Loud sobbing is heard in the distance. It sounds like Robbie, but I can't be sure. We agreed to meet later. Regardless of how we feel about each other, he's still my best friend first and always. His father died here among the falls and forests, and like a fog-brained mother, I too have forgotten this detail.
I can't believe I forgot the name of the place of his father's fall. His father's death never made sense to any of us. Robbie was so quiet and upset about it I never pressed the issue. But somewhere in his grief, he blames himself for the death of his dead father.
It's not his fault the world came crashing down for him the day he went hunting. It was never clear why they hunted near the falls or why they followed a deer so close to the edge. The deer was found beside his father. Perhaps it pushed him over the edge. But unfortunately, his body was so destroyed by the fall that it was hard to determine anything in an autopsy. And Robbie was left fatherless, traumati
"What the hell, Missy? You hurt Sam!" I shout as Missy gets off Sam. She's knocked Sam out. There's a little bit of blood on her hands. I pick Sam up and cradle her on my lap."I didn't mean to hurt Sam. But she is trying to come between us, Robbie. She's trying to break us up. I can't let her do that.""Was knocking her out and dragging her out of my tent necessary? Get out of here! I don't want to see you right now. Go get, Mark, and tell him what you did to his fiance," I say while holding Sam in my arms.The entire camp is awake and is staring at the scene we are creating. It's Missy's fault. Sam wanted to comfort me in my time of need, and Missy had to go and get jealous. My mind wanders to the moments before Missy ruined my moment with Sam."Do you love me, Sam?""Yes, I do."Sam didn't hesitate in her response. She only spoke the truth. She only told me what I needed to hear, what we both knew to be true. That she loved me, and it's p
"Wow, I didn't think you had it in you," Percy says after Missy drives away.The night air is chilly, and Mark still hasn't texted anyone to tell us how Sam is doing. He's a good guy, so I know Sam's in good hands. At least someone can be there for her."What do you mean," I ask?Maybe it's a dumb question to ask. But the truth is it's been hard for me to be true to myself lately. All it took was facing the place where my dad fell to his death—plummeting hundreds of feet below the waterfall. His final moments must have been filled with fear, regret, and unresolved desires. I don't want to die regretting not going after Sam when I had the chance."I mean, I didn't think you had it in you to decide on Sam finally. You seemed so certain about letting her go before. So what's changed," Percy asks as Hazel hands me a cup of coffee?No one has fallen asleep. This camping trip is a complete disaster, from the looks of it. There were six
The door is hard to open. It gets stuck as I push it. A nurse stops me from entering the room."Excuse me, who are you?""Robbie? I'm Sam's friend," I reply as I attempt to enter the room. The nurse looks at me up and down. Her lips puff out, and she judges my soul. She already knows my faults before I do."I suggest you go buy your girlfriend flowers before you visit her."Flowers, why should I buy Sam flowers."Typical man, girls like flowers. It tells them how you feel about them," the nurse laughs."I already told you, I am her friend. Can I go see her now," I ask?"Honey, I've been around a lot longer than you have. I've seen it all at this hospital. I heard their break up, and if you're here. That means you must be the reason. I'm amazed that guy didn't hit you on his way out. So buy her flowers. You obviously care about her. Here's a ten-dollar bill, tell them, Nurse Betsy sent you."I take the ten-dollar bill and feel l
The definition of a best friend is the person one is closest to. I don’t know why it took me this long to realize that the person I am the closest to is Robbie. Everything I do has always been for him. When we crossed the line the night of prom all those years ago, I hoped it would be him. I always imagined us being those friends who would find our way back to each other and realize that it has always been us. We were always meant to be together, and he knew it before I did.When my parents got divorced, and I cried my eyes out, the warmth of his body comforted me. It brought me back to my center. He and I have always been tethered together. Perhaps it was destiny, or maybe it was fate. I knew things weren’t going to work out between Mark and me. We were too different. I was too wild and unpredictable and a little selfish at heart to know what to do. But, on the other hand, he was a gentleman, to his core.If I had a second chance, it would be to tell Mark
Why would Sam throw up after the doctor gave herthe all-clearto go home? None of this is adding up. I am not going to bother trying to figure it out. If I were in her shoes, I would feel exhausted and emotionally drained. Instead, she got knocked out and broke up with Mark for me. I need to give her the benefit of the doubt.But still, something seems off, and I will find out what it is. I didn't like the doctor shoeing me out of the room. I don't know why they do that. Now I sound like a jealous boyfriend. I really need to stop that before it becomes a bad habit ingrained in me.After my dad died, my mom dated a bunch of weird boyfriends about a year later. Some were kind, but most were controlling. There was this one who stood out among the rest, Max. Max drank too much beer and looked like sawdust. He was a carpenter, I believe. He would tell my mother what to eat, and when he moved in with us, it got worse. She would eat her favorite food
"He asked me to marry him!" Samantha screams through my cell phone speakers. My. World. Stops. I'm not sure if it's because Sam is my oldest and longest friend or if there is some other reason I freeze. I want to be excited by her news, but I'm not. "Congrats. That is so exciting. I'm happy for you, Sam." Fuck did I lie to Sam? Now I know something is wrong with me. This is Sam we're talking about. Samantha Laplow, with her long brown hair and soft blue eyes. She would make any man happy. But that man will, unfortunately, never be me. "Robbie, are you okay? You haven't said anything for a few minutes. Were you even listening to me?" Fuck again! She said something, and now it's a pop quiz. I don't have a cheat sheet for this test. I'll admit I have a slight crush on Sam. But who wouldn't? She's hot as fuck. And I'd be blind not to notice. But a crush isn't a rea
Robbie looks at my lips. My heart pounds a little. I just told him I'm engaged, and now this. My eyes stare back at his lips. It's not like I haven't thought about being with Robbie. Robbie Garvie has always been there for me. And compared to me, he's a tree. He notices me staring at his lips. He inches closer to me, and I can feel him closing the gap between us. Does he have feelings for me? I guess I'm about to find out. As I close my eyes and prepare to kiss my best friend, he kisses my forehead instead. I don't know what to do now. Apart of me is relieved he didn't kiss me. We can't pretend that there isn't some attraction between us. I'm embarrassed now. I know that whatever I say right now, however, I react will define our friendship from here on out. "Thanks for always being here for me, Robbie." I hope this response doesn't scare him away. I can't imagine life without Robbie in it. He's been with me my entire life. He
I watch Sam pull away. I feel like a fool for not going after her. But I can't worry about that now. I can't worry about everything that our relationship isn't. She has Mr. Darcy now. I'm sure he'll make Sam very happy. The doorbell rings. It's Percy Jamrog. Percy comes in with his muddy boots. His shoes are always filthy. But, instead of going to college like the rest of us, Percy works with dirt. He started his business plowing snow, cutting down trees, and doing any other yard work he could get his hands on. "Hey, man. How are you? You look confused." I can't tell Percy that I held Sam in my arms and kissed her. Best friends don't fall in love, do they? "Robbie? What's your deal? You haven't said shit to me since I came in. What the hell happened?" "Sam's engaged. She came over here and showed me her ring. And told me all about Mr. Darcy." "You don't still lik
Why would Sam throw up after the doctor gave herthe all-clearto go home? None of this is adding up. I am not going to bother trying to figure it out. If I were in her shoes, I would feel exhausted and emotionally drained. Instead, she got knocked out and broke up with Mark for me. I need to give her the benefit of the doubt.But still, something seems off, and I will find out what it is. I didn't like the doctor shoeing me out of the room. I don't know why they do that. Now I sound like a jealous boyfriend. I really need to stop that before it becomes a bad habit ingrained in me.After my dad died, my mom dated a bunch of weird boyfriends about a year later. Some were kind, but most were controlling. There was this one who stood out among the rest, Max. Max drank too much beer and looked like sawdust. He was a carpenter, I believe. He would tell my mother what to eat, and when he moved in with us, it got worse. She would eat her favorite food
The definition of a best friend is the person one is closest to. I don’t know why it took me this long to realize that the person I am the closest to is Robbie. Everything I do has always been for him. When we crossed the line the night of prom all those years ago, I hoped it would be him. I always imagined us being those friends who would find our way back to each other and realize that it has always been us. We were always meant to be together, and he knew it before I did.When my parents got divorced, and I cried my eyes out, the warmth of his body comforted me. It brought me back to my center. He and I have always been tethered together. Perhaps it was destiny, or maybe it was fate. I knew things weren’t going to work out between Mark and me. We were too different. I was too wild and unpredictable and a little selfish at heart to know what to do. But, on the other hand, he was a gentleman, to his core.If I had a second chance, it would be to tell Mark
The door is hard to open. It gets stuck as I push it. A nurse stops me from entering the room."Excuse me, who are you?""Robbie? I'm Sam's friend," I reply as I attempt to enter the room. The nurse looks at me up and down. Her lips puff out, and she judges my soul. She already knows my faults before I do."I suggest you go buy your girlfriend flowers before you visit her."Flowers, why should I buy Sam flowers."Typical man, girls like flowers. It tells them how you feel about them," the nurse laughs."I already told you, I am her friend. Can I go see her now," I ask?"Honey, I've been around a lot longer than you have. I've seen it all at this hospital. I heard their break up, and if you're here. That means you must be the reason. I'm amazed that guy didn't hit you on his way out. So buy her flowers. You obviously care about her. Here's a ten-dollar bill, tell them, Nurse Betsy sent you."I take the ten-dollar bill and feel l
"Wow, I didn't think you had it in you," Percy says after Missy drives away.The night air is chilly, and Mark still hasn't texted anyone to tell us how Sam is doing. He's a good guy, so I know Sam's in good hands. At least someone can be there for her."What do you mean," I ask?Maybe it's a dumb question to ask. But the truth is it's been hard for me to be true to myself lately. All it took was facing the place where my dad fell to his death—plummeting hundreds of feet below the waterfall. His final moments must have been filled with fear, regret, and unresolved desires. I don't want to die regretting not going after Sam when I had the chance."I mean, I didn't think you had it in you to decide on Sam finally. You seemed so certain about letting her go before. So what's changed," Percy asks as Hazel hands me a cup of coffee?No one has fallen asleep. This camping trip is a complete disaster, from the looks of it. There were six
"What the hell, Missy? You hurt Sam!" I shout as Missy gets off Sam. She's knocked Sam out. There's a little bit of blood on her hands. I pick Sam up and cradle her on my lap."I didn't mean to hurt Sam. But she is trying to come between us, Robbie. She's trying to break us up. I can't let her do that.""Was knocking her out and dragging her out of my tent necessary? Get out of here! I don't want to see you right now. Go get, Mark, and tell him what you did to his fiance," I say while holding Sam in my arms.The entire camp is awake and is staring at the scene we are creating. It's Missy's fault. Sam wanted to comfort me in my time of need, and Missy had to go and get jealous. My mind wanders to the moments before Missy ruined my moment with Sam."Do you love me, Sam?""Yes, I do."Sam didn't hesitate in her response. She only spoke the truth. She only told me what I needed to hear, what we both knew to be true. That she loved me, and it's p
Loud sobbing is heard in the distance. It sounds like Robbie, but I can't be sure. We agreed to meet later. Regardless of how we feel about each other, he's still my best friend first and always. His father died here among the falls and forests, and like a fog-brained mother, I too have forgotten this detail.I can't believe I forgot the name of the place of his father's fall. His father's death never made sense to any of us. Robbie was so quiet and upset about it I never pressed the issue. But somewhere in his grief, he blames himself for the death of his dead father.It's not his fault the world came crashing down for him the day he went hunting. It was never clear why they hunted near the falls or why they followed a deer so close to the edge. The deer was found beside his father. Perhaps it pushed him over the edge. But unfortunately, his body was so destroyed by the fall that it was hard to determine anything in an autopsy. And Robbie was left fatherless, traumati
Chapter 28: Robbie’s POVThe sign for Falcon Falls quickly approaches my window. The last time I read that sign, my father was alive. His breath was on this earth the last time my eyes gazed at the wooden sign with 'Falcon Falls' carved words in the middle.My heart pounds. My father gave me a pocketknife with my initials on it as well as a compass I found the other day. These are the items I will part with when this weekend comes to an end. I will lay them off the last spot my father stood and bury them beneath the earth.My father was a brave man. He fought for his country. To be free of this pain, perhaps I need to understand how he lived as a man. I could run away and join the army. I promised Missy I wouldn't do that. But I am too confused by her and my feelings for Sam. There is almost no reason for me to stay and wonder what would have happened if I chose one woman over the other.
Falcon Falls, the place where I lost my father and my boyhood in a single moment. Returning there has been haunting me all week. I've never told anyone that I am the reason my father, a war hero, fell to his death on the cliffs on the falls. It was a hunting accident.My first year of high school, my father took me on my first hunting trip. He took me to Falcon Falls. The wind was hardly in the air that day, and the sun was low in the sky. It was cold and crisp, perfect deer hunting weather.My old man wanted to teach me how to hunt. We followed a buck near the falls. My gun got jammed, and before my father could help me, I shot him. The recoil pushed him back over the falls. His body was so mangled from where it smashed on the rocks that they never found a bullet wound. But I know what I did. I know how and where it took place. I'm a murderer in the silence of my thoughts. If I return to Falcon Falls, I am sure it will trigger me to rethink joining the army. After my
I return to the house, and Mark looks angry. His arms are crossed over his chest, and his eyebrows are lowered in a narrow position."Where were you, Sam? I tried calling you. My parents have already landed.""I'm sorry. I got caught up in a deep conversation with Hazel," I say, lying through my teeth. I know I look terrible and that my hair hasn't been brushed properly."Why don't I believe you? What are you hiding from me? Sam, I asked you to marry me because I love you. But I can't marry someone who lies to me," Mark says while drumming his fingers against his sleeves."Alright, I was with Robbie. He and I have been fighting a lot lately, and I just want to know that we will still be friends when this is all over."It's sort of true. I'm not about to tell Mark that Robbie and I had the best damn sex I've ever experienced in my twenty-one years of life. I'm still slightly wet from the sex I've had with Robbie. So technically, we had sex twice, an