Along the Horizon.

It's been a week since Logan and I's first kiss. A week since I revealed parts of my life I had kept locked up. It's refreshing to know that I have someone to talk to that doesn't have a degree under their belt and thinking they know how to fix you, because something is wrong with your emotions. Talking to Logan was the opposite. I was absolutely relaxed by his present. When I spoke, he didn't encourage the conversation, didn't press me to keep talking when I stopped. He let me talk, make peace with what I was say, then he changed the subject completely. Somehow, he knew that I wasn't telling him all of this, so he can criticize me, I was telling him just to get it off my chest.

"Happy one week anniversary, baaaybe!" Logan snaked his arms around my torso, pressing my back against his hard chest.

"Logan you are the definition of a ridiculous boyfriend, and I love it," I turned in his arms folding myself into him.

"I'm going to ban you from my friend list if you two are going to jump on the love bird bandwagon. It's sick," Chandler pretending to gag. Logan poked his tongue out at him, then kissed me swiftly.

I noticed Rachel smiling bitterly at us. Not so much at me but the smile was for Logan. This was the first time this week that I've realized that she hasn't spoken much all week. Was she jealous of Logan and I? Did she have some sort of crush of him? I always assumed that her and Chandler were together since they are stuck at the hip.

"Rach, what's up?" I asked nonchalantly.

"Nothing," she forced her smile bigger, showing off her pearly whites.

"Okay. Hey Logan do you want to do something tonight?" I looked back at him, almost with pleading eyes.

"Actually, I have to do something tonight, rain check?" The sound of Logan's voice made it sound like he was hiding something.

"Okay sure. Rachel do you want to do something tonight?" I said skeptically.

"Sure-" Rachel started to say but was quickly cut off.

"Rach, don't you have that thing tonight?"

"What thing?" She asked innocently.

"You know with sister-in-law or brother or someone like that?" Logan's voice was hinting.

"That's right, Julie is getting an ultrasound of the baby tonight. I'm driving her to the appointment. Sorry."

We all went our separate ways as we went to class. Normally Logan walked me to class but this time he didn't. He seemed distracted, thus making me distracted. The encounter in the hallway was weird. What is going on between Rachel and Logan? I got anxiety just thinking of the possibilities.

Before lunch I turned do the hall to surprise Logan as his locker. I noticed Rachel and Logan in a heated argument at the end of the hall. I popped into a classroom close enough to hear.

"If you don't tell her I will. I can't stand her not knowing," Rachel's voice was threatening. Normally the bouncy blonde was always so nice, it was alarming hearing her like this.

"Why ruin a good thing? Maggie has had a rough year and I don't want to fuck up our relationship with this," I smiled as Logan called our relationship a good thing, but what was the information he was holding back that would fuck it up?

"She'll find out. You're good right now, but then you won't be. She won't know what happened and she'll blame it on herself. Maybe she had a rough year but you're helping her get over that and if you disappear it'll only make her feel worse about herself."

"I'm fine, Rachel. Seriously, stop worrying about me."

"You're not fine Wheeler. I know you better than anyone. You act like this right before you go into a-" Rachel stopped. Did she know I was listening? I watched as a freshman boy walked by the doorway once he rounded the corner Rachel spoke again. "Look, lets just go to lunch. If you don't tell her in a week, I will."

"Rachel for the millionth time. I'm all better, there is nothing to tell."

I watched as they rounded the corner. I exited the classroom silently and went to catch up with them.

"Hey guys," I smiled.

They looked as if I caught them with their hands in the cookie jar. "Hey Maggie. Where'd you come from?" Logan smiled wrapping an arm over my shoulder, kissing the top of my head.

"Oh um, the computer lab. I had to save a paper."

They bought my story, luckily. Both didn't say anything to each other at the lunch table.Actually everyone was quiet. It was as if everyone but me knew what Rachel and Logan were hiding.

I decided it wasn't going to bother me, Logan would tell me soon and he didn't, Rachel would tell me in a week. I let myself focus solely on my school work.

*

When I got home with Brady my mom was in the driveway. She was home extremely early.

"What are you doing home?" I asked parking behind her.

"Oh, it's Friday and the weather is so nice today I thought that I would let everyone go home early to spend time with their families."

"Well that's nice of you."

"And I have to tell you something, it's kind of important."

"Shoot."

"Let's go into the house first and get Brady a snack. I want to start dinner."

In the kitchen, I am perched on a bar stool cutting off the ends of the baby carrots. Brady is sitting quietly beside me. Our mother looked at up apprehensively across the counter top.

"Well?"

"I have a date tonight."

"A work date?"

"No, an actually date. With a man," I looked at her completely shocked when those words came out of her mouth. "Don't be mad, but I need this. To help me move on."

Rage boiled up from deep down inside me. "Mad? You think I'd be mad. Oh mother, I am not mad, I am outraged. Disgusted. Humiliated that you even said that. It's been six months mom for crying out loud! You already want to move on and forget about the one man who gave up his family to start one with you? You are unbelievable."

"Margaret, please. Just try to understand where I am coming from."

"Do not 'Margaret, please.' me," I got up knocking my bar stool down in the process and before she could get another word in I was marching up the stairs and slamming my door loudly.

I didn't come back down stairs. I didn't bother to help my mom get Brady into bed and I didn't tell her to be safe on her date. I couldn't believe that she still went on the date, after the way I behaved. I couldn't believe that she already wanted to forget about dad.