Page 97 of When Ben Loved Tim

“Guess what?” I cry when leaping onto her bed. I’ve only just arrived, and even though I promised myself I’d be polite enough to ask how her trip was, I can’t help it.

Allison laughs from where she sits at a small desk. She closes her journal and steeples her fingers. “Does it have something to do with love, by chance?”

“It does,” I say, settling into the pile of pillows that nestle against the headboard. “I have a boyfriend now!”

“Really?” Allison looks confused. “Did you meet someone new?”

“No, you big dummy! I’m talking about Tim!” My scowl dissipates. “Although I don’t blame you. I was starting to think it would never happen.”

“This is major!” Allison leaps up to join me on the bed.

“I know!” I grab her hand in excitement. “We both have boyfriends! At the same time!”

“I sure hope so,” she replies. “A week is a long time to be away.”

“I bet Ronnie never stopped thinking about you,” I assure her. “Not even for a second. Hey, tell me about your trip! Is your aunt cool?”

“She’s okay,” Allison says without much enthusiasm. “But nothing like my mom. I can see why they weren’t very close.”

“Oh. That’s a bummer.” She had wanted to reconnect with her mother through her aunt. I can’t imagine how that must feel. Like if my dad had died when I was a kid and I had to visit my deadbeat uncle hoping to see a glimmer of the man I missed.

“It’s fine,” Allison says. “She’s nice… But you know my mom. She was all heart. My aunt is surprisingly analytical. She got along great with my dad.”

I snort at this. “I bet!”

“Listening to them talk to each other was fun. They both have different memories of my mom, so I got to hear a bunch of new stories about her. And it was nice to celebrate Christmas with a big family again. Even if my cousinsarea bunch of weirdos. As for my dad…” She shakes her head and smiles. “That was the best part.”

“How come?”

“He didn’t drink as much, so it was more like how things used to be. We talked and laughed on the drive there and back. We spent a lot of time together. I mean, it’s always just us these days, so that’s not unusual. But he didn’t seem as sad.” Allison inhales sharply, as if overwhelmed with emotion. She smiles again, despite her eyes filling with tears. “I went on the trip hoping to find a piece of my mother, but I found him instead. The dad that I’ve missed and needed.”

“Aww!” I say, leaning forward to hug her. “I’m so happy for you.”

“Thanks,” Allison says, wiping at her cheeks after I pull away. “I’m hoping we can do it again next year.”

“Hey, what about your dad’s side of the family? You could visit them instead. How come they’re never around?”

Allison shrugs. “He had a bad childhood. I don’t know much about it. Only that he broke off contact when he was old enough to move out.”

“Let’s promise to do the same,” I joke, even though we both love our families.

She snorts. “At this rate, you’ll have started your own family with Tim before we even graduate. What changed?”

“Nothing,” I say. Then I grin. “Actually, I do have some exciting news.”

“Even more exciting than netting your first boyfriend?”

I nod while biting my lower lip, releasing it to declare, “I lost my virginity!”

“Look who just took the lead!” Allison says, before tilting her head. “So how does that work when it’s two guys? Are you saying that he… Which of you…”

“I’ll need to take a pregnancy test,” I say helpfully.

Allison laughs. “Oh my god! What was it like? Did it hurt?”

“At first, yeah. But then it felt really good.”

She places a hand over her heart. “Please tell me it was romantic.”