Football Dreams

Off To Ohio- Chapter 3

Five months later----
"Sweetie, it'll be good for you to get out of here. I know it's been hard, but this town is filled with memories of you and Braydon. He would want you to move on with your life." My mom says. It's been five months since I lost him, and my mom is moving us from my childhood home, the sunny, beachfront, party city of Myrtle Beach, SC, to the farm fields and cold winters of Warsaw, Ohio.
"Mom, I can't just leave my friends, and all my memories in South Carolina, you can move me to China and the first time I see a football, everything will come flooding back. Braydon isn't just a memory; he's a part of me. And mom, Ohio has a big football college in it! Ohio State football was National Champions in 2014, it's only 2016, people are still hung up on that, and the fans are dedicated. It's like being state level champions in high school. The game that killed Braydon was state level, and people are still hooked on the team for playing on after Braydon." I say. But my mom just shakes her head, hands me a box labeled "Adria: Memories (FRAGILE)". She walks out, and I pack up every single picture of Bray and I, every birthday card from him, every gift he ever bought me, and put it in the huge box. I sigh, and carry the box into the garage to be put on the truck when we finish packing.
       I pack everything that I own and put in the truck, then I walk through my house and what I see tears my heart into pieces. I see one very painful memory that I can't pack up and take with me; Brynn. She walks in holding a big box labeled "Bray/Adria" and I'm in tears. Brynn walks in and hands me the box. She says "A, I know Braydon would want you to take all your memories of him. So I brought everything I could find that linked you guys together. It has all his pictures of you guys, his letterman jacket (that I know you secretly loved wearing when you got cold and he would give you it), his favorite sweatshirt, his keychain you made him, and a note he wrote you but never gave you. I think you should read it. He loved you, A. As a friend or as more, I don't know. But he died loving you more than anyone has ever loved someone before."
Tears fall from both our eyes, and Brynn sets the box on the floor, walks over, and hugs me. "I love him so much. Why'd he have to leave? It was too soon for him to die. He was so good, why'd he have to die? He should have lived, the doctor said he was gonna live!" I sob. She just hugs me, while I fall apart all over again.
I thought I could get my life together after a few months, but every time I see his face, or a hoodie he forgot at my house, I start to lose my breath, and I see his face, I hear his voice. And I fall apart all over again.
But the worst part is his scent. We pass someone who wears the same cologne, or I smell him on the many clothes I have that belonged to him, or even worse, the time I was at his house, and I walked into his room. It was like a blow to the gut, like knocking the wind out of me. I just break down, and every little bit of healing I did, gone.
"A, he would have wanted you to go to Ohio. Get a fresh start, not have to deal with all these memories in this town. Even me and my parents, I know we remind you of him. In fact, I saw my dad the other day, and for a second I thought Bray was standing in the doorway of my bedroom. But he's gone, A. And nothing we do will bring him back, and there was nothing we could do to save him. So you've gotta let him go. Save yourself, because staying here is like wallowing in the grief. It'll eat you alive. But we love you almost as much as Bray did, because let's be real, Bray loved you more than anyone. Okay, A?" Brynn says.
"Okay, B. I love you, soul sister. I gotta go, B. I have to get in the truck, before I get left behind, I'll call you every stinking chance I get. Just, promise me you'll visit Braydon's memorial for me? I used to go whenever I felt like I needed to calm down. And remember that I love you more than the whole entire world, and that if you decide to date someone, you have to video chat me with this so called "acceptable boy" so that I can make sure you don't date some bum who wears his pants at his knees and just likes your body. Because I will reach through that screen and staple that boy's pants to his waist, and boot him out the door, and you know I will. I love you B, I'm gonna miss you so much." I gush. Brynn smiles and hugs me and says "And I love you, A. And you better do the same thing, because I'm 18, I can fly my adult self out to see you and personally kick some Ohio butt. I love you, A. I'm gonna miss you. Bye, A." She hugs me one more time, and I say "Bye, B." We pull apart from our hug, and walk out to the truck, carrying the last two boxes. We load them into the truck, and I climb into the van we're using to tow the moving truck, and wave to Brynn, and blow her a kiss. She pretends to swat it away, and mouths "Ew!" with a laugh. I wave until I can't see her anymore, and then I look forward, ready to start over. I leave all my sad memories of the last five months, and I take a deep breath, and remind myself that I'm going to be okay again, and that I'm finished feeling hurt. I'll miss Braydon, and I certainly won't forget him, but I'm not going to cry that it's over, I'm going to smile, because it happened. Goodbye, South Carolina. Hello, new life. Hello, Ohio. Hello, happiness. Goodbye, sadness. What a feeling to finally be happy.