No Boys Allowed

                                                                                    5

When Natalia and Alex suggested they go hiking, both Elena and Andrew were thrown by the suggestion but Elena thought maybe that's just what they needed. At the breakfast table Andrew tried his best to be receptive and upbeat to the idea of hiking. While Andrew and Elena ate heartily, Natalia and Alex simply ate nothing. They never seemed to eat any real nourishing food. Their main food choices consisted of beer, junk food and occasionally Jack Daniels. After the hike was over that day Elena promised herself she'd talk to Natalia. The upcoming wedding was weeks away and she couldn't see Natalia and Alex staying with her and Andrew till then. It was time for them to leave.

Elena noticed that Alex, the one that originally suggested the hike was wearing thread bare shoes which was hardly appropriate for a hike. Earlier, before the hike Elena had offered to let Alex borrow a pair of Andrew's shoes that at least had some thread on the bottom but Alex had declined.

" I go everywhere in these shoes, man. " Alex insisted, while packing several cans of beer in his backpack.

Everywhere, thought Elena. You've only been out of the house once and that was to eat a hamburger. It was Andrew who led the hike. Andrew and Elena were well prepared for the hike, dressed for hiking and their backpacks were full of the essentials, things they would actually need such as water and food. Natalia just wore sneakers, jeans, a black hoody and only packed sweaters for her and Alex in their backpacks.

The trail everyone decided on was considered moderate according to the map at the entrance. There were various scenic routes indicated on the map along with a warning : "This trail should only be traveled by knowledgable hikers."  The trail was three miles long and ran along six or seven steep inclines.

" Think that's referring to us ? " Elena asked, glancing at Alex's  shoes full of holes.

" I'm pretty sure it does, " he relied enthusiastically. " C'mon, Andrew, let's show these ladies how hiking is done. "

Andrew looked at Elena and shrugged and took off following Alex. As Elena prepared to follow Andrew, while placing her backpack over her shoulders, she heard Natalia call out to her. She turned around to see Natalia sitting on a rock, with her sneaker in one hand.

" I think I may have a stone in my shoe. "

Elena stood there patiently, adjusting her backpack while Natalia tried to walk up the trail and ended up having to sit down twice.

" Maybe it's just a blister, " Elena said, as she watched Andrew walking of into the distance on the trail with Alex. " They're getting way ahead of us. "

" No worries, " Natalia said. " Alex always starts off strong but he gets tired quickly. "

Natalia smiled at her warmly. Elena wished she could catch hurry up and catch up to Andrew. By the time Elena and Natalia had been able to get started walking for an hour, they still had not been able to catch up with Andrew and Alex. I wanted all of us to be together, thought Elena with a wistful sigh. It was so apparent how disappointed she was. Ever since Natalia and Alex started staying at the house Elena never got to spend any time alone with Andrew. They simple never had the opportunity to be alone. And Andrew only had two days off a week. She began to become more anxious to catch up to Andrew and Alex. Why can't Andrew spend his days off the way he wants to instead of catering to Alex, she thought to herself. As they were walking, Natalia asked Elena a question as they once again had to sit so Natalia could search for the ever elusive stone she kept claiming was in her shoe. This was becoming tiresome to Elena.

" Remember our club ? "

" The N. B.A. ? " Elena asked. " Of course I do. "

" We'll, it's still there, " Natalia said. " I went to visit our our old clubhouse just before Alex and I came out to see you and Andrew. I remember the location out in the woods, the sign, the... "

" All those memories of two lonely girls we used to be. " Elena used to be.

" That's what you actually thought ? " she asked. " We were just two lonely girls ? "

" We were exactly that, " Elena said. " We were afraid of growing up in the world, so we formed an exclusive club between you and I and excluded everyone else out. "

Just up ahead she could see a portion of the gray of Andrew's shirt.

" Then you never meant any of those things you said back then ? Everything was a lie ? " Natalia asked.

" What things are you referring to ? " Elena asked.

Now the trace of Andrew's shirt had faded into the distance and she could no longer see it. Elena considered shouting for Andrew to wait for them because Natalia was lagging behind again. Elena became frustrated and annoyed thinking they'd never catch up at this rate. And the conversation with Natalia was grating on her nerves ! Their old club was the last on thing on her mind at the moment. Why would she think to bring that up now ?

" I think you know what I'm what I'm referring to, " Natalia said. " Our plans to open N.B.A. Catering company. "

" That's not what we were going to name it, " Elena said. " We were going to call it... "

Elena could not even recall what it was going to be called at the moment and none of that was relevant to her anymore.

" Did you ever mean anything you said ? " Natalia asked.

" What things are you talking about, Natalia ? " Elena asked, feeing really irritated now.

" We made plans, Elena. " Natalia said. " Plans for our future that included just the two of

us. "

" We were just kids back then, Natalia. " She said as she turned from her.

She had had enough of what she thought was a pointless conversation and all she wanted to do was get to Andrew. As they went further up the trail Elena heard a cry for help from above that she didn't recognize at first till they got closer to the direction the sound was coming from. Elena recognized the. voice as Alex's. Elena started running. When Elena reached Alex, he told her that Andrew had tripped and fell and then when he fell he couldn't reach him. Alex was standing on the edge of a steep cliff incline. Elena gasped from exhaustion. She stood next to Alex and looked down . At first all Elena could see was a mass of green but was unable to see a trace of Andrew's gray shirt. Andrew was laid out on a ridge fifty feet below and he wasn't moving.