Faded Away

|ONE|

"Yo, Jack! We're gonna need another order of your special." Michelle hollered from across the dinning room. I nodded in response then grabbed another plate of fresh fries before pouring gravy and other toppings in the plate.

"Order up!" I hollered then slid the plate down the bar to Michelle. I wiped up behind the counter before tending to some of the customers who were sitting at the bar. I quickly and masterfully made people's mixed drinks and served their beers. The whole day, I was behind the bar until last call. I swept and mopped my area before scrubbing the bar with Clorox and Dawn dish soap mixed. I hung up my apron in the back before undoing the loose ponytail in my short hair. I checked my cell phone to see I had about 12 text messages from Blake, my best friend. I decided to call her and she answered almost immediately.

"JACKIE! Where are you?" She yelled over the loud music in the background.

"I'm leaving work. I had to close tonight." I sighed, digging in my purse for my keys. Blake must've heard me struggling because she asked what I was doing. "The usual, looking for my keys in the damn black hole I call my purse. What in the actual hell? Why can't I FUC-"

"Language!" Blake scolded from the other side of the line.

"My bad. I'll be right there. You by the boardwalk?" I said starting the engine to my blacked out Jeep.

"Yeah. Hurry up. CUTE GUYS. I REPEAT CUTE GUYS. THIS IS NOT A DRILL." She exclaimed. I rolled my eyes before hanging up and pulling out of the parking lot. I knew that somehow Blake was gonna try to set me up with someone as usual. I cranked up my stereo as one of my favorite songs by Garth Brooks came on. I sang along until I came up to a stop light and an older model silver Bronco pulled up next to me. I ignored the cat calls coming from the passengers. There were about 5 guys in the vehicle and all of them except the driver were hollering at me.

"You wanna race?" The thin framed guy with black hair who was sitting in the shot gun seat yelled. I shook my head and laughed. They started telling the driver to rev his engine. "C'mon you know you want to. Show us what your jacked Jeep can do." I gripped the steering wheel and slammed the gas as soon as the light turned. It was neck and neck until I hit my turn off to get to the old boardwalk. I saw the Bronco was going in the same direction and huffed. They followed close behind me all the way to the sand. I parked next to Blake's land cruiser and called her up so she could come to meet me. A few minutes later, she came running up to the vehicle and handed me the clothes she grabbed for me. I got in the cruiser, slipped into a pair of cut off shorts and a blue tribal tank top. I put on my strappy sandals and jumped out.

"Damn girl." She said with a low whistle.

"Shut up. Now let's go." I laughed as I slugged her in the arm. We raced down to the where the fire was, and I beat Blake because she biffed it half way down. I laughed hysterically as she came up to me, spitting out sand left and right. I sat in a beach chair as I watched my friends and some new faces party around the large fire. I grabbed a beach towel and a few Miller Lites before walking to the remains of the old boardwalk. I set myself up underneath the structure near the water. I cracked open a can while sitting quietly away from the drunken noise of the party.

"I held you closer than I had a right to hold but the only thing that time can't take away, is I knew you that way." I mumbled softly to the music. I couldn't quite listen to this song without it bringing tears to my eyes and making me think about that last spring break many years ago.

"I promise, one day I'll come back and you'll leave with me. I love you." He cupped my face and planted a kiss on my forehead. God, after three years of this, you'd think I was used to him leaving. He held me close as our feet dangled off the boardwalk high above the water.