacher having sex, with Yohan? A shudder ran down my spine, it was just too gross.

"Isn't that right Juan." He said, gently elbowing his sleepy friend.

"Yeah..." Juan mumbled rolling unto his other side. I laughed, amused at their odd friendship.

"So who do you like?" asked Mae asked nudging me. I blushed looking up at him even as she spoke. I thought I had dodged that question ages ago. But I had a feeling she was on to me...
If you asked me why I liked him, I wouldn't be able to say one thing. I like everything about him, the way he runs his hands through his hair when he's nervous, that his favorite color is blue or that when he smiles how his eyes catch the light.

"I told you guys already, you don't know him..." I mumbled the lie looking out of the window at the trees. It was spring and trees were red with flowers. I saw his reaction through the reflection of the window, he looked hurt for a second but quickly schooled his expression and laughed at something Yohan said but it didn't reach his eyes, they looked so far away. I looked down at my hands. 'What am gonna do?' I thought to myself. I have to tell him. My stomach tightened feeling as if someone had let a thousand butterflies free inside me.

"We're almost there." said Mr. Benjamin the other teacher who was chaperoning us on this field trip. I looked up to see the trees give way to a large clearing in the center of which was an old building surrounded by dead grass. That's odd, dead grass in spring.

As we exited, I noticed there was an empty fountain in the time worn hotel's court yard. We looked around as an old truck pulled up.

"Mr. Benjamin," A man called stepping out of the truck. Our Geography teacher turned around to greet him, they shook hands.

"Mr. Johnson," he addressed the man.

"There ain't running water but there's a well out back. Here's the key." He said handing Mr Benjamin a set of large old fashioned keys on a rusty metal ring.

"If you need anything, just call me." He said before walking over to his truck.

"Do you live nearby?" Daphne, Yohan's younger sister asked, Ms Evan looked a little concerned too. I wasn't eager to be deserted in the middle of nowhere either. What if there was a bear attack or something?

"Nope. A few towns over is just close enough for me..." He said ominously, starting his pickup before driving out of the only other entry way to the hotel as we watched.

"Well guess we'd better prepare for the night." Mr. Benjamin said, sounding a little apprehensive. Probably realizing taking Ms Evan's Home EC. class to a run-down hotel in the middle of nowhere wasn't such a bright idea after all.