When The Clock Goes Backwards

Chapter 5

I'll take you to October 1, 2015. School had started and I was doing well grades wise. Brena was my girlfriend and I was happy. I had stopped smoking weed the past year and was clean. Everything was good until that night. Everything would take a turn for the worst.

The past two years was probably the best time of my life. I had a really amazing girlfriend who actually got me to like my birthday. My sister got a job and is "trying" to get clean, even though she goes to Hugo's every Saturday to get more weed. Besides that it was going really good until Brena broke the news on our Friday swim.

"I'm moving."

She got me by surprise and I got really happy thinking that she would get out and see more of the world.

"Really? Where are you moving to?"

"Portland, Oregon. My dad got a job there," as she said this her voice got really quiet and she started to cry. Not the light kind of crying, but crying really hard. I didn't understand at first, but then it dawned on me. She didn't want to go because of me.

"Hey, don't cry. Just think of all the new friends you'll make. The new things you'll see."

This seemed to cheer her up a bit, so I just kept going.

"There will be lots of new people. Plus everything is better in Oregon, well at least the food. Oh, and just imagine your house. I bet it'll be big bec-"

"I'm not worried about that stuff. I'm worried about you."

When she said that I stopped trying to cheer her up. I didn't get why she would worry about me. It wasn't the fact that we'd be faraway from each other, so what did she mean?

"Come on. I take you home."

We got out, went to get our stuff and started to walk. Her house wasn't that far from the pool, so I would always walk her home from there. The whole walk she didn't talk until we were right outside her house.

"We're leaving tomorrow."

"What? You tell me this now? Really?"

"I understand if you're mad at me for not telling yo-"

"I'm not mad, I'm just surprised."

To be honest, I was mostly sad. Sad because she didn't tell me sooner. Sad because she didn't want to tell me. Sad because tomorrow would be the day two people left my life. The day Dad died.

"Well, I'll see you tomorrow before you leave, bye."

I left before she could say anything else. On the way home, which was about twenty-three blocks east from her house I started to think about the last few years. How on our first date she told me about her brother Sam, and how he would like me, which he did. How Avery embarrassed himself when Brena first met him. How when we first agreed to never tell each other that we loved one another unless we really meant it because how often people used that word. How the last two years were good. How much I would miss her. I wondered how much she would miss me.

The next day I was at her house early. We talked about what she wanted to do, and what I wanted to do. We had our last kiss just before her family got in the car to go to the airport.

"Hurry up Brena." her dad said impatiently.

"Okay Dad I'll be right there. Andrew I have to tell you something."

"What is it."

"I love you."

That was the last thing she said to me before she left. Earlier we agreed to something. We promised each other we would find someone else one day. I'm sorry I'm not going to be able to keep that promise. Then again, she can't now either.