Jenna had been best friends with Everett for years. One morning, he leaves her house after one of their weekend sleepovers and she doesn't hear from him for months.
After worrying and worrying, a letter shows up.
Jenna, now alone has to discover wha...
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DECEMBER - TWO YEARS AGO - DOMINICAN
"Do you think it ever rains here?" Everett asked, we were at the beach. Selena had went shopping for our 'Dominican presents.' "It doesn't seem like it, but yes." We went into the water, he splashed me again. "Will you stop that?" I laughed. I splashed him back, the waves slowly taunted us to continue our back and fourth game. I dove underwater to avoid being splashed. I had done that very move the day before. He picked me up again, "Everett!" I Splashed into the water but he fell too. We got up quick, he held my hands in his. It was like no one else was around, just me and him. This feeling happened a lot most times. He didn't pull away, I wasn't moving either. "Do you want to go for a walk?" He asked. This was when I moved my hands away, "okay." It only came out as a whisper.
I felt like I hadn't breathed until we were halfway down the beach, "Everett, what was that?" I asked. he turned to look at me, his eyes had a different look to them. "I, I don't know." We stopped in our tracks and turned to face each other. The sun was going down and he leaned in, Everett kissed me. I backed up and tripped over a rock and fell into the water, my mind racing. "Jenna are you okay?" He helped me up, "do you not remember what I told you?" I felt like I was scolding him, my cheeks were flared red and I was upset, I knew that. "I'm, I'm sorry." I couldn't even look at him, "I told you that I'm not ready, I'm still not."
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JANUARY - TWO YEARS BEFORE-
My friend Adam and I were walking in his town, the streets were covered in snow. We weren't talking much but I watched as his hand reached for mine and we interlocked. I smiled. "Today is my last day of break," he says. "You're so lucky you have two extra days," I remembered that last year I half thought about going to school here, it was just 30 minutes away from my home but, I couldn't leave. I didn't want to be away from Everett, again. "I guess so," were we just ignoring the holding hands thing? "I made this awkward didn't I?" He laughed. "Kinda yeah, but I like it, I like you." I didn't even stutter. The cars kept moving though, the snow still fell and the town still made noise. Time didn't stop, I thought it would. "Jenna, I, I think I like you too."
DOMINICAN -
I didn't look at Everett, tears streamed down my face. "I didn't think, I'm really sorry Jenna." I turned to look at him, "you know what, it's okay, it's not your fault. I'm sorry, I haven't been completely honest with you," I said. "I can't get over it, I know we weren't together for very long, Adam and I. He hurt me however, you saw how much I struggled to work my way through that, I guess since then, I've been hiding it but, I can't. I can't just pick myself up, I like you Everett as more than a best friend but, I can't just jump right into this right now." I looked up at him, his grey eyes met me. "Did I ever break you this much?" I stared up at him, his eyes were serious. "You will never do anything that will hurt me as much as he did." He smiled, "well I hope that one day I can make you happier than he ever did."
TWO YEARS BEFORE DOMINICAN - SPRING
"So what are we doing today?" Adam and I had met up everyday of our spring break so far, and so far we had one to a hockey game in the city, played all the games in the arcade and watched a movie. Today, we had no plans other than relaxing at his house. "I don't know, let's just play some video games." There was an off tone in his voice, everything was moving so fast as I tried to shake the thought off. "Okay then," I grabbed a controller. We played our favorite game and when he died, the controller fell to the floor. He threw it and it had made me jump. "Are you okay?" I thought of calling my mom, turn off the highway come get me somethings wrong. I tried to shake the thought. There was a knock on the door, his Nan never knocked. He got up, it was the front door I realized. I followed him anxiously, the hallway floors creaked beneath us. He opened the door and I watched as a girl flung her arms around him. "I couldn't wait to see you again! I know we just saw each other last night at Anna's dance but, like I said, couldn't wait." She giggled like some little girl on Christmas. She danced, she danced with Adam.
"What are you talking about?" She jumped off of him and turned to look at me, Adam looked at me like those cheating guys always look at their girlfriends in the movies. "No, no Adam, tell me that's not true." I felt small, like with one touch I would shatter into pieces. "Jenna," I sprang for the open door. Running up the hill, I knew my way around this town, I lived here before. He stood there: "I'm sorry!" Tears streamed down my face, running up the sidewalk. By the time I made it to our old school, I was out of breath and broken. My heart felt completely broken, it had never felt like this before.
The playground was still there, I walked into it. I remembered little Jenna, who ran around with her friends and Adam. I reached for my phone, "Mom, I want to go home, turn back." I said trying my hardest not to cry. "Do you need me?" She asked. "Mom, Mom, it's, it's over."
SUMMER - SAME YEAR - GRADUATION
I was wearing a blue grad gown and Everett had his arm around me, it had been months since I saw Adam but I hoped he'd come to my graduation. "Can you believe it? We're done high school!" Everett smiled. "Yeah, it's crazy." I looked around again one last time for Adam and frowned. "Hey, I know it's upsetting you that he's not here, but I am, and I'm pretty cool." Everett joked. "I never said you weren't, it's just, I want to forgive him." I said. "But why?" Everett asked. "That guy broke your trust, he's bad news." I turned to meet him, trying to fight back tears, again. "I still love him." I said quietly. "Yeah well, I'll tell you this, one day, we'll live together in that big house you're planning and you'll be the happiest person in this town." As much as I didn't want to picture his plan, I did and I liked it. "Maybe, if I can get over him."
Broken, forgotten memories are unforgotten and swarming around me like buzzing bees.
