Camp IX | ✓

12

     People remember. They might not remember where they left the car keys or if they need to buy milk but they remember far more important things.

     Ask any person where they were when JFK or Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated. Ask any person where they were when the Challenger exploded. They'll tell you. They'll tell you down to the last detail of what was happening when they witnessed history being made.

     I never thought I'd stand witness to an event of such magnitude. I always assumed I'd been born in an uneventful time. Between wars, mass global conflicts, and basically anything interesting. In eighteen years, many things had happened that would be written into the history books but I couldn't tell you where I was the day they happened.

     I once raised the topic with my mother. She was one of those people that remembered the Challenger explosion. She told me she hoped I never had to see an event like that.

     "Sometimes normal is safe, Nova," she had said.

     As much as my mother had hoped I'd never bare witness to anything life-changing, I guess I wasn't lucky enough to live my whole life free. Because I remember when they came. I remember where I was, what I was doing, and who I was with when they arrived with their cold violet eyes, harsh faces, and voices that sent a shudder down your spine. That day the world ended. That day I lost my normal, safe life. That day I learned to fight.

     They came in late May.

     -----------

     Finals came and went in a flurry of panic. I vaguely remembered Blaze threatening to throw 1984 out of the window if he had to discuss it in English one more time before the end of the year. I agreed with him. We'd gotten the book mid-October and done nothing else but analyze and discuss it since then.

     Ali's eye bags had gone from barely visible at the beginning of the week to dark and heavy by the end of it. Mine looked just as bad. In one week, I'd only managed to secure ten hours of sleep. Not ten a night. Oh no. Ten total for the whole week.

     Caffeine was my new best friend and my parents voiced their concern over my growing lack of self-care.

     "Nova, you're still going out in public," my mother admonished me as I pulled my hair into a very messy bun one morning. "At least put on some pants."

     "Sweatpants count," I reached for the coffee. "Everyone at school agrees with me."

     And they did. By Friday, even the most fashion forward of the school had given in to sweatpants and hoodies. Blankets became a normal accessory and the school looked more like a giant slumber party than an actual school.

     After finals came Christmas, where my scented candle supply was restocked and after Christmas came New Years. Blaze, Ali and I all sat on Blaze's corner lawn and watched the fireworks that the town puts on every year. Despite the chilly air and constant puffs of breath from our mouths, the fireworks were an enjoyable part of the night.

     January rolled around and brought with it heaps and heaps of snow. There was too much even for the snowplows to get through. They called it the worst winter storm in thirty years, closed the school and most of the town. Everything came to a standstill for several days while people dug themselves out. My family decided that we could either freeze trying to get out or settle in and ride the thing out. We chose the latter and found some movies to help us along.

     Valentine's day came and the three of us continued our long-standing tradition of getting each other chocolate and flowers. Blaze surprised me with a large bouquet of red and pink carnations. I had to admit, he impressed me with his thoughtfulness.

     March and most of April passed without incident until Ali got a boyfriend. He was in her Chemistry class and a part of the baseball team. Track girl and baseball boy, what a match. He became a part of our little group but there was an awkwardness there. He didn't quite get our jokes and only seemed to be there because of Ali. And in case you were wondering, they were the PDA couple. They were constantly kissing and holding each other. If I learned anything it was knock before entering any room, not just Ali's.

     Because of this, Blaze and I found ourselves holed up in the kitchen of Ali's home a lot. We didn't want to stop hanging out with her because of the boyfriend but they made us really uncomfortable when we got together. We once tried to broach the subject to her but she got offended and we left it.

     Blaze and I found ourselves growing closer. We'd stay up late texting each other even if it was to complain about upcoming tests and schoolwork. We even hung out a couple of time without Ali. Not purposely, of course, she just had dates those days.

     Through all this, track remained a constant. Every day on the track running in circles, finishing sprints, doing core exercises, you name it we did it. And it really paid off. Barely anyone got sick or injured. We performed at top level every meet and wiped the track with Acadia High School. We took that league banner back and hung it in its rightful place, our gym.

     As the end of our senior year of high school came to a close, we learned where we'd be going to college. Blaze and I would be staying in state. Me at a community college and Blaze at a University. Ali had been accepted at a college in Florida and had been given a full ride to run track for them.

     It was strange to see our whole lives being laid out ahead of us. The next four years planned out in a straight line and after that, all the different ways we could go. For one shining second all that possibility hung before us ready to become a reality.

     And most days I wonder what would have happened if they hadn't come.