Let This One Go

Sixty Seven;

"What?" I ask when I reach Veronica and the girls next to her with smiles were full of mischief.

"You seem like you're enjoying yourself, you're even a little bit tipsy."

"No, I only had a few cups." My slur deceives me.

She smiles. "That's adorable, Chloe tell me how daring do you feel tonight?"

"Daring?"

"Yeah, I bet you feel like you can do anything with a bit of liquor in your system."

"Whatever you guys are doing, I'm not apart of it." I say before walking away.

"God Chloe, you're such a buzz kill. Are you afraid daddy might find out about this? It's a shame that even after all these years you don't know how to make your own choices."

"I don't listen to him." I turn around swiftly.

"It's okay Chloe, you're a good girl. You always were and always will be, go ahead and go back to singing those campfire songs, we'll be over here having some real fun." She motions to the girls by her side.

"What are you guys doing?" I ask stepping closer to them.

"We're going up on the diving board and jumping in the water, for old time's sake."

I look pass her and up at the tall diving board at least thirty feet from the surface of the water. "That's dangerous, no one has gotten on that board for years. How do you know if it's even sturdy enough?"

"Of course it's sturdy, it's only been a few years. Unlike you we don't worry about the little possibilities, this is my last summer in Stillton and I want to go out with a bang, no pun intended." She hints to the fact that it's the Fourth of July.

Her and the girls laugh aimlessly as they continue up this long boardwalk that reached the other side of the lake. Veronica turns around and smirks at me. "Don't be such a baby Smith, let loose for one night."

I look over my shoulder, being on this boardwalk was already pretty far from all the people who were now crowding around the fire. I'm fully unaware of Veronica's intentions, I don't know what she's up to, but I was still tempted.

Letting the liquor speak for itself I slowly follow behind the group of girls, walking further and further from the beach.

H A R R Y ' S      P . O . V

I could hear multiple conversations and the thumping of the loud music coming from the beach. I brought the drink up to my lips, but nothing dripped out of it. I reached the bottom of the bottle but I could still feel, that's not what I wanted.

I huff throwing the bottle aside hearing it clink against rocks and slumped my back against this tree looking up at the now empty bird's nest. I've been sitting here for the entire time staring up at that nest. I wanted to see if those baby birds were still there, but I guess they were old enough to spread their wings now. That freshly made and well put together nest full of small birds no bigger than my palm crying out was not abandoned, quiet, and the twigs were barely hanging on.

I needed another drink, I'm just trying to forget what Chloe said to me, but it isn't working. How could she think that I don't want her?

"If I want Ethan then I will be with Ethan, being with him is sure as hell easier than being with you."

Her words cut through me like a knife, I was upset because I knew it was true. Her father told me hours ago that I didn't deserve her and maybe that was true. I should go out there right now and assure her that I do still need her, but I can't find myself to do it. Every time I stand up and take a step forward, I remember what she told me in the car and sit back down.