Chapter 12

Allison was just closing her locker when she was verbally accosted by her two best friends. They seemed surprisingly chipper for so early in the morning.

Allison was 16, but since her birthday fell in the fall, after school had already started, her parents had years ago opted to delay enrolling her in kindergarten. That made her one of the oldest in her sophomore class. Well, at least one of the oldest in the college bound track. She was also one of the few that had her license before Christmas, which had made her relationships with Abigail and Jack that much easier. She could just imagine asking her mom to drive her over to Jack's so she could make love to him. Pick me up in a couple of hours, Mom!

"Allieeeee!" Dana practically jumped on her friend. "Do tell, do tell!"

Allison looked at her with confusion then glanced over at Brianna as if seeking an explanation. She only received a shrug in return, so she turned her attention back to Dana. "What are you talking about, Dana?"

Dana grabbed her by both of her shoulders and turned Allison to look squarely at her. "Bobby Jensen told Melissa Turner that he saw you at Mansfield's yesterday and that you were kissing some guy! What's up, girl? I didn't know you were seeing anyone."

Allison's heart stopped. They'd been seen by someone who knew them. She cursed silently. In a town this size, that meant rumors were probably all over town already. She tried to remain impassive. "I don't know what he's talking about."

Dana glared at her. "Come on, Allie. You can't lie to me. I know you. Who is he? Is it someone I know?" Oh, you most definitely know him, Allison thought. Dana and Brianna were regulars at her family parties and barbecues, so they both most definitely knew Jack.

Allison just looked at Dana and shrugged. "You shouldn't believe everything you hear." She smiled innocently and pulled free, heading down the hallway. Brianna laughed and was only a step behind Allison.

Dana hesitated, and then her face lit up as she bounded after them. "Oooh, a secret. I love secrets!"

Shaking her head, Allison looked at Brianna. "What did you do during our lovely day off?"

"Come on, Allie! Tell me the secret!" Dana pleaded.

"Mom made me babysit Tammy's hellions," Brianna responded, rolling her eyes. Tammy was Brianna's oldest sister, and she had three-year-old triplets. "Mom normally watches them while Tammy's at work, but she had a doctor's appointment that was supposed to only last a couple hours. One doctor's appointment, four stores and five hours later, she decided to come home. She thought it was wildly amusing."

"Allie! You can't keep me in suspense like this!" Dana begged.

"Seems like she decided to take a day off on your day off. What a bummer."

"Allie!" Dana groveled.

"Chill out, Dana!" Brianna snapped. "If Allie wants to tell you, she will." She turned back to Allison and stopped walking. They'd reached her classroom. "Anyway, I got her back, though. I let them eat all the Easter candy she had hidden away for them. Now she'll have to go stock up." Brianna gave a devious little grin, and disappeared into her Geometry class.

"Allie..."

Allison put her arm around her friend. "Dana, I was at the hill with Abbie and Jack. We went sledding." She smiled as she took in Dana's dejected face.

"Oh."

Allison turned to head down another hallway. "See you at lunch, Dana!" She breathed a sigh of relief. She hadn't had to lie since just mentioning her sister and her husband would likely end Dana's inquiry. Dodged one, she thought. But what had Bobby Jensen really seen? And had anyone else seen and recognized them? She felt entirely too nervous as she went into her English class, taking a seat in her assigned desk. What would people think if they knew what was going on between her and Jack. Or worse, between her and Abigail. She wasn't so much concerned for herself or her lovers, but what about her parents. She really didn't want to cause them unnecessary grief. Even if they were OK with the goings on of their two daughters—which was doubtful—she knew the impact that the revelation could have on their standing in the community.

She tried to turn her attention to Mrs. Song. Unfortunately, she was about as exciting as a rock, droning on and on about the merits of Sinclair's The Jungle, the next item on their reading list. Something about meat packing and the turn of the century. The 20^th century. Allison was sure there was a point, but at the moment it was lost on her.

After what seemed like an eternity, the morning schedule gave way to the lunch period, and the conversation with Dana had gradually faded from Allison's memory. She had just sat down at her normal table, when Melissa Turner appeared. Allison looked up at her and Dana's earlier comments came flooding back. Melissa and Allison didn't get along. At all. They had competed against each other for the starting sweeper spot on the middle school soccer team, and it had been bad blood ever since. Allison had taken the position that year, their freshman year and again this year on the varsity team. Allison was the only sophomore to make the traveling squad, and Melissa just couldn't stand it. Allison felt her hackles rise, but put on a sugary smile.

"Why, hello, Melissa."

"Mind if I sit for a minute, Allison?" She asked as she took a seat, obviously caring little for the answer.

"Um, OK." Allison's smile faded.

"Did you have a good snow day yesterday?"

"What do you want, Melissa?" It came out harsher than Allison had intended, but she knew the other girl was coming to dig for dirt.

"Allison, what makes you think I want anything?" Her voice was dripping with insincerity. "We haven't talked in forever, and I just thought I'd come see what was up."

"I think you've just come looking for juicy info. Well, Bobby has his facts crossed. It wasn't a boyfriend or anything. I was just with my sister and brother-in-law."

Melissa's smile twitched for just a moment, but still remained. Allison figured Melissa was surprised by Allison's knowledge of the gossip.

"Oh, I see. Well, that's perplexing, then. Bobby said you kissed the guy, and so did Tyson. They said it was pretty intense, too." Allison tried to remain impassive, but she was finding it hard to breathe. Two witnesses now, and Tyson had tried to get Allison to go out with him, so he was probably much more observant than Bobby.

Allison shrugged. "Well, I guess they were both mistaken."

Melissa was quiet for a minute, the smile getting bigger. "Oh, well. You know how the snow can play tricks with your eyes." She stood up. "I guess your description of events would explain why Bobby and Tyson saw your sister really working it with the guy, too. Sorry to bother you, Allison." She turned on her heel and glided away.

Brianna plopped down across from Allison almost immediately, watching Melissa leave. She turned to Allison, her eyes searching her friend's face. "What'd the little bitch want?"

"Just coming over to confirm the gossip."

"Figures. What'd you tell her?"

"The truth. I said I was just with my sister and brother-in-law."

Brianna continued to look intently at Allison. "What happened yesterday, Allie?"

"Just what I said."

"You're not telling everything."

Allison rolled her eyes in frustration. "There's nothing to tell! Sheesh..."

"Come on, Allie," Brianna said calmly. "We've been best friends since, well, forever. I can tell when you are trying to hide something."

"Even if anything did happen, it's nobody's business," Allison snapped.

Brianna leaned forward, pointing her fork at her friend. "Maybe not, but YOU are my business, girl. You are my best friend. We used to hang out together all the time after school. Used to have sleep overs all the time, go shopping together. I can't remember the last time any of those things happened. Not at all this semester, and hardly at all since summer. I miss you and I'm worried about you, and then this little bit of gossip comes up and you act all funny about it. It's enough to make a friend worry."

Allison sighed. "Sorry, Bri. I didn't mean to snap at you. And I'm sorry I haven't been much of a friend lately. I'll make it up to you."

"Don't worry about that," Brianna responded. "I just need to make sure you've not gotten yourself into something bad, or worse, into someone bad."

"Thanks for looking out for me. I'd be surprised if you didn't, I guess. You don't need to worry about me, though. I'm just working through some things, OK? Things are good right now."

"So I don't need to figure out a way to make some jerk guy disappear from your life?"

Allison laughed. "No, Bri. There is no jerk guy."

"What about a nice guy? Is there a nice guy?"

"Bri, if there was, you'd be the first to know," Allison lied. "Really. I was just with Abbie and Jack yesterday."

Brianna look at her friend for another long moment, then nodded. "All right. But you make sure to let every guy know they have to deal with me and Dana if they mess with you."

"What about me?" Dana plopped down next to Allison. "Somebody messing with you, Allie?"

"Nobody I can't handle."

"Well, we got your back." Dana hadn't looked at either girl. She was busy fidgeting with the food on her tray. "Oh, joy. Cold fries and warm Pepsi. A girl's favorite meal." Allison smiled, glad again that she insisted on eating the salad.

"The fries are always cold, Dana," Brianna replied. "Why do you insist on getting them? You should go for salad."

"Can't do it. I need the fat and calories these po-tah-toes provide." Allison figured that was probably true, given the waif-like figure of her bubbly friend. She watched the girls interact.

Dana was tall and thin, her figure almost boyish. She had long straight strawberry blonde hair and a pretty, though nondescript, face. She played on the volleyball team, and despite her often air-headed comments, was a straight A student. Brianna, also a phenomenal student, stayed away from playing sports, content to cheer her friends on. She was club-driven, though, actively involved in the honor society, SADD, student council and mock trial. She was about Allison's height, but quite curvy, much more than Allison, though maybe not as much as Abigail. Her blonde hair was cut in a cute little bob which accentuated her vibrant green eyes.

Allison felt a pang of guilt as she watched her best friends interact. She'd lied to them. Openly and purposefully lied to them. She couldn't think of another time she'd done that. Brianna's concern for her only intensified her guilt. Then another thought crept in, and she tried to stoically keep it from showing on her face. She loved Abigail and Jack, and yet she could never tell another soul about it. The anguish of that thought began to grow and fester in only a matter of moments, until it consumed her. She could feel her eyes beginning to burn. She needed to get away before she lost control. She stood up, trying to remain poised, telling some other lie to her friends about having to see the guidance counselor or something, and quickly walked away. Never, until that very moment, did she realize how hard this forbidden love would be. She wanted to shout to the world about her love for Abigail and Jack, but she couldn't. She couldn't even whisper it. It would crush her family, possibly ruin them. Bi-sexual incestuous sisters wouldn't be looked on too highly in the Bible Belt. But it was more than that. Confessing even just to her parents would probably ruin the relationships she and her sister shared with them and with her brothers.

Tears were falling freely now and she walked faster, trying to make it to the safety of the restroom before someone confronted her. Why? her mind screamed. Why did it have to be this way? Why does it have to be so hard?

Jack had just finished lunch and was stuffing his textbooks into his backpack. Marketing Strategies and Laws and Ethics in Business. Why did college textbooks always have to be so damn heavy? he thought to himself as he hoisted the bag over his shoulder. The phone rang as he passed through the kitchen.

"Shit." He looked at the clock on the wall. He had less than 20 minutes to get to campus, find a parking place and take the shuttle to his building. The phone rang again. He debated just letting the answering machine pick up, but on the third ring he caved in.

"Hello?"

"Oh, Jack. Just the one I was hoping to reach."

It took Jack a second to place the voice, then felt his face flush with anger. He closed his eyes, trying to remain calm.

"Analise. It's been a while."

"Yes, it has. I wasn't..." Her voice faltered. "I wasn't sure you or Abbie would be all that thrilled to talk to me."

Well, you got that right, he thought. "What do you need, Analise? I'm just heading to class."

"No chit-chat, huh?" she replied, her voice now frosty. "OK. I'll get to the point." Jack waited, but she didn't continue.

"Well?"

"Jack, I'm pregnant."

"Congratulations, I guess. I'll be sure to let Abbie know. Or you can call back when she gets home from work in about an hour and a half."

"There's more."

He waited impatiently, glancing at the clock. "OK. Go on."

"Jack, you're the father."

Jack was sitting on the couch when Abigail came in, which would have been a surprise if she hadn't seen his car parked in front of the house. It was his expression though that not only surprised her, but alarmed her.

"I thought you had class..." she started to say, but his look stopped her. "Jack, what's wrong?"

He looked up at her, his eyes filled with something that made her blood run cold. He tried to speak, but couldn't say anything. He looked down at the cordless phone in his hand.