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Nav
AsNavdroveacross the familiar bridge outside of Otsego, a rush of regret washed over him. His best friends…his chosen family… never left this town he once called home. He was always so focused on keeping busy that he missed both Eagle and Adam’s engagements with their respective women. His relationship with his brother, Adam, was complicated, and he made little effort to make it back to town.
He pulled off onto the shoulder of the bridge and rolled down his window, gazing out at the serene water below thinking back to the night he found an unexpected friendship in Eagle LaMont. On this particular night, Nav and Lexie had gotten into a large fight because he chose to go to a party with another girl. As the night wrapped up Nav landed in the backseat of his car, unwilling to make the drive home after having so many drinks. When he woke in the morning, the scene around him was chaotic. Cars were flying off the property in masses and students were scrambling around the yard. He pulled his phone from the charger in the front seat and had a voicemail from his dad. Fucking great, he thought. He pushed the phone to his ear and his father’s quiet voice seeped from the speaker.
“Nav, please tell me you are okay. I stopped by the house, but Adam said you weren’t home. Two St. Augustine students were life-flighted after an accident on their way home from a party. Please call me. Let me know you’re okay.”
He couldn’t remember much about the night prior, but he knew the woman he arrived at the party with left early with a group of friends. Curious about who was involved in the accident, Nav dialed his father’s number and placed the phone against his ear.
“Nav, Nav, is that you?” his father’s voice echoed on the other end of the line.
“Yeah, I’m fine. Do you know who the students were?”
“I just heard—it was Matthew Pennington and Payson Madison. Things aren’t looking good.”
Nav slowly nodded his head and finished the call with his dad before opening the door and walking straight into the chaos. As he climbed up the hill, the house came into sight and he saw multiple police cars and students fleeing in every direction. He had a hasty moment of panic before realizing he hadn’t done anything wrong. He knew the smart move was to just hop into his car and leave the house, letting the others figure it out on their own. Right as the thought crossed over in his mind, he caught sight of a girl he had seen earlier in the night with Payson. Her eyes were glazed over and she was wandering aimlessly around the front yard, asking for a ride as people rushed by her. Nav stepped into action and ran alongside her, placing his arm around her shoulder before asking if he could take her to the hospital.Nav dropped her off and ensured she was comfortable with her friends before heading back to his own house. From that moment on, Nav found himself continually drawn to Eagle and his story of survival. Making it out of the accident with all limbs intact, Eagle fared far better than his best friend, Payson, who lost both legs during the accident. There was a huge fall-out with Eagle and Payson’s group of friends and he watched with curiosity as Eagle turned from the life of the party into something much more sinister. The life slowly drained out of him and Nav couldn’t stop himself from keeping a watchful eye on his behavior.
One night he felt an intense pull to Lonely Gull Bridge. It’s not something he has ever been able to explain, but when he arrived, he knew he was destined to be there that night. Eagle was standing on the opposite side of the railing with his hands extended behind him, clutching onto the cold metal. He was looking down at the rocks below with an empty stare. Nav took slow movements and spoke in hushed tones as he navigated Eagle off the ledge of the bridge and welcomed him into a friendly embrace. That night changed everything for them. Nav looked back on that moment thankful beyond measure he was able to convince Eagle to live.
From that moment on, Nav integrated himself into Eagle’s circle which eventually grew to the size it is today. While they all had many acquaintances around town, Nav was always alongside Eagle, Avanna, and Lexie. His brothers occasionally joined in on the adventures, but both had their own friends and their own lives they were chasing.
He jolted back to reality and climbed back into his car as he pulled into the familiar town he had called home for so many years. Nav had missed out on both his brother’s and Eagle’s proposals because of work and military responsibilities. He had every intention of making it up to his friends this weekend.
He knew the decisions he made over the years caused rifts between himself and his friends, but he was ready to find his way back. Everyone around him was growing together and he felt like he was stuck in the background. Nav had tried to keep his distance to give space to the relationship he and Lexie once had, mainly because he needed it. He hadn’t ever gotten over Lexie and wasn’t sure he’d ever be able to. Knowing Oliver’s death was still recent and raw for Lexie, he had no intentions of making any moves, but he also wasn’t going to hide in his room or avoid her during the entire trip. He already gave his brother shit for selecting such a tiny vessel for the eight of them to spend time on for the long week. There’s no way he could avoid the girl who had rocked his entire world since they were three.
