Pumpkin King
Before our graduation trip, three of my childhood friends and my boyfriend all come to me, one after another, asking to borrow money.
Drake Owens claims he needs it for his startup, Evans Harding says his mother has been hospitalized, and Finley Booker mentions an overdue credit card bill.
Finally, my boyfriend, Boaz Marshall, takes the money I had spent three years saving for my heart surgery. With reddened eyes, he says, "I only need it for two weeks, Ari. I swear on my life that I won't let it interfere with your surgery at all."
Then came the day my heart condition flared up again.
The doctor slams my test results onto the table and says in a grave voice, "You can't put this off any longer, Ms. Dawson. You need to pay the hospital fees and get admitted immediately."
But after lending out 260 thousand dollars, I'm only left with 327 bucks in my bank account.
I call each of them, but they all claim the funds haven't come through yet and ask me to wait a little longer.
I pass by a travel agency on my way home. Through the glass, I see Boaz, Drake, Evans, and Finley gathered around my best friend, Cindy Myers, planning a trip to the Northern Pole.
Five plane tickets are spread out on the table.
"Who would have thought that this would be the trick that worked after all? We just had to drain her of all her cash, and she wouldn't be able to pester us to tag along anymore."
"Arianna has a bad heart. She'll only be nothing but a burden. It's better just to leave her at home."
"Exactly. This trip is for Cindy's birthday. There's no reason to let one person ruin the mood for everyone else."
After a brief burst of laughter, someone asks, sounding a bit hesitant, "But that was money for her heart surgery. What if she has an attack in the next few days?"
Boaz hands a brochure for a mountain resort to Cindy, completely unconcerned.
"She's lived with that condition for years. It's not like something's going to coincidentally happen right now when we're away. We'll just pay her back once we return from the trip."
Boaz happens to look up just then, facing the window. The moment he sees me, however, the smile on his face freezes.