Meet Me Halfway (EDITING)

Chapter 34: Fourteen Years On

(JAY’S POV)

It had at least been a year or less when Sarah started to part with us. After she left for the new town, we actually did lose touch – all of us. Weekends after that we all caught up and spent time together but eventually school and other stuff got in the way. I know it was unintentional, but we were very disappointed when days, weeks, months and even years passed by without even getting a word.

Sarah had moved to a different high school once again after that and that’s when everything completely fell apart. Visits became phone calls and phone calls became distant texts and distant texts became a big, fat nothing. It was like our friendship had been thrown away; almost like it never happened in the first place. As high school went on, us boys were split up and eventually it became casual a ‘hey’ or a head nod as we walked past in the school hallway. After that, we all applied for different university courses and never spoke a word again.

It was still like that now, and I’m currently thirty years old. For me, my life has kind of gone downhill at the moment. I have managed to move into a nice house and have a good job as a Psychologist. The only thing that bothered me now was my marriage. I recently got divorced. I wasn’t happy with my marriage at all. Not one bit.

Although it was a little less than fourteen years ago when the friendship with Sarah, Nate, Jack and Vince had stopped...They were still on my mind now, especially Sarah. She was still the Sarah I remembered from in the forest. The Sarah that I became friends with and fell for. The Sarah that I loved.

It was weird to think that Chuck, Jerry and Lewis all died fourteen years ago. It was weird to see Chuck in photos with us now...Us all being thirty year olds and him still a kid. That’s how we would always remember him. We’d always age and would be old enough to be his parent...And soon his grandparent whereas he would always be this bubbly, young kid.

I still wonder what he would’ve looked like now and how he would’ve aged. I wonder what job he would have and who he’d love. I asked myself the same questions sometimes – If he hadn’t have died, would’ve I had anything special with Sarah in the first place?

Shrugging the thoughts out of my head and thinking about my day off today, I threw on my coat on from the clothes stand by my front door and locked the door behind me. Today, it was the anniversary of Chuck’s death again. I still remember every year waiting by his grave, waiting to see either Sarah, Nate, Jack or Vince reappear. But I guess we all visited him at different times. I always thought it was weird how they all must’ve still visited him, but yet never did we visit each other. Perhaps he was what could bring us together again someday.

I know we all want to reunite, but it never happens. I don’t even know where to find them anymore. For all I know, they could be gallivanting across the world while I’m stuck filing for divorce. I just hope to see them at Chuck’s anniversary, even though fourteen years wasn’t as special as the ‘fifteenth’ like people say.  

Anyway, on my way to the cemetery I turned the ignition of my car and drove off into the day. The windshield wipers took all the rain drops away, washing the dirty glass at the end of the screen. Rain pelted down on the screen some more, then eventually the showers faded out to become a sun shower. It was a beautiful day like it was meant only for Chuck.  Which for me, it was.

I finally pulled up at the cemetery, stepping out into the dim, bright sunlight. I slammed the door behind me and scratched the little stubble growing around my chin. I walked over a few graves and passed a few new underground ones, wiping a tear as I stepped past with sad thoughts. I still missed Chuck very much and will always continue to miss him no matter what happens.

Now, I missed the others just as much. To me, it felt like they had died with him and I was the only one left. It was almost as if Sarah had chosen to go with Chuck after never seeing her . It was even more depressing for me to not see her as a teenager.