Story

Instructions

People and trees whizzed by, headlights bouncing off damp bark and frost-covered branches. Ari could see herself in the raindrops that trickled down the window, racing each other to the bottom. A red car overtook them, sleek and shiny, engine roaring against the howling wind. Ari tore her eyes from the window and leant against Harper, whose darkly lined eyes were lit up by the glow of her phone screen. “How long till we get there?” Harper asked, dark eyes still glued to her phone, question directed up to the front two seats where Cassie and her boyfriend Leo sat, Cassie driving, Leo directing. Ari could only see a sliver of Cassie’s face and the back of her head, but you could still tell she was gorgeous: glowing skin that lit up everything around her, hazel eyes topped with neatly curled eyelashes, and golden hair that fell in a perfect waterfall down her deep blue jumper. She could’ve had any boy in sixth form—and she’d chosen Leo, a boy so sweet and caring Ari could hardly believe he was real. That’s what Ari liked about Cassie. She always had it together. Leo glanced down at his phone and turned around to face the two of them, soft brown eyes crinkling into a smile. “You guys look exhausted.” Ari let out a breathy laugh and grinned awkwardly. Harper scowled at him. “No ****. We’ve only been travelling since the crack of dawn.” Leo’s smile faltered, and he turned back around quietly. Ari’s eyes flicked between them—Harper back on her phone, Leo staring out the window. Harper was rude to everyone; it was just part of her personality. After almost twelve years of friendship—starting on the very first day of Year One—Ari knew that better than anyone. But she had never seen Harper look at someone the way she looked at Leo. Her voice went colder, her expression tighter, eyes looking over his shoulder as she spoke to him. At first, Ari had wondered if Harper just thought Leo was too soft for her.But then she started to notice the sadness behind Harper’s eyes every time Leo and Cassie touched; the way Harper’s smile faltered when Cassie lit up at his name, or when they laughed together in their own private bubble. Harper wasn’t good at friends—not like Cassie, who could charm anyone, or Ari, who just needed a little time to warm up. Cassie made up fifty percent of Harper’s social world, and Ari could see it—she felt like Leo was slowly taking her away. Cassie’s voice cut through the hum of the car. “Almost there now,” she said, “My aunt’s cottage is right by the lake, so I think we have to go up this hill…” Her voice trailed off, uncertain, and she turned to Leo. “That’s what the directions say,” he shrugged. “Okay that’s good. How long does it say we’ve got left?” “Literally two minutes.” Harper sighed. “Aaaand I’ve lost signal. Yup, we’re definitely going the right way.”