“You’ll find out soon enough,” Jack says, the corners of his mouth twitching upward, which is the equivalent of jumping for joy for him.
“Okay, weirdos.” I shake my head and move in the direction of the arrow sign.
“No wait,” Abby shouts. “Go this way.”
I look past her to the left side entrance, my brow arching skeptically.
“Go the way that’s blocked by the giantDo Not Entersign?”
“Um, yes,” she says unconvincingly.
“Do it, man, trust us,” Jack says, a mischievous glint in his eye that makes me infinitely more nervous than anyone else’s weird behavior tonight.
“Okay, now I’m scared. Am I being punked?”
“March, mister,” Abby says, pointing down the hedge path.
“Alright, alright,” I say, raising my hands in surrender. “I’m going.”
Jack and Abby beam at one another, then hurry back toward the barn as I take my first step into the roses. Strings of bulb lights have been hung along the hedges, bathingthe flowers in a warm glow. Looking ahead, I notice there are frames hung along what looks like the entire path.
I approach the first frame, doing a double-take when I realize it’s a picture of me. Well, a picture of me, David, Jack, and Eleanor from freshman year. I didn’t even realize we had pictures from back then–it looks like this one was taken by David during Spanish, his face smiling at the camera, Jack scowling behind him, with Eleanor and me in heated conversation, completely unaware that we’re being photographed.
I notice a folded note clothespinned to the frame withGriffinwritten on the front. Unclipping and unfolding it, I immediately recognize the handwriting as Eleanor’s.
Griffin and Ellie, age 14
photographed on a Nikon Coolpix by Mr. David Romero
She didn’t know it then, but she was made to love him. And boy, did she.
Pocketing the note, I step up to the next frame. It’s a photo of two people in a hammock, but their faces are hidden behind their knees. All you can see is a pair of cowboy boots planted firmly on the ground next to a set of bare feet dangling several inches above the grass.
Griffin and Ellie, age 15
photographed by Mr. Rick Turner
The sweetest moments of her life were the ones she spent with him.
I move hurriedly to the next frame, grinning when I see a photo I recognize. It’s one I took the year we did a surprise party for her in Spanish class.
Ellie Turner, 16th Birthday
photographed by Mr. Griffin Hart
Every birthday from that year on, she wished for him.
I continue down the winding path, reliving memories and collecting notes, a pirate on the world’s most incredible scavenger hunt. There are so many moments that I didn’t know had been captured, and so many thoughts from Eleanor’s head that she never shared with me.
When I approach the final corner, just before the path twists back toward the entrance, the photo in the frame makes my stomach turn. I’m in a tux, one hand holding a glass of champagne, the other wrapped around the waist of a stunning blonde in a maroon dress.
Griffin and Ellie, age 24
taken by the photographer at Aaron & Abby’s wedding
The moment she wishes she could go back to most.
She would change it if she could.
