Saved

It's only the beginning.

Hi, my name is Sara Beckett and this is the story of how I was saved. I live in a small town in northern Minnesota called Fairmont. This story all started when I went into this coffee shop where a friend of mine Ethan Miller works. We had graduated from high school, two months prior and I hadn't seen him since. He was one of my closest friends and I really missed him so I decided to go see him. If he wouldn't have been working that day this story would have never existed.

"Dad I'm going out I'll be back later" I yelled as I was grabbing my keys and leaving the house. "Ok, check in tonight so I know where you are spending the night." My dad is a farmer and works long hours so he's not around much. Due to this fact, he lets me come and go as I please because he knows how lonely I get when I'm along for long periods of time. I smiled and left the house backing out of my driveway. My first stop is in one of the small towns that is about fifteen minutes from my house called Lanesboro. This town is known for being a big tourist town but it only has one very small grocery store that also doubles as a coffee shop and this was where I was heading. My friend Ethan (who I've had a crush on for the last two year) works here as a barista. I never told him how I felt but he has been one of my closest friends so I decided to go try and see him. I pulled up in front of the shop and I didn't see his car but he could have walked to work today. I got out and was walking into the shop when I noticed it looked like the shop was having a celebration of some sorts today because there was a lot of people on the patio. I shrugged it off and went inside.

The first people I saw was Ethan's bosses and the owners of the store Caleb and Tyler. They both smiled at me remembering me from all of the other times I had stopped by to see him before. "Ethan is in the back getting more coffee he'll be back out soon," Caleb said when I gave him a hopeful look. I sat down on one of the stools provided and took out my phone and started scrolling through it. I quickly became engrossed in my scrolling to the point that I didn't realize that Ethan was behind the counter until he was placing a drink in front of me. I gave him a confused look as I said, "I didn't order yet." "Sara over the last two years while we were still in school you came in her about once a week occasionally around a test or when you were having family issues you were here more frequently and you always order the same drink a medium blended dark chocolate mocha with extra chocolate. You may have not been here in the last two months but I highly doubt your choice of drink has changed." He said while giving me a look that says seriously you'd think if forget your favorite drink. His words made me blush. I never realized that I was so predictable. "Thank you. I didn't realize that my drink order was so predictable." "Sara you've ordered it so often that my Caleb and Tyler even know it as your order and they've never served you." I laughed because I realized it's true. At that moment another customer came up and Ethan took her order.

When Ethan was done with her order he came back and we talked for a little while before I asked the question that had been the reason I came in today. "Ethan where have you been the last two months? I haven't seen you since graduation and Tyler and Caleb always gave me a sad look when I came in. I may have been here at least once a week for the past two years but you have also been here every time I was. I missed you." He turned his face away from me and tried to ignore my questions. Eventually, he answered when he realized I was going to leave without an answer. "I had a family emergency and had to leave." "You couldn't text me and let me know what's up. You just left with no explanation and I kept coming in here wondering where you were like an idiot." "Sara I had to leave I can't tell you but I had to and I can't tell you any more than that." "Still it stands why couldn't you send me a text telling me you had to leave or answer any of my texts?" At this point, my voice was getting shaky and my eyes were tearing up. I could tell he was getting upset but I wasn't ready for what happened next." "No, I couldn't answer and I don't need to tell you when I go somewhere I am my own person and do my own things now just leave me alone!" He yelled at me. Tears started falling down my face and I could feel my heart breaking as I ran from the building. My best friend just told me to leave him alone like we were never friends.

When I got outside I had tears streaming down my face and I didn't know what to do. I looked around and fell to my knees in pain. My heart felt like it was breaking and I don't know why it hurts so bad. All of a sudden I felt a pair of arms wrap around my shoulders and help me stand up.  I was crying too hard to tell who it is but they helped me into a building across the street and into the bathroom. They handed me tissues and I could hear a soothing voice but I couldn't make out the words through my sobs. I was starting to calm down and I was able to see through the tears and see who it was. It was Carina Ethan's cousin. She was a year ahead of Ethan and me in school so we didn't really interact very often but the few times we did hang out we got along really well. She was really nice and sweet and if she had been in my class we probably would have been really close friends.

After about ten minutes the tears had stopped streaming down my face and my sobbing breaths had returned to normal breathing. "What happened Sara?" Was the question that came out of Carina's mouth. By the look on her face, I could tell she already knew why she just wanted confirmation from me so she could go kick his ass. I couldn't look her in the eyes because I didn't want her to see the emotions in my eyes. "He didn't mean to do it. I just pushed him too far. If he didn't want to tell me I shouldn't have pushed him." I know I shouldn't be giving him an out like this and that I shouldn't let him treat me like this but I couldn't help but feel that it was my fault. "Sara by no means is it your fault. You were not in the wrong and he had no reason to go off on you like he did. He has a temper that he needs to get over and realize that he is just hurting the people he cares about by doing this. I know you like him and he may not realize but I truly believe that he likes you too but he is too stupid to admit it!" Carina was trying to be gentle but I could hear the harsh tone in her voice.

Even though we didn't hang out very often she was always protective of me when we did. This was one of the few things she and Ethan had in common well up until this moment. This fact also caused them to butt heads whenever we would all hang out together. "Just say the words, and I will go beat the shit out of him. He had no right to treat you like that and he doesn't deserve your forgiveness." "Carina Marie Miller I want you to leave Ethan alone! He was out of line but so was I and I don't want you to hurt him. Yes, I am angry at him but I also forgive him. He and I both just need to cool off. I will talk to him in a couple of days and smooth things over. Until then I want you to leave him alone." As I was very firmly telling Carina to leave her cousin alone I hopped off the counter that was in the bathroom she had brought me to. She looked at me with a pleading look but I stood my ground. She finally nodded her head in agreement but I could tell she was not going to go easy on him anytime soon.

We walked out of the bathroom together and I then realized that we were in the commonweal theater. Carina is studying to be an actress and was working here over the summer. She walked me to the front of the building and I hugged her goodbye. She then went back to her rehearsal and I walked to my car and got in. Before I turned the key in the ignition I paused and took a brief glance at the coffee shop where my best friend no doubt was still working. I contemplated going over and telling him off but it wouldn't do any good. I then looked away and started my car.

I drive out of town and had no idea where I was going. I didn't want to go home and my best friend didn't want to see me. At that moment I looked into my rearview mirror and saw my art bag in the back seat and I knew exactly where I was going to go.

I pulled my car into a field drive. This field drive was surrounded by trees and long enough that my car would be hidden from the sight of people driving by on the road. The place I came to is a place that Ethan and I would come to hang out where we could escape the stress and pressures of real life. Coincidentally and unfortunately this field was owned by Ethan's parents and their house wasn't far away.  I grabbed my picnic blanket and art bag from the back seat of my car and started walking. It was about a five-minute walk from the field drive to our spot. Our spot was a lone tree in the middle of the field surrounded by a small patch of grass. On a knoll overlooking an old homestead. There was a house, a barn, and a few other building. It was in pretty good shape but nobody lived there. Ethan's parents own it but they chose to build a new acreage on their neighboring property.

The area surrounding our spot is so beautiful and often when we came he I would bring my art supplies and draw or paint the scenery. It's one way I like to distress and calm my self. Something about the area is just so soothing. As I was walking to the tree I was looking around and deciding what to draw. I laid out my blanket under the shaded part of the tree and sat down. I was facing the little farm and the way the light was shining in the afternoon sun was perfect. I took out my artbook and my oil pastels and set to work on capturing the scene before me.