2. Picture To Burn (11/10/20)

Hannah leaned over the center console in her boyfriend, Hunter's, truck. "Can't you just let me drive it one time? I promise I'll be careful."

She showed him her best doe-eyes, but still he did not budge. He ran a steady hand over the rim of the steering wheel before putting the truck in park and saying, "You know I don't let anyone drive this truck."

Hannah stuck out her bottom lip; she knew it never worked, but was always her last resort. She wasn't exactly sure why she wanted to drive Hunter's truck. It wasn't the only reason she was dating him, but it was nice to have a boyfriend with a car. Maybe it was the fact that she didn't have a car of her own, and didn't get to drive. She usually relied on Hunter to be her chauffeur, and felt it was her duty to repay the favor. But he wouldn't give up the keys.

Hannah glanced up at her house. The sky had grown a splattered pink, decorated with wispy clouds. Before she opened the passenger-side door, she leaned over and kissed Hunter on the cheek. He waved goodbye, then backed out of the driveway.

Hannah stood on the front porch, arms crossed over her chest. Hunter had only just turned down the street at the end of the driveway, and she was already feeling paranoid. Her boyfriend didn't seem like the type of guy who was so protective over his truck. In fact, Hannah thought she saw Hunter's brother driving a few times on Sunday after the church service. It wasn't about the truck; it was about her.

When Hannah flicked the living room light on, she saw Hope curled up on the couch. The girl looked as if she was expecting her sister, even though her eyes were half-shut as if she had just woken up from a nap. When her eyes landed on Hannah, she stumbled off the couch and joined her sister at the front door.

"Thank god you're home!" Hope cried. She was only fourteen, and yet she was as keen to the dramatics as a desperate housewife. "Melanie called me a half hour again, and told me something about Hunter."

Hannah's throat slowly started to tighten. "What?"

Hope let out a sigh. "You're not gonna like it, but let me show you."

Hannah watched Hope search for her phone, her body drenched in worry. Her concerns about the pickup truck might finally come to fruition.

Hope pulled her phone out from under the blanket and held it two inches away from her face as she searched for what she was looking for. Then she showed her sister the phone, and Hannah nearly lost her lunch.

On the screen was an image of Hunter and Mandy, another girl from school. They were in his pickup truck - and Mandy was behind the wheel. Even after Hunter had told Hannah he didn't let anyone else drive his truck, here he was letting the prettiest girl in school behind the wheel. There were actually two photos, which Hannah realized when Hope started scrolling. The first one showed Mandy behind the wheel, and it was slightly blurry, almost as if the person taking the photo was watching the two people driving. In the next photo, the car was stopped, but Mandy and Hunter were kissing, their hands and lips on each other. Hannah's stomach churned.

"I'm so sorry, Hannah." Hope's mouth was set in a straight line as she wrapped her sister in a supportive hug. "When Melanie sent these to me, I knew I needed to show you. But it was right after you left, and you weren't answering your phone." Hannah and Hunter had seen a movie that night. "Then you were back early from your date..."

Hope's voice trailed off as Hannah started putting the pieces together. "Hunter said he had to skip dinner so he could get home and be with his mom. But his mom is out of town this weekend!"

Hope cocked her head to the side. "How do you know that?"

A sheepish look made its way onto Hannah's face. "We're Facebook friends."

Hope shook her head before asking, "Do you think he's seeing Mandy tonight? Would he really ditch you to spend time with another girl?"

Hannah couldn't think straight. She thought she knew her boyfriend, but she had been wrong. Another glance at Hope's phone only made her more upset. Instead of crying, Hannah pulled out her own phone and turned it on. She had a few apps where she could see where Hunter was. If her phone was correct, he was down by the lakes.

"Is Mom's car in the garage?" Hannah asked her sister. If the room was quiet enough, the two sisters could hear their mother snoring upstairs. They shared gleeful smiles before snatching the keys off the kitchen counter and slamming the front door behind them.

Twenty minutes later, Hannah and Hope were barreling down the old country roads, trying to reach the lakes before Hunter left. Hope was in charge of directions, so as Hannah drove, she made sure Hunter was still at the lakes. His icon didn't move off the map.

Hannah took a slight right turn, switched off her headlights, and slowly drove down the road. The lake was to her left, and if she squinted in the dark, she could see a light outline of another truck.

"Stop!" Hope hissed through gritted teeth. She pointed a single finger at the front window. "What is that?"

Hannah put the car in park, not realizing how close they were to the water. She leaned over in her seat, trying to look over Hope's shoulder. Her sister slowly traced around Hunter's pickup truck, which was parked a few yards away. The interior light was on, and the two girls could see Hunter and Mandy locking lips.

"Oh my god!" Hannah screamed. "And he probably let her drive the truck too!"

Hope didn't have time to question the girl's words, because Hannah was already climbing out of the car and marching towards the truck. In one simple motion, Hannah pulled the driver side door open, revealing Hunter and Mandy. The two gasped, and Hope had to stop herself from running to them and punching their faces in. Instead, the dreaded couple left the safety of their car and faced the angry ex-girlfriend.

"What the hell is going on here?" Hannah screamed. Hope stood right behind her. "Is this why we couldn't go to dinner?"

"Hannah, I'm so sorry." Hunter was stumbling over his words. "Mandy needed help getting home, and..."

"Since when did offering someone a ride involve a make-out session?" Hannah shot back. She began to walk back to the car, before Hunter tried for the second time.

"Hannah, I love you!" His voice rang out, and it took all of Hope's control not to punch him.

Hannah pivoted, her face red and covered in tears. They were right near the edge of the lake. "No, you don't." And before anyone could explain, Hannah was pushing her cheating ex-boyfriend into the lake.