AllFreeNovel
Share Us
The place is empty, and I try my hardest not to remember it’s all because I lost my dad. Pushing it out of my mind, I try to focus on the sun beating down on my skin, feeling the soothing comfort it brings.
We lay out the towels we brought and pull out the sandwiches I made.
“Man, it’s been way too long since I’ve had one of your amazing sandwiches,” Aaron says as he takes a bite.
I’m brought back to the days when my dad would make Aaron come with me to the lake or when I would bribe him with a sandwich.
I smile and look at him. “It has been too long. I’m glad we’re friends like this again.”
He nods ever so slightly as he lets out a breath. “Yeah … friends …”
I try not to overthink his comment and just stare out at the lake in front of us. I’ve always loved it here. The trees dotting the landscape throughout are so beautiful, and the peacefulness the area offers is unsurpassed by anywhere else.
“I can’t believe we’ll be graduating so soon,” Aaron comments nonchalantly, but it hits me like a stab to my heart.
All the senior activities I’ve been so excited about mean nothing now without my dad, especially graduation. Yes, I’ll have basically the entire school cheering for me because every single person knew my dad and what just happened, but all the cheers in the world won’t make up for him not being there to watch me cross the stage onhisfield and get my diploma.
I hold my sandwich on my lap as I stare out at the lake, losing my appetite all of a sudden.
Aaron notices and brings his hand to intertwine with mine. “Hey, I didn’t mean to bring it up. I was just thinking about how we’ve come here for so many years and how all of that is about to be over.”
I take in a breath and let it out slowly before responding, “I know. All of this is just so hard.”
He moves his hand back to his lap, and I instantly miss the comfort he was offering.
“Have you thought about what you’re going to do after graduation?” he asks thoughtfully.
His injury at the end of the season didn’t impact his scholarship to Texas—thank God—so he’ll be leaving pretty shortly after graduation to start their football summer regime.
Beau will be leaving too.
I haven’t even thought for one second about what I’ll do.
It’s all been too much to take in, what’s happening in the present, so I haven’t even tried to think about the future.
Debbie reached out to every college I had gotten into and explained the situation. Thankfully, they were all understanding and gave me more time to commit, but I need to make up my mind very soon.
No matter how much I try to fight it, my mind keeps going to what everyone else is doing right now, so I finally address the elephant between us. “I wish you were going tonight.”
He shrugs as he looks my way. “Prom isn’t my kind of thing anyway.”
“That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t go. It’s about the memories.”
“I don’t need one night to be the defining memory of high school. I have plenty of those moments on the football field.”
He grins, and I can’t help but smile back at all the moments of joy he had over the years that I celebrated right there with him.
Beau has been trying to get me to attend, but I just can’t bring myself to go. I know if I do, I will be miserable, which will probably make me even more depressed that I can’t celebrate one night, so I told him I didn’t want to go.
Aaron said he didn’t plan on going anyway, but I can’t help but think he’s not going so I don’t see him getting dressed up and going through the tradition in front of me.
We finish our sandwiches and spend the rest of the day lying around, throwing the football to each other, and listening to the radio Aaron brought.
As the sun starts to set, we pack everything up and make our way back to the car. A sadness washes over me as I realize that, for the first time in a while, I’ve actually had a good day, just hanging out and doing nothing, and I don’t want it to end.
And I have Aaron to thank for that.
He’s always been able to ease my mind about anything, and we’ve truly had a day like we used to have in the past—so comfortable being with each other, feeling so natural in our friendship.
