My Choice

   We just wanted a picture. Something we can look back on and have a good laugh, but I look back now and I can see that my choice wasn't smart. I remember the day perfectly, I had just graduated from high school a week prior and a few friends and I were planning on going for a hike a couple miles from town. We all met at my place and went through our bags to make sure we had everything just in case of an emergency.

I'm pretty sure I was the least excited. I like to stay indoors with my books and laptop, but my friends Alex, Jordan and Miranda convinced me to step out of my comfort zone and go with them. We planned every detail, well, I did, I just wanted to make sure nothing went wrong. The guys kept making fun of me about how cautious I was being, they said I was just being paranoid and that I read too many books.

I can remember Alex saying, "Come on Shannon, we will be with you the entire time, Jordan and I have been there dozens of times and know the place like the back of our hands." That sure convinced me.

Just standing on the edge of the forest I could tell it was huge. Tall, green trees towered over us. The air was moist and had a slight summer chill to it, just like they always do mid July, you could tell it was going to be a beautiful day.

We started off down the trail which was just wide enough for two people to walk side by side with little wiggle room. Jordan and Alex led the way while Miranda and I stayed back. The guys did what guys do and joked around, pushing and shoving eachother as they walked. Miranda and I just talked about some upcoming movies we wanted to see, the usual.

About an hour later we reached a cliff edge that looked over the vast ocean. The vast blue sky was free of clouds and the sun shined down on us. It was a sight worth seeing. Miranda and I were hypnotized but the boys seemed bored, they kept trying to get us to move on and keep walking but we didn't listen. They soon gave up and Miranda and I gave them our stuff and told them we would be back in a few as we ran off. It was breath taking, the crashing sound of the waves below us and the sweet smell of salt water filled our senses.

"To bad I left my phone with Jordan, this would be an amazing photo opportunity." Miranda muttered. She was quite the photographer, always looking for the perfect opportunity to show people her skills. "Shannon do you have your phone?" I reached in my back pocket and pulled out my smart phone. Maranda grind and greetally snached the phone out of my grasp.

After a few photos, my favorite being a selfie we too together smiling without a car in to world, we started to head back towards where we left the boys, but to our surprise they were nowhere in sight. We tried calling out their names but got no reply.

"This is probably one of their sick ideas of a joke, they know how much you didn't want to get lost but they still did this. When I see them I'm gonna give them a piece of my mind. Come on lets keep walking along the trail, maybe we will catch up to them." Miranda turned on her heel and started forward but before she could get to far I stopped her.
"What if they went back? Maybe we should go that way instead."

"That's silly Shannon. Come on we should try catching up."

"You do that. I will meet you at the car." With that we went our separate ways. I can tell you know that I regret ever leaving her. I should have push harder for her to come and if her stubborn shelf didn't I should have gone with her.

I jogged through the forest. Occasionally looking back to make sure no one was behind me. I'm paranoid like that. I reached the car in record time and sitting on the hood was no other than Alex and Jordan themselves smiling like they had no care in the world. That was until they looked behind me and found that I was alone. They slid off the hood and walked toward me.

"Where's Mandy?" Jordan asked.

"She kept on going, she thought you would keep going. I was going to meet her here when she found you guys." They looked at one another in panic then both ran as fast as they could down the trail.

4 hours later we are sitting in the police station. Maranda had fallen down a hill and hit her head pretty hard and broke her neck. The boys tried to get to her to warn her of the dangerous area but were too late. Alex found her just barely alive but she never made it back to the car. All because we walked different ways. My choice to leave her cost her life. I bet Alex and Jordan can say the same thing.

20 years later I look back at the picture and feel my heart squeeze painfully in my chest then drop to my stomach. The last picture she took.

The choices people make determine the future, they can not always predict the outcome but they can think about their options before you make them.