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Eventually, Finn laid eyes on her. It was evident because he started waving his arm in the air and calling Al's name. When the 5'3" girl pushed through the other travelers, I engulfed her in my arms, squeezing the life out of her small runners

frame.

"Oh my god, Al! It's been forever!" I squealed when her own arms wrapped around me.

"I'm so glad I'm here!" Her bright smile and ombré blonde hair were as vibrant as ever. She hugged Finn briefly before shaking Jason's hand. "You must be, Jason. Anyone who can put up with them automatically has my respect." She laughed and bowed at him mockingly.

Jason let out his own chuckle while Finn grabbed the maroon suitcase Al had abandoned to greet us. "I'm surprised I haven't tried to strangle myself with my shoelaces." Jason remarked.

I rolled my eyes and Finn punched his shoulder harder than need be. "That's what I'm talking about." The dark haired man muttered while rubbing his muscular shoulder. Al laughed along with me.

After our goofing around and reunions, we went back to the cars. We were going to pick Sam up and grab lunch together before hitting the road for the remainder of the drive from hell. After some begging and persuading, I agreed to let Al drive my sports car. I swear her petite head was about to explode with excitement.

It wasn't until we were on the highway that we started to catch up on everything. "Remind me to show you my tattoo later. I love it so much." I gushed while watching the stop and go traffic ahead of us. It was a bad sign if it was already this slow.

"I'm sure Finn is loving that placement." She smirked while winking at me. I laughed and rolled my eyes. He certainly was. "You'll have to let me drive this beast when we aren't forced to go two miles an hour. This is a total let down." She pouted.

"I suppose." My tone joked with her. "You might need to get in line though. Your boyfriend and Sam have been waiting since April when I got the damn thing."

"He's actually not my boyfriend anymore." Her voice was noticeably quieter, I almost missed what she said. My eyes left the road as I turned to look at Al. Her lips were turned down slightly and her brows furrowed. "Oh." I said sadly and shocked. They were my OTP. "What happened? If you don't mind me asking."

Al sighed and shook off her sad face, returning to her neutral expression, eyes glued to the road. "Distance mostly. We've both been busy then he started getting distant. I don't know, he's changed since high school. Hangs out with a different crowd, does crazier things. I don't think the whole faithfulness thing was working for him so he broke it off in October. Said he didn't want to cheat on me." She laughed humorlessly and I had to wince. "Like that would soften the blow." "Hell. He never struck me as one who couldn't keep it in his pants. I mean Sam or even Finn sure; but Chris? Maybe he just needs time to himself." I spoke softly. I didn't want to upset her but I was still shocked. Chris was the most faithful man I've ever met. He seemed perfect. I guess not everyone is what they seem.

"I thought so too but I was wrong." Al said wistfully. "And I wouldn't say that about Finn. Maybe before he met you he couldn't keep it in his pants, but the way he looks at you. Damn, it's like you're the only person in the world. He'd do anything for you. I'm willing to bet he'd cut his balls off if you asked him too."

I couldn't help but snort at that one. "No way. He might consider it, but that man loves his balls way too much." We were both full on laughing when I said that, bringing the atmosphere up for a moment.

Once Al got her breathing under control again, she took on that same wistful tone. "Looking back, I don't think Chris and I had it. We were together for so long, so young, that it was just became comfortable. We never had any problems to work though, our relationship was never tested; we were just there."

Silence filled the car again, not even the sound of tires filled the car due to the stop and go traffic patterns. "You know," I started hesitantly. "Maybe this is a good thing. You can explore yourself. Be single for the first time in three years."

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She nodded silently, contemplating what I had said. "I don't want you guys to act weird over break. We can all hang out together. It's been two months. I'm honestly over it, it's just different. Like I said, the love wasn't really there anymore. I should have expected it."

I pulled out my phone to text Finn and warn him not to bring it up in front of everyone. "Finn and I actually haven't talked to Chris since September." I muttered.

I hid my smile with a smirk so Al couldn't see my upturned lips. I shouldn't be laughing right now.

"Honestly? It doesn't surprise me. People change and people drift. I feel bad for Finn though. It wasn't a mutual choice, it was Chris being an asshole." Al said sharply before gaining a softer tone again. "I guess that's just how life goes." Sadly, it is.