“How can you do this to us?” I called out to the girl who I had once considered my friend. “We were always there for you. We put up with your bull shit! We were there when you fought with your mom, when you fought with depression, when you fought with the whole fucking world! When you needed someone to talk to, I told you my cell phone was always on and to call when you needed me. We were always there for you. And now, when we need you, you turn and bail on us for your gay friends?! That’s so fucked up I can’t even begin to tell you. If you wanted to just go and be a lesbian or bi or whatever the hell you are, that’s fine with us. We’d support you and still be there. But I’ll be damned if you can replace us with people you’ve barely even met, people who don’t care about you!” Tears were rolling down my cheeks at this point, and I could feel Charity behind me take in a sharp breath, as though she were crying too.

“I just want to be me.” Amanda told me, looking me square in the eye.

“And you can’t be yourself around us? Damn it, Mandy, we were always encouraging you to do just that!” I knew that I was getting rather vulgar in my language, but at that point, I couldn’t bring up enough aplomb to care.

“You never understood me.” She said, knowing that her argument was slipping.

“We understand you perfectly! We’ve always known exactly what was going on with you! And you’re treating us like none of that even mattered!”

She just turned and walked away. “COWARD!!” I called after her, cupping my hands in front of my mouth.

Charity hugged me, squeezing me tight as we cried together. Behind us, Gray and Adrian were waiting to grab a hold of us as soon as we let go. I squeezed Charity really tightly once before letting go and wrapping myself in Adrian’s arms. Charity went to Gray and cried into his shoulder, seeking comfort in her long-time boyfriend.

I watched Amanda’s slowly shrinking back and looked to the setting sun. It appeared as though our friendship was over. I didn’t think there was any coming back from this one.

Adrian wrapped an arm around my shoulder. We had been dating for about three months. Not a long span of time compared to other things, but long enough for him to begin to understand me. I gripped his waist with my right arm and let him lead me to his car. We had been expecting to go home separately, but I didn’t think it was safe for me to drive with tears blurring my vision.

I threw my car keys to Grey, who caught them in the hand not firmly enclosed over Charity’s. “Be careful with my baby!” I called to him over my shoulder.

“I’ll take care of Charity.” He promised.

“Who was talking about Charity?” I joked half-heartedly. “I was talking about my car.”

That elicited a giggle from Charity, who knew how much I loved my car. She also knew how much I cared about her, so she knew that I was kidding.

“Where do we go from here?” I asked Adrian as he opened the passenger side door for me. His perfect manners were one of the things that made me attracted to him in the first place.

“Wherever the road takes us.” He said as he closed my door. “And wherever that leads, I’ll make sure I’m there to catch you when you fall.” He grinned at me. My clumsiness was a subject of much ridicule with my friends. It was good-natured fun, so I let it go this time. He was just trying to get me to smile.

“You’re too good for me.” I said to him with complete seriousness.

“No, hun. I’m not good enough. What you said to Amanda was exactly true. You’re an amazing friend. And she didn’t deserve you if she’s going to treat you like that.” He kissed me, leaning over the armrest. “And You can be sure that she’ll be regretting losing you. I know I would.”

More tears welled up in my eyes at his beautiful words. They were exactly what I needed to hear. “Let’s go somewhere. Let’s just get away.” I told him, looking again into the horizon.

“Where would we go?” He asked, a questioning look on his face as he stared at me.

“Wherever the road takes us sounds pretty good right now.” I told him, looking deep into his eyes. “Let’s just get away. You, me, Charity, and maybe Gray. I’m not so sure about him.” I joked, smiling.

“That’s what I’ve been waiting for. A smile.” He grinned at me the way I loved, where one side of his mouth quirked up and the other remained the same. It was the warmest smirk I have ever seen, and I knew that I probably would never see it again on another person.

Adrian was one of those guys who couldn’t be mean to anyone unless they were mean to someone he cared about. A nice guy all around, he was kind to everyone. Great with children, he tamed my younger siblings with ease, sometimes even getting them to leave us alone together, something no other boyfriend had ever been able to do. Just enough taller than me so that I could tuck my head under his chin while standing, he was the perfect shape for me. We conformed together like two puzzle pieces, like yin and yang. He was my other half, and I was pretty sure I loved him.

I gripped his hand after he had started the car, holding it as we drove the back streets to my house. Once we reached my road, I turned to him and pulled the keys out of the ignition. “I’m serious, Adrian. Let’s just get out of here. It’s summer vacation. Nothing’s stopping us!”

“Leah, it’s crazy! Where would we go? Where would we stay?” He asked, looking me right in the eyes.

“We’ll go to Cancún. Get out of Boston for the summer. Let’s just go.” I said, getting more eager as I thought about it.

“Do you have a passport?” He asked. I knew he had one. He had just gotten back from England a few weeks ago.

“It’s in my bedroom right now. I’ll go get it.” Despite my words, I stayed in the car. I had gotten the passport for going to Italy last year during winter vacation to visit my family there. Unfortunately, my plans had fallen through, and the passport sat unused in my desk drawer.

“Leah, think about this. Our parents will have a heart attack.”

“Not if we don’t tell them we’re going to Mexico. We’ll just tell them we’re going to camp or something. They’ll never know.”

“They’ll find out somehow. I just know it.” Adrian was the cautious one in our relationship. I tended to throw myself into whatever popped into my head, but he was always there to grab my waist to keep me from falling in.

“Then we’ll tell them. We’re eighteen. They can’t stop us.” I had turned eighteen three months. Adrian, Charity, Gray, Amanda and I had celebrated the day before Adrian left for England at our favorite pizza parlor. It was one of the last good memories I had of my time with Amanda.

“No, but they can ground us when they get back.” He warned.

“We’re going off to Boston University in the fall. Even if they did ground us, it wouldn’t be for long. Come on, Adrian. Let’s just go have fun before we have to get down to some real studying!”

He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, something he did whenever he was thinking about something or trying to keep his sanity. “Fine.” He said.

I squealed and jumped into his lap. “You won’t regret this, I promise.” I vowed, kissing him for all I was worth. He kissed me back enthusiastically, running a hand down my waist to pull me closer by my hips. I straddled his waist and wrapped my arms around his neck.

The only time Adrian threw caution to the wind was when he was playing baseball or we were kissing. Both were marvelous sights to behold. He ran like the wind, with the grace of a cheetah, when he was playing America’s favorite pastime. I loved being his biggest fan, cheering him on from the sidelines. So far, I had been to every one of his games, and never regretted the experience. Every time I went, I saw a new facet of his personality, a new little bit of who he was. He was poetry in motion when he was on that diamond, and I knew that he inspired me to be a better person. And his kissing? Woo! I lost myself in his arms every time. And he knew it. He kept firm boundaries for me, boundaries I knew I could make him drop but didn’t want to. It impressed me that he stuck so strongly to his beliefs, and I knew that he appreciated it. Besides, what kind of girlfriend would I be if I let him think with his genitalia all the time?

He broke off the kiss first. “When are we going to do this?”

“How’s right now for you?” I asked, smiling up at him. Even sitting on his lap, I was just the littlest bit shorter.

“Right now’s fine. I’ll just call in the vacation days I’ve accumulated, and we’ll be on our way.” He grinned back at me. “Are you going to call Charity and Gray, or should I?”

“You. I’m gonna go pack. Call on the car phone.” For my sixteenth birthday, my parents had given me a used car. In perfect condition. With a built in stereo. “I’ll be right back.” I promised.

“I’ll be right here.” He told me as he pulled out his cell phone.

I opened the passenger door on my own and walked up the front porch to my house. Though it was small on the outside, it was huge on the inside. My mom had decorated it to perfection, making me feel warm and safe the moment I walked in the door.

“Leah? Is that you?” My mom called from the kitchen.

“Yeah!” I called. I walked into the room, immediately centering in on her backside hanging out the refrigerator door. “Geez, what a good sight to walk in on.” I joked.

She stood up quickly, smashing her head on the top of the fridge. “Hi, Leah.”

“What are you craving this time?” At six months pregnant, she looked as though she had swallowed a beach ball, and was sure to get bigger. I walked over and kissed her stomach. “How are my baby brother and sister doing?”

“I was craving orange yogurt, but we don’t seem to have any.” She looked disappointed. “And the twins are fine. It’s playtime, and apparently they decided my bladder was a trampoline. If you’ll excuse me?” Without waiting for an answer, she scuttled all six-months-pregnant bit of her out of the kitchen and into the bathroom.

I sighed and chuckled to myself, walking back into the front entryway and walking up the stairs to my room. I opened the door and jumped when I saw Adrian laying on my bed. I hadn’t even heard him open the front door. “Geez! You scared me.” I said, placing a hand over my heart.

“Sorry. Charity and Gray are hyped to go. They’re just getting packed now.” He told me, smiling. Though he had protested the idea at first, I could tell that he was pumped to go.

“You’d better go do the same.” I told him, pointing at the door. “Go. I’ll wait here.” I kissed him on the lips once in parting as he walked to the door. He peaked in around the corner at the last minute. “I’ll be back in an hour. Make sure to tell your parents.” He warned me, trying to throw a threatening look at me but failing miserably. Adrian with a threatening look on his face was about as scary as a fluffy bunny rabbit. I chuckled at him.

“I will. Get out of here, handsome.” I ordered, blowing him a kiss. “See you in an hour.”

With that, he was gone. I sighed and threw my black, drag-along suitcase onto my bed along with my body. I stared at the glow-in-the-dark stars that had been there since my older brother had inhabited this room. Now a successful doctor, Adam made sure that he checked in on me every so often, just as a good older brother would do. He pushed past the role of good older brother into great older brother, however, when he defended me every time I needed his help at home or school.

Thinking about Adam, I picked my cell phone off my night stand and punched the two button on the keypad, activating the speed dial. He picked up on the second ring. “Hey, baby girl. What’s up?” He asked.

“Not much. How are you? And how’s Cheryl?” I knew that his wife, Cheryl, had been sick the last couple of weeks.

“I’m fine. Cheryl’s just getting over that nasty bout of shingles. She’s been feeling better everyday. What’s the occasion?”

“What occasion? I was just thinking about you and decided to call and see how you’re doing. Is that a crime?” I asked innocently.

“Legally, no. Sibling-wise, yes. What are you up to?” Adam had always seen through my pretenses, knowing when I was lying and when I wasn’t, even when I fooled everyone else.

“I’m heading to Cancún for summer vacation. Since San Antonio is on the way, I thought I might stop by for a visit. I haven’t seen you, Cheryl, or Isabella since Christmas.” Isabella was their two year old daughter. She was precious and beautiful, but the biggest little terror you would ever meet.

“I know.” He sighed. “Cancún?!” He asked as what I said first sunk in. “Why are you going to Cancún?”

“Ummm...Because I’m bored?” I offered.

“Uh huh. I don’t believe it. Try again.”

“I want to do something before I have to go back to school. I want to get out there and actually have fun.” I told the truth this time.

He sighed and was silent for a long time. “Do Mom and Dad know about this yet?”

“Not yet, but I’m going to tell them as soon as I get off the phone with you.”

He sighed again. “Fine. Call me back if they say yes. I’ll get you boat tickets to Cancún from Corpus Christi. How many will you need?” He asked.

“Four. I’ll call you back in a minute.” I disconnected the call and walked downstairs, dreading every step. “Mom?”

“Yeah Hun?” She called from the kitchen. Her head was once again in the fridge.

“What would you say if I told you that I wanted to go away for summer vacation?”

“You do?” She asked, poking her head at me. “I’ll call Aunt Marie and tell her we’re sending you on the plane. I thought you didn’t want to go to the Outer Banks this year?”

“I don’t. I want to go on a road trip with my friends.” I folded my hands behind my back and watched her expression.

She looked at me warily. “Where do you want to go?”

“We were thinking Cancún.” I said slowly.

“What?!” She shot up and smacked her head on the top of the refrigerator. “What is going through your mind, Leah?”

“Just that I haven’t seen Adam and Cheryl in a while, and Isabella is getting so big...”

“So you’re going to drive all the way to San Antonio to see your brother alone, then drive to Cancún with him?” She interrupted.

“Actually...I was thinking that we’d just leave Adam and Cheryl there.” I stated quietly.

“So you’re taking Isabella with you to Cancún?” She said doubtfully, having heard me perfectly.

“No. I was thinking I’d go with Charity...” I said.

“That’s a good idea.” She chipped in.

“And Gray and Adrian.” I finished.

“Absolutely not.” She told me.

“But I’m 18!” I stated, ending on a high note.

“And I’m 35, but you don’t hear me complaining.” She snapped back at me.

“Touche. But that doesn’t stop the fact that I’m going.”

“You are not!” She screamed.

“Mom, I’m 18 years old. I’m leaving for college in the fall. You can’t stop me.” I told her calmly.

“I am your mother, young lady, and as long as you are staying under my roof, you will follow my rules. You are not going to Mexico with your boyfriend and Gray.”

“Null and void. I’m not going to be living under your roof when I get back, therefore I don’t have to follow your rules. I’m going to go pack. See you at fall break.” I stomped upstairs, where my sisters Tailor and Brianna were waiting for me.

“Can’t you say anything without trying to get a rise out of someone?” Brianna, fifteen, asked me with a cock of her eyebrow.

“Nope. Now get off my suitcase. Adrian’s going to be here soon.”

“Are you leaving, Leah?” Tailor, four, asked in that cute, little girl voice that I couldn’t resist.

“Yeah, Tig. I’m leaving.” I said, using my nickname for her.

“I’ll miss you.” She whimpered. Her blonde hair hung in her blue eyes, adding to the cute girl effect. She more resembled our father, Neil. I was a carbon copy of my mother, with black hair and brown-black eyes.

“I’ll miss you too.” I hugged her tight. “But I’ll be back. I promise.”

“Okay.” She smiled up at me, the gaps in her front teeth obvious.

A horn honked from outside, and I could see Adrian sitting in the front seat of my car with one hand on his chin and the other gripping the steering wheel. “I gotta go, Tig. I’ll call you, and you call me anytime you miss me, okay?”

“All right. I love you, Leah.”

Those four words, less than fifteen letters, brought tears to my eyes. I hugged my little sister one more time before grabbing my suitcase and running out the door. My pregnant mother was waiting at the base of the stairs. “Leah, I wish you wouldn’t go.”

“If wishes were fishes...” I told her before hugging her tight. “I have my cell phone. Call me when you have the baby.” I kissed her cheek and bulging stomach before heading to the door.

“Leah! Wait!” My mom waddled out the door and took my hand, closing it over a hard object. Her credit card, I realized in the next instant. “Be careful, and don’t drink too much.” She smiled at me. “But slug back a fuzzy navel for me.” She kissed my forehead and pushed me out the door. “Don’t come back pregnant, like me.”

I laughed. “Not likely, mom. I’ve heard you at four in the morning in the bathroom, puking your guts up. I’m not going to let that happen to me anytime soon.”

“Remember that, Leah. And remember this. I love you.”

“I love you too, mom.” I ran out to the car. “I’ll send you a postcard from Mexico!”

She waved at me with sunlight glinting off the tears I could see she refused to let dance down her cheeks. I blew her a kiss before turning back to Adrian, who was already out of the car and opening the trunk of my beloved Jetta.

“Are you ready?” He asked with a glance back to the door.

“Yeah. I am.” I said, choking on the words.

He pulled me into a hug and I leaned into his chest, listening to the beat of his heart and enjoying the smell of his cologne. After a moment, I pulled away. “Let’s get going. Where are we meeting Charity and Gray?”

“Charity had a bit of a spat with her mom, but she’s leaving too. Gray didn’t have a problem, his father basically kicked him out the door. We’re meeting them at the high school.”

He opened the door on my side to let me in before walking around the car to sit in the driver’s seat. No one but Adrian could have gotten away with driving my car with me inside. I loved him enough to share the car that I had busted my butt over for eight long summers.

We pulled away from the curb, and I could see Tailor in the window waving to me. I waved back and blew her a kiss too before we pulled out of sight. I lowered my head to my knees and hugged my legs to my chest. “I had a fight with my mom too, Adrian.” I told him solemnly.

He took my hand over the center consul. “I’m sorry to hear that, Leah. Is there anything I can do?”

“No. I just need to think for a while.” I kept my hand enclosed in his, but I turned to stare out the window. It was hard to fight with my mom. More often than not, she was more of my best friend than my mother. But when we did fight, it usually took both of us a couple of days to forgive each other. We had been fighting more often since she got pregnant, probably because of the hormones. That was probably also why she had forgiven me so fast.

Before I could realize, we were sitting in the parking lot of the high school, waiting for Charity and Gray to reappear. Adrian noticed me lift my head from the window and gazed at me. “All better now?” He asked.

“Yeah.”

He pulled me onto his lap and kissed me hard, running his hands down my sides. I knew what he was doing. He was trying to dazzle me, like he had so many times before when he kissed me. I never could seem to keep my train of thought when Adrian’s lips moved against mine in confusing and pleasurable patterns that made me want to take all of him inside of me. Not sexually, more like emotionally and mentally. He really was the better part of myself. I was certain he was the one person in the world meant for me.

A horn honked, and a wolf-whistle cut the air in front of the car. “Hey, lovebirds! Let’s fly this coop!” Gray called out the window.

I laughed and nipped Adrian’s lip once before climbing back over to the passenger’s side of the car. “Let’s go!” I screamed out my window at them, throwing my fist up in the air.

Adrian turned my car around beside where Gray was doing the same thing. They lined up like drag racers, and Charity and I rolled our eyes at each other. She was sitting in the backseat of Gray’s car with a pillow propped up against the window. She was probably already anticipating the nap on the way there.

Jokingly, I grabbed a napkin out of the glove compartment and hung my hand out the window, dropping it in between the two cars. Almost as though it were planned, the two cars careened out of the parking lot, throwing me back into the seat. I could see Charity’s legs fly up into the air, and I laughed when I realized that she had been thrown to the floor in the back.

I was sure that Adrian took the turn out of the parking lot on two wheels, tipping my poor baby just slightly to the right. I glared at him teasingly and he leaned over to peck me on the lips once before turning his eyes back to the road. I chuckled as Gray fell behind, becoming but a small speck in the rearview mirror. I leaned back against the seat and closed my eyes.

I must have fallen asleep while leaning there. I woke up when a bright light shone into the window. It was dark outside, and Adrian had tucked my head into his lap with his knees propped up against the steering wheel. He also was sleeping. I could see Gray’s car pulled up in front of us with the lights off.

I blinked twice and sat up. Outside the window was a policeman tapping on the glass lightly. I rolled down the manual crank lever and leaned my head out the window. “Is there something I can do for you, Officer?” I asked drowsily, my voice thick with sleep.

“Yes, Ma’am. Can I see your driver’s license and registration?” He asked.

“Shouldn’t you be asking him that?” I pointed to Adrian, who was stirring. I knew that he’d be waking up in a moment.

“I tried to wake him up earlier and failed. So I thought I’d try you. May I, miss?”

I pulled my purse out from where it had been resting against the seat near my shoes, which I had kicked off upon entering the car. I opened the bag and removed my wallet, getting my driver’s license out of the clear window. Pulling the registration out of the glove compartment, I handed both to him out the window. “Is there a problem?”

“Not at all, right now, but there might be. How much have you drank tonight?” He asked, flashing the light in my face again.

“Nothing at all.” I answered.

“Would you please step out of the car and prove it?” He asked.

“What is this about, Officer?” Adrian asked from behind me, already offering his license to the officer.

“It’s not often that I see two cars full of teenagers sitting at the side of the road. I just wanted to make sure that you guys weren’t doing anything illegal.”

I opened my door slowly, giving him time to move out of the way. “What do you want me to do?”

Adrian stepped out behind me and wrapped an arm around my shoulders. “What do you want us to do?” He corrected.

“Well, first, could you please walk the center line?” He asked.

I started down the line, but due to my inability to walk across a level plane without tripping, I stumbled halfway down the road in front of the car. Adrian caught me before I fell, but the damage was done. The officer shook his head and made a note on the clipboard he was holding. Adrian walked down the line himself, and being more coordinated than myself, he walked through without a problem. The officer shook his head and looked at me. I held up two hands.

“I’d be more than happy to take a blood-alcohol test or whatever it takes, but I’m not the most balanced person in the world.” I told him.

“That won’t be necessary. Are you planning on staying on the road much longer?”

“Until morning.” Adrian responded, putting his hand on my shoulder once again. “We’re taking off again at dawn.”

“You folks do that.” The officer told us. “If I come back and you’re still here, I’m going to have to write you a ticket for loitering.” He walked back to his squad car and drove away. I looked at Adrian, who was chucking under his breath.

“What?” I asked.

“Could you have made us look any more like a bunch of drunks?” He teased.

“He woke me up! Then expected me to walk the stupid line!” I protested.

“Whatever, love. Let’s just go back to sleep.” He led me back to the car, and I opened the door to the backseat. We slept that night facing each other, my face buried in his chest and the sweet smell of his shirt.

The next morning, we woke up before the sun rose. Taking off before the officer from the night before could come after us, we were back on the road in a few moments. I clutched Adrian’s hand and played with the radio for a while before pulling out my laptop. I set it on my lap and opened my Internet Explorer. The little home page popped up as it always did, and I sighed at the familiarity of the action.

Adrian looked at me funny. I smiled and pecked him on the cheek. He turned back to the road, and I hit a few buttons on the keyboard and pulled up my favorite website and checked my messages. When there weren’t any, I pulled up a new window and began to write.

About eight pages into the new story, we hit a bump on the road and went airborne. After a second, we touched back down again, and I sighed in relief. Adrian grabbed a hold of my hand. “Are you okay, Leah?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.” I asked, a little confused. “Why?”

“Because that wasn’t a sinkhole.” He said elusively and pulled over to the side of the road.

“Adrian? What’s wrong?” I asked, turning his face towards me with the hand not enclosed in his.

“I think I have to get out and look. Stay here.”

“Fat chance. I’m coming with you.” We walked out of the car and looked up the road a little ways. About fifty yards up the road was a silhouetted shape. I tilted my head and began walking, Adrian keeping pace beside me. We reached the distorted lump in the road and I almost hurled. Sitting in the middle of the road was a human body, barely decomposed at all. Blood was trickling out of his mouth and a knife was embedded deep into his stomach. His shirt was ripped open from the collar down to the navel, blood smearing the fabric.

“Oh my god.” We said together.