Chapter 31
~JOSH~
We sit together on the cliff the following morning, enjoying the last few hours we have of alone time.
"What if nobody shows up?" Zack asks me, observing the quiet peaceful environment which is still lacking all other human activity.
"Then we'll be here even longer," I reply.
"Why makes you think anyone will show up though?"
"It's a well-known swimming hole, somebody'll show up eventually."
He just nods his head in agreement.
"If no one shows up by tomorrow then I guess we'll keep moving. The trail should be close by somewhere. I prefer someone who knows their way around the area to show us but if we have to then we'll go on our own."
After a second or two of silence, Zack quickly changes the subject to something I think we'd both rather talk about. "Last night was... awkward," he says coyly.
My cheeks turn red. "Yeah, I know," I chuckle.
"But it was great," he adds, filling my heart with all the joy in the fucking world!
"Really?" I say, stunned. I really thought the morning after would be awkward as fuck.
"Yeah, man," he answers with a slight grin.
Now I can't help but smile knowing that things won't turn out negatively like they did the last time. This time we're both content with what happened and I couldn't be happier about that.
Around three in the afternoon, we at last come upon some hikers passing along, and just after I've caught their attention, Zack mutters to me, "We should've gone like you said," referring to my suggestion about running away together. Now we have to go back and live the rest of our fucking lives without each other. I have no idea how I'm going to make it without him.
The hikers help us find our way to the trail and even provide us with a map of the camping grounds. Within just a few hours we arrive back on the camping site right before sunset. When we get there, we reunite with Erica who reveals to us that Anna and Dakota were out looking for us along with an entire search party, which is what they've been doing for the past two days. Guess they can call that off now.
By the next day, we pack everything up and prepare for the road home.
"So have you made up your mind about what you're gonna do yet?" I ask Zack as I help load some of the shit in the back of Erica's SUV.
"I don't really have many options, man. I know I told you I did but... I didn't get into college. Military's the only option I have now," he reveals to me.
"You got rejected from all the colleges you applied to?" I find that hard to believe. Zack's not that dumb, is he?
"I only applied to one?"
I roll my eyes over his stupidity. "Dude, that's so dumb. Maybe if you applied to more—"
"I didn't even want to go to college. I only applied to that one school cuz of you."
"Well, what do you want?"
"I don't know. I'll let you know when I figure it out."
"But if you do go to the military, does that mean I'll never see you again? Our friendship's over?" I keep on thinking the worst now that summer's over. I was hoping that he would change his mind about going to college but since he didn't even get in he doesn't have that luxury.
"Of course not. We'll always be friends. Nothing could ever change that," he assures me, placing his hand on my shoulder.
"But if we don't see each other...?"
"We'll figure something out when we cross that bridge," he says with what I feel to be blind optimism. "Wanna ride home together? I could even drive."
"Duh?"
The drive home is quite relaxing but sad at the same time. We reflect on the past twelve years of our friendship, recalling some of our best times together. We've had quite a lot actually, but I think our time at Yosemite takes the cake. Other than the fighting part, I think this was one of our best summers together. We kicked it off with a pretty sick beach party, then went on a fun road trip to LA where we went clubbing and had a pretty rad time together at Magic Mountain, and lastly we got lost but still had fun at Yosemite. It was certainly a summer to remember. Even the bad is worth remembering, which may sound pretty stupid, but it allowed me a chance to grow and learn more about myself. I'm definitely not the same person I was at the beginning of the summer and I know that neither is Zack. We've both grown up and accepted what we can't change.
"Ya know, I'm actually looking forward to this whole military thing," Zack tells me, suddenly sounding optimistic about it.
"Oh yeah?"
"Yeah, I think I'm going into the Marine Corps. Maybe that would be a better place for me than college because honestly, I hate schoolwork. To me, it feels like such a waste of time."
"To each his own, I guess. But yeah I'm happy that you're getting your life together."
"Thanks, man. I know you're gonna do big things in life. Smart guys like you always do."
"Ha, yeah right."
"Yeah, you will! As for me, who knows? I might just die on the battlefield if it comes to that."
"Don't say that. It's bad enough that you're leaving but dying? I don't even wanna think about that." I just can't fucking bear the idea of finding out that he died in combat.
"Yeah... but don't you worry about seein' me again though. We will see each other again, alright?"
I know that's not a guarantee obviously since he may be forced to go off into war or something like that, but I agree with him anyway just to keep my sanity.
And right as we agree to see each other again, a familiar song plays on the radio, and this time the both of us sing along to it from top to bottom.
YOU ARE READING
Summer Milestone
Teen Fiction[boyxboy] Eighteen-year-old Josh Crimson has been best friends with Zack Clifton ever since childhood but when Zack is forced to move away the summer before their senior year of high school, Josh feels as if he has lost something in his life. A year...
