Heartstrings

(1) Allison

Allison

A heavily wooded road had me looking over to Nancy behind the stirring wheel. My fingers drummed on my jean-clad thigh. "Nancy."

"Allison, for the last time, I'm not turning the car back around and I'm not taking you back to your apartment. You promised us you'll be in this vacation. Plus, we both needed a break before diving back into a teacher's school calendar misery. I swear, if I have another nightmare about those brats stomping on me in the halls, I'd go crazy."

I chuckled. "They're just kids, you know."

"Easy for you to say. You have enough patience to last you a lifetime. The kids love "Ms. Danes." Even the parents are your biggest fan." Nancy scoffed.

"Well, I don't know about that." I tuck a stubborn lock behind my ear. "Hey, have you started working on your lesson plans for this coming term?"

Nancy groaned loudly. "Oh, God. Allie, stop. Just stop. I'm on vacation. You should be too."

"Okay," I smile.

"Good. I badly need to get away," she murmured, turning down the long, graveled driveway of the enormous cabin perching mightily into view.

I sighed, bracing myself for the great outdoors. Trading my kitten heels with boots is not the summer vacation I had been looking forward to. I'd be happy with a good book, really. An entire summer inside my apartment wouldn't be as bad as a trek through the woods or mountain climbing.

I shuddered at the thought.

"It's a marvelous cabin. We're lucky some of our friends doesn't have meager teacher's paycheck," Nancy gushes as she clambered out of the driver's seat.

It's true. Our circle of high school friends who stayed close have better paycheck. Grace runs her own restaurant. Lily is doing well in her PR firm. Josh is a well-paid journalist. Gab just took over their family business. Melissa is a producer of some late-night TV show I don't bother to watch at night. Kelly, the one who hosts every single parties we have had, stays a socialite. She had her family's old money.

And there's... Luke. Kelly's half-brother.

Nancy taps on my car door. I blink, my train of thoughts disappearing. I push the door open, tentatively hauling my feet out to the ground.

Three cars were already parked in the expansive driveway. Then another car came from around the bend of the road. My head snapped to Nancy. "You said it's just the couples and Kelly."

Our friends did a match column A to column B. Grace is dating Josh. Lily is engaged with Gab. The rest of us stayed single. Or dated men out of the friendship radar.

"Yes, couples. Melissa and Luke had just recently been a thing. You know, after you..." She trailed off and regarded me with a sympathetic smile. The same pitying smile I've endured for a couple of months now.

I shake my head wordlessly and walked over to the trunk. The more I say, the more people assume. I pop the trunk open and heaved my luggage out with a thud. I drag it all the way to the front steps. Josh who was smoking in the porch, luckily, came to help me.

"You're in a hurry or something?" He chuckles as he laid down my luggage on the entryway.

"Thanks. It's searing hot outside," I lied.

Nancy kept up. "We're roommates."

I nod. "Okay." I gambled a glance over my shoulder and saw the car pulling up in the driveway. Luke comes out of the driver's side. Melissa on the passenger's seat. "Where's our room?" I forced myself to smile brightly.