Echoes in the Wind

1

May 15th, 2016

18-year-old Jayson waited in his car out front of the Parker residence. He had some good news for his best friend and he couldn't wait to share it.

Running out of her house Nadia had exciting news of her own she wanted to share with her best friend. The two were near the end of Senior year of High School meaning many opportunities took place.

As she got in she was greeted with a kiss on her cheek from Jayson. They made their way to a place they always ate at, they like to call it their spot. So many thoughts ran through the two lovers' minds, scared of what the future held for their relationship/friendship.

15 minutes and a couple of conversations later they were seated in a booth waiting on their pizza and wings to come out. The energy from the two could be felt from a mile away. You could tell something drastic was going to happen between the two.

"I have exciting news" Nadia finally spoke. "Me too, go first," Jayson said as he sat up in the booth.

"Okay,' Nadia was nervous but she didn't understand why. This was her best friend since the 4th grade. "I committed to Stanford." She said excitedly as she could watch her best friend's face drop but quickly recovered with a smile.

Jayson tried to hide his disappointment, but it was written all over his face. He had hoped that Nadia would go to Duke in the fall as they talked about as kids so that they could continue their friendship and maybe even explore a romantic relationship.

"That's great news, Channy," he said, trying to sound happy for her. "I'm proud of you."

Nadia could tell something was off, and she couldn't help but feel hurt that Jayson wasn't as excited as she had hoped he would be. But she didn't want to dwell on it and decided to share her friend's excitement.

"Wassup, what's your exciting news?" she asked, trying to change the subject.

Jayson hesitated for a moment before finally speaking up. "I got a full-ride scholarship to Duke," he said, trying to sound more enthusiastic this time.

Nadia's face lit up. "That's amazing, Jay! Congratulations!" she exclaimed, genuinely happy for her friend. The two conversed and ate for the remaining time. Nadia couldn't help but pick up on the energy and behavior shift Jayson portrayed.

As they finished their meal, Nadia couldn't shake off the feeling that something was off with Jayson. She decided to confront him about it as they got into Jayson's 2008 Honda Accord.

"Hey, Jay, wassup you okay?" she asked, looking at him with concern as he drove with his jaw slightly clenched.

Jayson hesitated before finally opening up. "I'm happy for you, Channy, I really am. But I can't stop feeling that you're going all the way to California. While I'll be here in North Carolina. We've talked about going to Duke since 4th grade, you know." He said while keeping his eyes on the road.

The rest of the ride the two sat in complete silence, Nadia didn't respond, she just looked at Jayson in disbelief. She couldn't believe how her best friend was acting. As he pulled up to her house the two got out and entered the home. They made their way to her room and they both got comfortable.

Feeling the energy, Jayson asked, " So we aren't going to talk about it?"

Like a ticking time-bomb, Nadia replied, "It's so fucking selfish of you to guilt trip me using something we said as 8-year-olds Jay. You haven't thought about my future, only yours, we based that dream off of your plan to get to the NBA. Not ONCE did we discuss my plans. Now I have an opportunity of a lifetime and you want me to give that up for what? To be your lap dog?" As she was now on her feet standing in front of him.