"Someone once told me that all your problems could be washed away in the sea. Guess that's not true for me."
One Year Older is a tale of Daya Johnston, whose love story unfolds by the sea during the spring break of her final year of high school. Her...
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As I sat on Banks' bed, my journal cradled in my lap, I thought about Jay. I could barely sleep the night before thinking about him. And besides college and my dad, he was the first thing on my mind that morning. Jay was my oldest friend. We shared a childhood together. We used to talk about going to college together, planning out our lives like starry-eyed kids.
I recall the day as if it were a page torn from a storybook. Jay and I were ten, our spirits as wild as the wind that rustled through the woods behind his house. We were explorers on a grand adventure, rulers of an unseen kingdom, and we believed we could conquer the world together.
He laughed as we walked through the wooded forest. "We'll get married at eighteen," Jay declared once. "Right after high school ends. Then we'll find a house near school and be together forever." It was a silly promise, the kind children make without understanding the significance of eternity.
I just rolled my eyes and pushed him before running away. We were playing tag, our favorite game, darting between trees and leaping over roots.
"Bet you can't catch me!" I taunted a challenge that he eagerly accepted.
"You're mine," he shouted back. But it was true. I was his at one point.
We ran until our lungs burned and our legs ached. But then, my foot was caught on a hidden root, and I tumbled to the ground with a cry, pain searing through my knee.
Jay was at my side in an instant, his brown eyes wide with concern. "Daya, are you okay?" He asked with worry.
I tried to stand, but my knee buckled, and tears welled in my eyes, not just from the pain, but from the fear of being a burden. Jay didn't hesitate. With a strength that seemed miraculous, he scooped me up into his arms and carried me back to his house, as if I were as light as a feather.
His mom was waiting, her hands gentle as she examined my knee. "What happened?" She asked, her brow furrowed.
Jay took the blame without a second thought. "It was my fault, Mom. I was chasing her, and Daya tripped," he said.
He stayed by my side the entire time, holding my hand and whispering apologies. I knew it wasn't his responsibility, but he protected me, even from the smallest consequence.
As I lay on the couch, an ice pack numbing the pain, Jay sat beside me. He didn't leave, not even when his favorite cartoon came on or when his mom offered him cookies. He loved me, and it was evident in every action he took. Jay was my knight in shining armor, even at the tender age of ten.
That day in the woods, we planned a future together. One I thought for many years would hold true.
And though life has taken us down different paths, our childhood friendship would always tie us together. It was a reminder that once upon a time, Jay and I promised to always be there for each other.
