Rodney let out an exacerbated sigh, his math final was tougher than expected but he thanked God it was over now. He glanced around the abandoned cafeteria, it seemed like everyone had started their summer already, still in the far sat Hunter. He was reading a thick textbook and checking his phone every few minutes. Rodney assumed he was waiting for a ride, and turned back to his own phone.

"Hey, excited to get out of here and actually start your summer?" Hunter asked, having made his way over to Rodney.

"Uh, yeah," Rodney replied, caught off guard. "I actually need to get out of here and pack. We are going up to a cottage for a bit."

"Sounds like a blast." Hunter's eyes lit up, Rodney had never really seen them do that before. "Is this a family thing or?"

"Actually, it is more like a supervised friend thing. Ally's parents are going to be there but it is really just Ally, Derek, Jordan, Steven, Madison, Luke, and I," Rodney said, fiddling with the zipper on his backpack. "You know, um, well since Matt isn't going there is an extra bed." Rodney wasn't sure where he was going with this, but he did feel like after Hunter invited him to his birthday, he should try to be his friend.

Hunter shot him a sly smile, shaking his head. "Was that your way of inviting me? Because if it was then that was bad."

Rodney could feel himself start to blush as he nodded. Was he still thrown off by their kiss? Hunter said it didn't mean anything, Derek said it didn't mean anything so why did he feel so weird around Hunter now?

"Hey, my dad's here," Hunter said abruptly, his phone vibrating on the table. "I'll see what we are doing this week and let you know."

"Sure thing," Rodney nodded, watching Hunter race out of the caf.

As Hunter vanished from view, Ally appeared. Her presence was like a warm breeze as she slipped into the seat next to him. "So, what was all that about?" she asked, motioning toward the doors Hunter had just slipped through.

Rodney hesitated, then admitted, "We were just talking about our plans for the summer."

"Since when do you guys talk?" Ally prodded, tilting her head. "Is Hunter kind of a jerk, remember everything he said about Jordan during the election."

Rodney stiffened in his chair. "Yeah, I remember. But I got to know him and he really isn't that bad. His attitude's just a front, you know? Just playing into what is expected of him."

"You got to know him?" Ally's voice was laced with skepticism.

"We kind of studied together a lot when I was getting ready for the science fair," Rodney mumbled, feeling like he had been cornered. "His family life isn't exactly great."

"Really?" Ally's voice pitched higher. "You never mentioned that."

"I mean it wasn't a big deal or anything. I didn't feel it was worth mentioning," Rodney said quickly, the words feeling clumsy even as they tumbled out. But then he remembered what he had just done. "But, uh, I invited him to the lake, kinda."

"You invited Hunter?" Ally bit her lip, her eyes searching Rodney's. "Without running it by me?"

"Yeah, we were talking about our summer plans and I brought up the lake and he really seemed interested and I know there is an extra bed available," Rodney's words tumbled out of his mouth like vomit as he tried to explain his reasoning. He couldn't tell her that he was trying to be friends with the guy kissed while they were getting back together. If it didn't make sense to him then there was no way Ally would get it.

"Okay..." Ally drew out the word, her discomfort clear.

Rodney's phone buzzed in his pocket, practically dove for it, wanting to get out of this conversation. He knew he may have crossed a line inviting Hunter, but he was also starting to feel anger bubbling up inside him as Ally acted like he was ruining the trip.

"That's my mom, she is going to be here soon," he said, hoisting his backpack onto one shoulder. Rodney didn't wait for a response, his sneakers squeaking against the linoleum as he made a hasty exit.

Outside, the sun was warm on his face, but Rodney's chest felt tight. He was glad to be out of there before he let anything slip that could hurt his relationship with Ally, but as he looked back he found out she had followed him.

"Rodney we aren't done talking, I don't think you should have invited Hunter. He doesn't fit with the group and I worked so hard to make this trip something special." Ally said as she caught up.

Rodney's fingers tightened around the straps of his backpack, "You worked hard?" he started, his voice barely above a whisper. "All you did was suggest it. Matt's done more for the trip than-"

"Matt?" Ally interjected, a confused look stretching across her face. "Why would he help plan anything he isn't going?"

"Exactly!" Rodney exclaimed, louder than intended. Several students glanced their way before returning to their own thoughts. "But he saw how stressed I was and actually helped out. Ally you did was spend a day at the beach or time at Yoga Club"

Ally's face dropped as she took in his words. She murmured, almost to herself, "I just...."

"You just left it all on me." Rodney couldn't hold back any longer. "You are my girlfriend and I am happy to help you, but the key word is help. Not do everything for you, you didn't even notice when I was struggling to keep up with everything you were asking me to do."

Before Ally could respond, Rodney was already striding away, his mom's car pulling up by the curb.

Ally stood rooted to the spot, digesting the exchange, when she felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned, her heart still racing, to find Luke's concerned gaze upon her.

"Hey, how are you doing?" he asked, his tone light but his eyes searching.

"Could be better. I'm guessing you heard that?" Ally asked as she tried to hold back some tears.

"Yeah, but I wouldn't worry about it." Luke nudged her playfully. "Rodney loves you and he'll forgive you in no time."

"I guess so," Ally sighed, her fingers tracing the cool metal of her locker. "Rodney has never talked to me like that before."

"Was it true though?" Luke's head tilted, genuinely puzzled. "Like did Rodney really plan this whole trip for you?"

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

"I meant to help, really I did," Ally said, walking back toward the school entrance with Luke. "It's just... I was so busy and Rodney seemed like he could handle it."

"Ally," Luke conceded, clearly unimpressed with Ally's response, "This whole trip was your idea, not his. You can't just dump something like that on someone when it gets too hard or is too boring."

She wanted to argue, to defend herself but she knew Luke was right. With a reluctant nod, Ally shouldered her bag. "Guess you're right. I just wished he had asked about inviting Hunter before he did."

"Ally, it will be fine. You need to go and talk to Rodney," Luke called out to her as he made his way over to his own ride that had just arrived.

As Ally sat on the bench by the entrance to SDCI, her thoughts swirled—was she a bad girlfriend? Rodney's face, usually so open and warm, had been filled with frustration, and that new image of him lingered in her mind. She had done that to him, she had taken his smile away from him, and worst of all she wasn't sure how she could fix it.

She sat there trying to make sense of it all, what could have been done to stop Rodney from yelling at her?

"Ally, hey!" Erica's voice sliced through the quiet. She waved frantically as she made her way over to Ally.

Ally slid a little farther down the bench, glancing up with a polite smile. "Hey, Erica, how was your last exam?"

"It was fine, listen I have something I think you will want to know" Erica's voice dropped as she sat next to Ally. "It's about Rodney."

"Rodney?" Ally wiggled on the bench, putting a little more space between them. She didn't really know why but Erica had always made her feel uncomfortable.

"Yeah, Rodney. He's hiding something from you," Erica whispered, glancing around as if they were being listened to.

"What exactly is he hiding?" Ally shifted her weight, this whole situation just didn't feel right.

"I can't say here," Erica whispered, her eyes darting to the corners where shadows played tricks on the mind. "What I can say is I sent you an email and you need to read it, there are some photos too."

"Email?" Confusion laced Ally's words, she felt herself leaning away from Erica. "This is getting really weird, did he like kill a guy or something?"

"What no," Erica said, seeming annoyed by Ally's statement. "Just... read the email, Rodney isn't as perfect as you think he is."

"Um ok," Ally said, skepticism creeping into her gaze. All she wanted to do was get out of this conversation.

"Good, I promise you won't regret it." Erica's lips curved into a tight smile. "I'll let you go. I know you'll thank me for this later."

"Okay," Ally replied, though she wasn't sure why she was agreeing. "Thanks, I guess." Her voice faltered as she got up off the bench.

"Anytime," Erica said, giving her a warm smile as if they were friends. Ally just turned and speed-walked to the other side of the school, her mom still wasn't there but she didn't want Erica to know that.

---

The click of the front door closing echoed through the quiet house as Ally dropped her bag by the door. She kicked off her shoes, the cool hardwood floor grounding her as she made her way to the living room sofa.

Pulling out her phone, she found the icon for her email and tapped it hesitantly. There, amidst the clutter of newsletters and spam, was a new message: The Truth About Rodney. Her thumb hovered over the screen.

"Could I really trust anything Erica tells me?" Ally muttered, biting her lip. "I mean there is something just so off about her."

She could almost hear Rodney's laugh, the one that made her smile every time she heard it. But that laugh had been absent lately, and what if it wasn't her fault it had disappeared?

"He didn't tell me about how stressed out he was, what else could he not be saying?" The question drilled itself into her mind.

"Enough," she muttered, her finger hovering once again, this time over the delete button. With a decisive tap, the email vanished, leaving behind a digital void.

"If Rodney had a deep dark secret, I would be the first to know about it." Ally sank back into the couch, feeling the fabric embrace her as she exhaled a sigh that carried the weight of her uncertainty. "He is my boyfriend and my best friend he would never hide something huge from me and even if he did there is no way Erica would know about it."

Yet, the seed of doubt had been planted, she knew she had ninety days before the email was truly deleted and she just couldn't bring herself to empty the bin. After all, Rodney did hide an entire friendship with Hunter from her.

---

Friday had finally arrived and the sun was just beginning to rise. Rodney leaned against Derek's van, foot tapping to an invisible rhythm, his gaze fixed on the sidewalk leading up to the property. The air was thick with the scent of hot asphalt and freshly cut grass.

"Man, I can't wait to hit the road," Rodney said, his voice tinged with anticipation. He glanced at Derek who was adjusting the position of a large cooler in the back. "You think everything will fit?"

"Like Tetris, dude," Derek replied with a grin. "Just need the rest of the crew to show up so I can see all the pieces."

It wasn't long before Luke sauntered over, his arms filled with marshmallows and graham crackers. "Got the essentials for campfire s'mores," he announced, dropping his supplies into the van with dramatic flair.

"Um, don't s'mores usually have chocolate in them?" Rodney asked, looking over the haul Luke brought.

"Shit dude, I knew I was forgetting something," Luke shrugged.

Then came Steven and Jordan, two halves of a whole, their fingers entwined as they approached. "Freedom!" Steven exclaimed, raising his other hand in triumph.

"I can't wait to get into the lake," Jordan added, their smile as bright as the rising sun.

Madison appeared next, her suitcase thudding along behind her. "I'm ready for any occasion," she declared, patting the bulging case. Rodney couldn't help but chuckle at the sight—it looked like Madison had crammed her entire room into a single bag.

"Did you pack the kitchen sink, too?" Derek asked as he helped her hoist it into the van.

"Very funny," Madison rolled her eyes but gave him a small smile.

A sleek car pulled up, and Hunter emerged, a lone figure momentarily framed by the vehicle's door. Derek turned and raised an eyebrow at Rodney. It was Luke who broke the silence, gesturing at Hunter's backpack.

"Hey, is that a Switch poking out of your bag? Man, I am sitting next to you on the way up!"

With everyone introducing themselves to Hunter, Rodney scanned the area for the person to arrive. His heart leapt when he spotted a ponytail bobbing in the distance, but as the woman drew closer it was clear it wasn't Ally. He wondered where she could be.

"Hey, where is Ally?" Madison asked, making her way over to Rodney's side.

"I don't know," Rodney murmured, fishing his phone out of his pocket just as the message from Ally flashed on the screen: Can't make it with you guys. Still packing. I'll meet you there.

"Looks like Ally's driving up separately," Rodney announced, trying to mask the disappointment in his voice.

"Alright," Rodney clapped his hands together with a forced cheer. "Let's hit the road!"

---

After hours of driving and unpacking, the sun began its descent over the cottage, Rodney sat on the old wooden porch as Derek grilled some burgers. He listened to the lake's gentle lapping, a soothing yet melancholic soundtrack to his vigil.

"Any word from Ally?" Derek asked as he closed the lid on the grill.

"Nothing," Rodney confessed, as he looked down at his unanswered texts from the day. "She hasn't read any of my messages."

"Rodney..." Derek began, his voice heavy. "I'm sorry, man, I know telling her how she made you feel wasn't easy."

Rodney let out a sigh, the weight of that possibility settling in his chest. "We haven't even talked about it since, for the past two days it feels like she is doing everything to avoid me," he admitted, feeling a rawness to the words.

"You know it's not your fault, right?" Derek put an arm around Rodney's shoulders. "You had to tell her how it made you feel. Now it is on her to make the next move."

"I just don't get it," Rodney said, his voice barely above a whisper. "I guess I could have been nicer about the way I told her. But I didn't think she would practically ghost me over it. I was kind of hoping she would apologize so we could just move on."

"People are full of surprises, Rod. Not every surprise is a good one," Derek said softly.

Headlights cut through the dimming light, and Ally's parents' car rolled to a stop. Mr. Matthews stepped out, but Ally didn't follow him.

"So sorry I'm late boys," Mr. Matthews said, joining them on the porch. "Ally really just isn't feeling well and won't be able to make it."

"That's ok," Rodney replied, forcing a half-smile. "Hopefully she feels better soon"

"I am sure she will be back on her feet in no time," Mr. Matthews said, making his way over to check on the burgers. "She told me to let you know she wants you all to have fun even if she can't be here for it."

"Sounds like a plan," Derek said giving a nod.

"Yeah," Rodney muttered, his heart still heavy, wondering why she would even say she was coming up with her parents in the first place. But now wasn't the time to focus on the negatives, now was the time to enjoy his vacation. The questions could wait until he got back.