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Chapter One

       We have known each other since we were kids. Our parents knew each other so we grew up together. We even lived in the same house when my mom and dad divorced. My dad and I moved in with them when I was five years old and from then on we lived like siblings to each other. My mom tried to come back into my life when I graduated high school, but I couldn't let her after what happened. Patrick Booth was my best friend. We went to concerts, road trips, and the highs and lows of high school together. We've been through everything together and it'll always remain that way.
    "Carrie!" I heard Patrick yell from outside my door "We're gonna be late for the concert!" I hurry up and grab my concert bag and opened up the door. We ran down the stairs, Patrick was a lot faster than me because of how tall he was. Patrick was a very tall and lanky person, he was about 5'11" and was about 150 pounds. Compared to me he looked like a stick. I was very short 4'10" and weighed more than Patrick by ten pounds. I was short and stout compared to the green bean I call my friend.
    "Where are you guys going?!" I heard his mom yelled from the kitchen, every Sunday she makes "family" dinners. We all know it's to make us eat in the same room as each other.
    We walk into the kitchen and grab some water bottles and snacks for on the ride there. "We're going to the concert, it's the first one since we graduated." Patrick explained to his mom. She looked at him, smiled, and went back to cooking.
    "Be safe when driving, there's been a lot of crashes on the highway lately and I don't need you both to die." We hugged her and go outside and get into my car. I throw him the keys and get into the passenger side of the Volkswagen van, buckle up, and turn on the radio to our favorite station that played Jimi Hendrix, The Beatles, and The Byrds. "Here Comes The Sun" started playing and we both sang along to it, it was perfect timing because the sun started to come out from behind the clouds. We drove for a few hours since the concert was out of state, most of the concerts we go to are out of state because we live in the middle of nowhere. It was great if you didn't want to be near anyone, but it was really lonely at the same time.
    "Hey, wake up. We're here." I heard Patrick say while shaking me to wake up. We went inside the venue and stayed there until it was pitch black outside and left to go back home. We sat in silence and I was falling in and out of sleep. Pat drove to a diner we always stop at and we got out and entered.
    "Hey there kiddos! Haven't seen you guys in awhile," Sally enthusiastically said as we sat down at our usual table ",so should I just tell Dolly that it's the usual for you too?"
    "Yes please!" Patrick tells her and Sally walks into the kitchen, told Dolly, and walked right back out.
    "What's up with you guys lately?" she asks us both. We just shrug our shoulders and she starts to laugh.
    "You guys seem tired. Did you come back from a concert?"
    "Yeah, it was pretty wild. Someone took off their clothes and started to run around, don't know where he passed out but it was quite entertaining," I start to chuckle from the memory and added on "We also graduate last night!"
    "You guys need to stop growing up and let me live my life, I feel old."
    Patrick perked up "You don't look it."
    "It's because you guys talk to me, even my own grandchildren don't talk to me."
    "Sally," I say, ''they're not even a year old yet."
    "They're hiding something. I'll let you two be, it's close to midnight and the trucker rush is about to start."
    "That's Pats' favorite time, he likes to see the different characters that come and go."
Sally laughs at that and gets up, grab our food, and goes back to the kitchen. We eat in peace and sit there for a bit finishing up our drinks. I notice that Patrick's not really talkative, he normally is after a concert like that.
    "Hey, is everything alright?" He looks like he's seen a ghost. He nods his head and looks out the window.
    "No, you're not okay. What happened? You look like you just saw a ghost and it flew through you!" I say now shaking him to get his attention.
    "I was drafted into the war."
    "What?" I started to cry.
    "I'm leaving this weekend, Carrie. I'm going into the war." He told me not daring to look into my eyes. I tried to make him look my way, but he didn't.
    "Stop joking, it's not funny anymore!" I yell at him getting up from the booth. He turns toward me and I can see that he's been crying. I grab my stuff and leave to go to the van, but he catches me before I can open up the door.
    "It's not a joke Carrie. I'm leaving in two days." He states while I fumble with my keys.
    "Get in the car." My voice is barely above a whisper.
    "What?"
    "Get in the car." I was finally able to make my voice loud enough for him to heat. He gets into the passenger side and i get in and start the car. We sit in silence for awhile before I start to speak up.
    "I'm not mad."
    "Don't be like my mom," I look over and he's crouched looking out the window, he's been crying since we left, ''Don't say you're disappointed in my life because this happened. We all knew it was going to happen. So why can't you just be happy that I'm going to do something with my life finally?"
    "I'm not going to say that," We got home. We're just sitting in the driveway, "I never was going to say that towards you. I just wish you told me sooner so that way I could prepare."
    "Carrie, you've lived your life with me around. Why are so clingy towards me?" He looked me dead in the eyes when he said that. And that was the moment that I knew he never wanted to be around me.
    "You've been my only friend. The only person who truly liked me and now you're saying to let you go?! I can't let you leave and go off to some country just to die! I wouldn't know how to live with myself if that happened." I yell at him turning off the engine and getting out. He follows me out of the car and starts to yell from the other side.
    "Then why don't you join as well! They're letting females in to actually fight and use weapons!" At the point I stop. My body felt like I was going to puke and my mind was numb. I stare up at Patrick and say,
    "I think I will," Patrick tries to grab ahold of me and yelling that it's a dumb idea, "What part of the army are you going into!" I yell from inside the car.
    "The Marines." He says. Disbelieve on his face.
    "I'll be back when I joined." I tell him as I leave the driveway.
I drive back after sitting in the office for five hours. It was around eight a.m. when I finally got home. I park the van and grab the papers that say I was allowed to join and fight. I look up when I hear my dad yelling.
    "What were you thinking?!"
    "I was thinking that if Pat dies, I die."
    "That's a stupid idea! You're going to die! I can't lose my only child."
    "Dad," I hug him tightly, "You're not going to lose me."
    "I know," His voice is quiet, "You're strong and smart. I just ask one thing."
    "What's that?" I ask.
    "Write to me once every other week, and the week that you don't write you'll get a letter from me," I nod my head and he doesn't let go, "Let's go get your stuff together."